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Gamecube to sell for $199
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May 21, 2001: 3:24 p.m. ET
Nintendo undercuts Sony and Microsoft in console wars
By Staff Writer Chris Morris
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Nintendo is taking the console wars to a new level. The company announced Monday it will price its GameCube console system at $199, a price that's $100 lower than Microsoft's Xbox or Sony's PlayStation 2.
Games for the system will retail for a more standard $49.90 each.
Set to release Nov. 5, the GameCube will reach U.S. stores three days before Microsoft's Xbox console system. With the earlier release date and lower price, Nintendo hopes to attract gamers who can afford only one of the new systems.
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Luigi's Mansion will be one of the GameCube's first titles. (Source: Nintendo) | |
Sony's PlayStation 2, which launched last fall, currently retails for $299. The company has said it doesn't plan to adjust that price, but industry insiders expect either a $50 or $100 reduction as the two competing consoles hit the market.
The aggressive pricing signals Nintendo's intention to be a major player in the escalating fight among gaming companies to control the living room. Just last week, Nintendo publicly showed the GameCube for the first time, earning rave reviews from people attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.
In-game footage shown on the machine was incredibly smooth – and Nintendo announced a strong line-up for launch titles for the machine. Among the familiar faces that will accompany the GameCube to market are Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and Pokemon. (All totaled, the system will launch with five games.)
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The GameCube will go on sale in the U.S. on Nov. 5. (Source: Nintendo) | |
Nintendo has controlled the children's market of video games for years, but hasn't paid much attention to the key gaming demographic (players in their late teens and early 20s). At its E3 press conference, however, Peter Main, executive vice president of Nintendo of America, signaled the company's intention to actively pursue those gamers with the GameCube.
Unlike the Xbox and the PlayStation2, the GameCube does not offer a DVD player. Nintendo says this was a deliberate move, meant to focus the machine on nothing but gaming. In keeping with that goal, the GameCube offers a few exclusive features, including a wireless controller (which allows players to enjoy games from up to 30 feet away), a digital video cable outlet, making it compatible with high-definition televisions, and the ability to use the soon-to-be-released Game Boy Advance as a controller. 
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