Redmond, Wash – Nintendo has cut the price on its GameCube video game console by $50 to a $99.99 suggested retail price, matching the price of its handheld GameBoy Advance.
Nintendo said the new price ‘opens an $80 price advantage over its two console competitors’ and opens console the market to a new level of mass market customers.
At the same time, the company announced a lineup of new software titles for the Holiday selling season, expanding the GameCube library to over 320 titles by the end of the year.
Among the expected hottest titles is Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, which will released as a GameCube exclusive on November 17. Nintendo said customers who reserve a copy of the game in advance will receive a free bonus disc, with game footage and gameplay previews for other upcoming titles.
In addition, Nintendo recently expanded the Player’s Choice library offering discounted prices for a half dozen award winning games including Super Mario Sunshine, Animal Crossing and Metroid Prime.
‘So far in 2003, Nintendo GameCube is the only home console showing an increase in unit sales compared to 2002,’ said George Harrison, Nintendo marketing and communications senior VP. ‘Every time a generation of technology has moved into the true mass market, Nintendo has prospered.’
Other titles slate for pre-Holiday release include the following: Kirby Air Ride (Oct. 13), Mario Party 5 (Nov. 11), 1080 Avalanche (Dec. 1), and Pokemon Channel (Dec.1). In addition, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles and Pokemon Colosseum are due in the first quarter of 2004, the company said.
