Nintendo Readies Gamecube Intro
By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 10/9/2000
REDMOND, WASH. -- As Sony rolls out its PlayStation2 game console, Nintendo is slowly advancing a new marketing strategy behind its own next-generation video game platform.
The company recently announced Gamecube as the name of its next system (replacing Dolphin, which had been floated as a code name for the product). Nintendo also is broadening its marketing approach behind the platform, allowing other electronics manufacturers to distribute players and systems that are compatible with Gamecube's new disc-based software.
Panasonic recently revealed it plans to market a Gamecube-compatible disc player in Japan this July, approximately the same time as Nintendo launches its Gamecube player.
Unlike previous Nintendo consoles that used proprietary silicon-based cartridges, Gamecube players uses 3-inch, 1.5GB proprietary optical discs developed for Nintendo by Panasonic parent Matsushita. Matsushita is supplying optical drives and copy protection for the new console.
Nintendo executives have stressed that the company's Gamecube will be video-game focused, unlike PlayStation2, which has been positioned as the center of some broader home entertainment network.
Nintendo's Gamecube will not support DVD to avoid positioning as a home media player and to prevent software piracy, company executives have been reported as saying.
Nintendo has said its Gamecube will appeal to a broader and somewhat older audience than the current N64 system. The company expects to have at least five titles at launch. Pricing for the player and software have not been disclosed.
The Nintendo Gamecube will measure 6 x 6 x 4.3 inches and will be offered in several color options. An IBM 405MHz CPU, an ATI graphics co-processor and 40MB of memory will power the system.
Nintendo said the device would be one of the fastest and most efficient game platforms in the market. Accessories are to include a 56K modem, with future broadband upgradability, and a "Wavebird" wireless RF controller.
The player will include two card slots to accept either a proprietary 4MB Digicard Flash memory clip or a 64MB Secure Digital (SD) adapter.
Another new player in the works from Nintendo is its Game Boy Advance (GBA), billed as the next-generation handheld portable gaming system to the popular Game Boy series. Games for the current Game Boy players will be backward compatible with the new player, Nintendo said.
The GBA is designed to connect to the Gamecube player and will be powered by an ARM 32-bit processor. Screen size of the TFT color LCD is 50 percent larger, and resolution is 60 percent sharper than the current portable device. In addition, users can link up to four games with a special cable for multiplayer use.
Nintendo said games can be developed that will play on both Gamecube players and Game Boy Advance units. The portable units can also be used as controllers for a Nintendo Gamecube.
Nintendo will begin selling the GBA in Japan next March for approximately $90. The first U.S. units are slated to arrive in July.
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