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.

Comments

Even so,

[Bagels]

I have a sneaking suspicion that they'll start carrying them again when this year's blockbusters ("mature" Zelda, the Pokemon RPG) come out for it. Otherwise, their competitors will stand to gain quite a bit.

Re:Even so,

[badasscat]

Move along, nothing to see in this article. I mean, did anybody actually read it? It starts off like this:

A while ago Argos reduced the price of the GameCube console because they wished to get rid of their stock. After an incredible increase in sales they decided to carry on stocking it, but seem as if they wish to get rid of it now.

Let's all ponder that for a minute. "A while ago" Argos "wished" to get rid of their stock, and now they "wish" to get rid of it again. The trouble is, people just keep buying the stupid things! Poor Argos, their wish just never comes true! Those pesky customers just will not stop giving them their money.

Seriously, though, two points:

1. This is not new. The article itself says Argos first did this "a while ago", meaning (since this author can't seem to remember exactly) in 2003.

2. The rest of this article is nothing but speculation. "it is worrying that retailers are seemingly giving up on the GameCube" is an opinion based on an assumption based on nothing. The article itself says that prices were reduced previously and yet GameCubes are still on sale - why not assume this is simply a sales-generating tactic that's now been used repeatedly? Do stores never have loss-leader sales in the UK? (Rhetorical question - they obviously do, because Argos did it before with the GameCube.)

Nintendo's in a lot better shape than people seem to think they are. Just read their financial reports and look at the worldwide sales data (it's out there, though Europe's the toughest to come by - NPD and MediaCreate reports are pretty easily obtainable from various sources, though). They're profitable and they've got the #2 home console and #1, #2 and #3 handhelds in terms of current worldwide sales.

Now's the time.

[tsalem]

If you live in the UK, I think now would be the best time to get a Gamecube, if you haven't already. At the current price at Argos, it's selling for cheaper than it is in the US (correct my if I'm wrong, I'm aware of the difference between the pound and the dollar).

There are a good deal of games worth getting for the system that you can find for cheap noawadays. Matroid, the Mario/Luigi games, Zelda Wind Waker, Star Wars, Smash Brothers Melee, amongst others. As an earlier poster stated, they might raise the prices again, so get 'em while they're cheap.

Re:Now's the time.

[general_re]

At the current price at Argos, it's selling for cheaper than it is in the US (correct my if I'm wrong, I'm aware of the difference between the pound and the dollar).

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. ;)

A pity

[sycomonkey]

It would be really sad if what caused the failure of Nintendo was not them loosing money, or them not having fans, but companies being short sighted enough to drop support for Nintendo simply because it's not selling as well as Xbox and PS2 stuff. As it is Nintendo could live enitrely on it's fanbase for an indefinate period of time, but if you can't walk into a store and buy the games, then it doesn't matter how many much money you're making. If it ever comes to those dark times, hopefully Nintendo will have the forsight to just open up an online store, or start their own chain of Nintendo stores. Or both.

Re:I still find it amusing...

[clu76]

MS didn't buy anything, their console is succesful with excellent first-party games and third-party support, something the Gamecube lacks.

I own an Xbox. And I still recognize that Microsoft bought their way into the market. They took huge losses selling their product below cost and on an extremely aggressive advertising campaign. They bought Bungie which made Halo and Halo 2, their best sellers. And Nintendo is still king of first-party games, being the second largest publisher of games in 2003.

PAL neglection

[dutt]

Since Nintendo has neglected the PAL market by not releasing close to the amount of titles for the gamecube, this doesn't really come as a big surprise.

What would surprise me though, is if Nintendo just would let this pass without action.

Re:Does this really come as a suprise to anyone?

[Craig Maloney]

I think you missed a few great games for the GC:

• Pikmin: Arguably one of the better concepts to come out of gaming.
  
• Viewtiful Joe: Yeah, it's now out for the other consoles, but it's still a great game. Not sure of the other consoles can compare with this title on the GC.
  
• Soul Calibur II: Each platform has their own special character. For the GC, it was Link. Link actually manages to make a good showing on this console.
  
• Harvest Moon: Might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's the most fun farming you'll ever have.
  
• Puyo Pop Fever: I think this is now on all of the platforms, though.
  
• Rogue Squadron II: Star Wars done right.
  
• F-Zero: Great racing game.
  

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.

Why did this even get posted?

[Khuffie]

I mean seriously. A single retailer reduces the price on a console, and suddenly all UK retailers are somehow magically thinking of dropping the GameCube? Perhaps the single retailer has an overstock of GameCubes. Perhaps they didn't sell them as many GameCubes as competing retailers. Perhaps, you know, this is a limited time offer in an effort to spark sales.

Go to the site's gamecube listing. "Offer ends 21st January 2005. " Last thing you do is trust anything from GameCube Europe. They're just as bad as Nintendo Now.

Love for the 'cube

[Belgand]

Earlier this summer I decided that a console system would really be nice. I've been a PC gamer for years, but my latest console was my beloved SNES. Yes, I think that the PC is, in many ways, a superior platform for many games there are plenty of things that a console does better that I was missing. I wanted something that I could just pick up and play some basic, light games on yet still gave me something to really sink my teeth into when I felt like it. I wanted something where I could just sit around and play with some friends or my girlfriend without each of us just staring into our own, distant screens. As far as game selection I wanted something that had a good lock on some exclusive titles that I would enjoy.

After looking at all of these factors I really had to choose the Gamecube as being the best of the batch. It has four player support out of box (unlike the PS2) and a number of great multi-player games that are fun for groups (Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart). It also has some really great exclusive titles (both the aforementioned, Zelda, Metroid, Paper Mario, Eternal Darkness). The major titles I'd be missing are often not only ported to the PC where they're often better (e.g. Grand Theft Auto), but many are originally designed for the PC and only co-developed for consoles. What's left is often multi-platform meaning I won't miss out (e.g. Prince of Persia, X-Men Legends, Tony Hawk). It also has a few revamped PS1 games that I'd wanted a chance to play (Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil) but had missed out on. Online play is something I'd often be able to get better on the PC regardless and while it would suck for a few titles, it was something I could deal with.

Thus, in my opinion, at least, while the Gamecube might not be the best system for someone who will be playing consoles exclusively (I do miss Katamari Damacy, Burnout 3, and some others) if you already have a PC it's probably the best console to pick up to scratch those itches that only a console can.