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Tuesday, May 22, 2001
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Nintendo to Price GameCube at $199, Below Rivals
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Video game maker Nintendo on Monday said it would price its new GameCube
console at $199.95 in the United States, a near $100 discount to rival game
players.
A company spokesman said that Nintendo's video games for the GameCube would
be priced at $49.95 each. Six Nintendo titles would be available at the
launch, Nintendo said in a statement.
Nintendo first unveiled its latest console last week at the Electronic
Entertainment Expo (E3), and said it would launch the system on Nov. 5 in
the United States after a mid-September launch in Japan.
The $199 price for Nintendo's GameCube compares with the $299 price tag
announced last week for Microsoft’s new Xbox player. The Xbox and GameCube
are scheduled to launch in the United States in the same week.
``Nintendo's pricing is independent, based on the price of its components,''
Nintendo of America spokeswoman Perrin Kaplan said. ``Our goal is to be
affordable for every household. This is considered a mass market price.''
She declined to comment on the system's launch price in Japan. Earlier in
the day Japan's Nikkei news service said the console would be launched in
Japan for 25,000 yen, 10,000 yen lower than the price of rival console
PlayStation2. GameCube software would sell in Japan for 6,800-yen, the
Nikkei said.
Sony PlayStation 2 launched at a price of $299 in the United States in
October. Although the company has said it will not lower its price, several
analysts have forecast a $50 discount once competitors hit the market.
Analysts said that Nintendo's price was in line with or lower than
expectations.
``The price point fits with what the system is,'' International Data Corp.
(IDC) research firm analyst Schelley Olhava said. ``It makes sense since
their unit is targeted at the younger audience, 8- to 14-year-olds, who
don't have a large disposable income.''
Nintendo's GameCube does not have the ability to play CDs and DVDs, like the
other two game consoles. |
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