22 Apr 2002 09:46
Nintendo has on Monday announced that its GameCube console, which was set to launch at around £169 on 3 May, will now be available on day one for a mere £129 -- or 199 euros as opposed to the original 249.
The price drop will no doubt come as a pleasant surprise to the 30,000 people in the UK that have already pre-ordered a GameCube and Nintendo is predicting that that figure will rise to over 50,000 in light of today's announcement. It's not known exactly how many GameCubes will be available in the UK at launch, but Nintendo has confirmed that no less than 500,000 consoles will be available across Europe, with a total of one million units committed for the launch period.
"Europe is a very important market for Nintendo and we are committed to making it a success. On May 3rd we will launch the only dedicated games console, the Nintendo GameCube, with an excellent software line-up, both for launch and throughout 2002, at a very competitive price. This is a very strong offer for consumers and one that we believe will ensure Nintendo's success across Europe," said David Gosen, managing director, Nintendo Europe.
The question now is whether or not Sony will feel that its PS2 pricing is no longer competitive, given that the console is less powerful than both of its competitors and, unlike the Xbox, which has a built-in hard drive, requires consumers to invest a further £27 for a memory card to save games.
See GameSpot UK's Nintendo channel for the latest news.
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