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GameCube Sales Quadruple, Nintendo Debuts New Slogan
Thanks to GameSpot for their report that sales of Nintendo's GameCube have quadrupled, following the price cut to $99. The piece quotes an effusive GameStop spokesman as saying: "Our sales of Nintendo GameCube have increased more than fourfold. We are currently increasing our shipment requests for the system throughout the holidays." Meanwhile, the Chicago Sun-Times reports on the new Nintendo adverts, both TV and print, with the tagline "Who Are You?" - the print ads "...show the heads of Nintendo characters superimposed on famous images, including players in the rock band Kiss, a person straddling the now-demolished Berlin Wall and no less an icon than the Mona Lisa", and the massive $100 million ad spending will also feature "a 60-second cinema commercial... shot on location in Asia... [and featuring] more than 500 extras."
So am I the only one who is honestly not surprised by this? Gamecube is a really great system, with really great games, and people are obviously buying them in mass quantities now. To me, this shows that since PS2 hit the market first, and everyone hopped on that despite it's horrid launch and stuck with it, most of the gamecube sales to date have been from people like me who wanted the gamecube, not PS2. Now that Nintendo has slashed the price, people are going and buying it as a second system. Does anyone else smell the demise of the Xbox?
I have no regrets, this is the only path.
My whole life has been "UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS"
While the GameCube sales figure are much better, it seems to me like they could still be losing money on it. They lost a lot of third party support and can only churn out so many first party titles at a given time. If they still are losing money on each console sale, which would seem to be true, I'm not sure if they have enough titles to get into positive cash flow. Anybody with stats that say otherwise? Is the GBA enough to keep it afloat?
Until Slashdot fixes the funny modifier, use insightful or interesting. The poster knows your intentions.
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I'm glad to hear their sales have jumped. Hopefully this nips the whole "Gamecube is dead" article blight in the bud, since I was getting sick of people claiming that, despite the excellent games.
skye
If the sales numbers stay high for an extended period I believe Microsoft will be forced to drop the price of the Xbox. I told my brother about the price drop of the Cube and the next day he bought one. I know a few other people who may pick up a cube now also. The price drop, in combination with a good library of games and some great new upcoming games like Mario Kart Double Dash (drools in anticipation, Nov. 17 is to far away!) should help improve Nintendo's situation in North America.
Yes, it will last. Once a console or any other consumer electronics device drops its MSRP it will not go back up again. Since the technology is getting older and hence closer to obsolescence day by day, consumers are not willing pay a higher price for something that was cheaper yesterday. Are they doing anything to change their game strategy? I believe they are doing a bit by enabling LAN play in some of their upcoming games (like Mario Kart) which helps a little, but if they would have gone with full internet support their games would be more attractive to more people. Nintendo states that their is no money to be made with online gaming. The replayability factor of a game is increased tremendously via the internet. Replayability + positive word of mouth and reviews = increased sales = increased profits. That's how you make money with internet gaming and if they don't have an internet strategy for their next console they don't have a chance.
"Most people just can't think for themselves..."
Yeah, and they often blurt out fanboyish opinions without ever giving other games a chance too.
All too often I see, say, the latest Rockman or Sonic title being criticised by these Zombie Gamers for being too "cute" or "kiddie", when they haven't even attempted to play or enjoy them. It's a sad state of affairs.
Not that I'm trying to be smarmy or anything.... No, you are just daydreaming and you know it.
Nintendo is doing very well now, the gamecube is the one that is not going so good, developers are beginning to abandon it and they are not even building them anymore, of course the sales have quadrupled, they are practically giving them away.
The PSP is about to be released next year, Nintendo is a big company but not as big as sony or MS if the PSP beats their GBA and its succesor they ARE going to be in trouble and they know it.
if they actually end up losing the console war, there future may be pretty bleak.
The headline of the future probably is:
Sony continues leading the way, PSP sales through the rough XBOX2 gets delayed MS announces the XBP, the Gamesphere bundled with Mario 2004 and the GBA ultra drops price to $50 sales quadrupled.
Or maybe the next GBA will be really something and nintendo will end up beating all. Hey! who knows? is the future after all.
Go ahead MOD my day!
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Who knows the future? No one. But we know the past and the current. Nintendo hasn't had a money losing quarter in ages. Nintendo is debt free. Nintendo has $7,500,000,000 USD in cash.