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UK Retailers Dumping Gamecube?
GameCube Europe is carrying a story stating that major United Kingdom retailers are dropping the Gamecube from their stock. From the article: Argos [has] reduced the GameCube from the RRP of £79.99 to only £39.99 and have also reduced the cost of games and accessories by a drastic amount.
[Nintendo is] not selling as well as Xbox and PS2 stuff.
Hmm, really? The numbers disagree
When you look at the state of the world, how can you not become a radical, liberal anarchist?
No, you're right. Despite the weak dollar, at the current interbank exchange rate £39.99 is worth $76.76 - most US retailers are still at the $99 point, IIRC. Of course, back before the dollar started its slide, it would have been around $60. ;)
ABSURDITY, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.
I'm no Nintendo apologist by any stretch of the imagination (the GC is the first Nontendo console I'll actually have in my house) but they've put out some great games for it. The PS2 and the XBox have some great exclusive titles, and the cross-platform titles are a bit better on those systems, but the GC does have a lot going for it. The GC has a lot in common with the Dreamcast when it's all said and done, and that's unfortunate, because both systems have excellent hardware, excellent software, and are so completely not to American gamer tastes.
MGS Twin Snakes was a completely redone version of the first MGS, which didn't use analog buttons. And at least the GameCube, Dreamcast, and Xbox have the analog stick in the correct (more natural) position for 3D games on their controllers, unlike the PS2's controller, which is uncomfortable to use for a long time if your game uses the analog sticks.
Analog buttons with no give = pointless anyways. For PS2 games that don't need them, I prefer to use my PSone controller with digital buttons, since it is more responsive. Heck, for games that don't need the analog sticks, I still prefer the non-analog PS controller over any analog Sony controller as well, even though it lacks rumble. It just feels right.
Oh, BTW, the PSO community is bigger on Cube than on Xbox. (You seemed surprised that people were playing the Cube version, but they outnumber the PC and Xbox players combined.) Ignoring the Cube-exclusive PSO III, Cube gamers only pay one fee to play PSO, unlike on Xbox, where they pay for their hunter's license on top of Live fees. The Cube version also got two separate releases (second version is enhanced with exclusive content that was only available online, so it can be played offline), and this second version is still selling alongside PSO III.
Also, there is no solid reason to think MGS3 will hit PC or Xbox. MGS2 on Xbox was a major letdown for Konami, sales-wise, and the PS2 version that came after and included the "enhancements" from the Xbox version even looked and animated much better on the PS2. And as you know, MGS2 on PC was a joke and didn't sell well either. Still, it's a Konami game, so a shitty PC port is a possibility.