August 23, 2001

9:17 AM

Nintendo delays U.S. launch of GameCube Nintendo has pushed back the U.S. arrival of its new GameCube video game console by nearly two weeks, with executives saying they intend to avoid the shortages and frustrated consumers that marked the debut of Sony's PlayStation 2 last fall.
posted by Brilliantcrank (21 comments total)

More power to them. There'll still be shortages and frustrated consumers and toy-scalpers on eBay, of course. But at least it'll be like the machine were made of solid gold instead of solid plutonium, the way the PS2 was.
(by the way, have you SEEN the GameCube screenshots? They're all over the front page of The GIA.)
posted by darukaru at 9:32 AM on August 23, 2001

damn. looks like I'll have to wait a bit longer to buy my PS2 ;)
posted by winterdrm at 9:34 AM on August 23, 2001

I wish I'd waited a long time to buy my PS2. I'm happier with the cheap used Dreamcast I picked up a few months ago. It's been months since I've actually played a PS2 game on my PS2.
posted by MegoSteve at 9:50 AM on August 23, 2001

Isn't it a bit premature to assume that there'll be such a huge demand? "We're Nintendo, of course everybody will want a GameCube!"
posted by kindall at 10:01 AM on August 23, 2001

I only bought a Nintendo 64 because of Pokemon and Zelda. A Pokemon game for GameCube won't be out until next year, and the Zelda screenshots are rather discouraging. I hope the play is better than the character design. I don't foresee myself buying a GameCube at launch, and for a long time after that, either.
posted by Electric Elf at 10:45 AM on August 23, 2001

I'm goin' for XBox. Nintendo seems to be making systems for children rather than everyone, of late.
posted by owillis at 10:57 AM on August 23, 2001

Hopefully, this won't end up being a bad move for Nintendo. Up until now, they had a 5 day head start before Microsoft's Xbox came out. Now Nintendo will be playing catch up, not Microsoft.
posted by misterioso at 10:58 AM on August 23, 2001

whoa whoa whoa. Hasn't anybody ever played SuperSmash Brothers on N64? Well, its sequel, SuperSmash Brothers Meele, is due out on the GameCube. Its going to be the fighting game of the melinium.
posted by howa2396 at 11:02 AM on August 23, 2001

forgot about that howa. it wasn't long ago that super smash bros occupied my time in 4-6 hour blocks.
too many choices! argh.
posted by winterdrm at 11:06 AM on August 23, 2001

i dunno how i feel about nintendo's chances. after all, there were really only about 6-7 titles on n64 that i've been interested in: the two zeldas, mario64, mario kart, and goldeneye. mayeb perfect dark or smash bros. but 6-7 titles isn't exactly great, considering the system's been out for so long. i don't think the game cube will be much better.
posted by dogmatic at 11:42 AM on August 23, 2001

The N64 did suck, and may affect how consumers view the GameCube, but it's not an indication of how the GameCube will fare in terms of games. The N64 had specific flaws that alienated many developers, and Nintendo learned the lesson. Were I planning to buy a system, it'd be a Cube.
posted by skyline at 12:01 PM on August 23, 2001

Isn't it a bit premature to assume that there'll be such a huge demand? "We're Nintendo, of course everybody will want a GameCube!"

*has a hearty laugh*

Kindall, obviously you don't understand the videogame market. In an industry where potential consumers read websites years in advance of their actual release, Nintendo already knows exactly what their minimum base will be. They've probably sold 5 million units already simply because there's a new "Zelda" game on the way. Come on, who else has been following the GameCube since it was called "Project Dolphin?" You know who you are...
posted by tweebiscuit at 12:38 PM on August 23, 2001

My big problem with this is that IT IS NOT A CUBE! Why the hell name it GameCube if it isn't a cube, hell, it isn't even a square. [4.3"(H) x 5.9"(W) x 6.3"(D)] This is basic geometry kids. How about calling it GameBox or GameBrick?
posted by hotdoughnutsnow at 12:38 PM on August 23, 2001

I've been to E3.

I've played both GameCube and Xbox.

GameCube is 10x the machine the Xbox is. The controller is infinitely better (MS controller is a tad bit better then a rock, but just a tad), the games are much better, the machine is way cooler looking, etc. etc.

And unlike the N64 the major 3rd party developers are lining up to support it.

Having said that, MS is obviously in it for the long haul. So no matter how badly it does at first the XBox is here to stay.
posted by Dr Vital at 12:56 PM on August 23, 2001

In an industry where potential consumers read websites years in advance of their actual release

Its like telling geeks that no you can't have the pentium 4 until 2004. There are people out there squeezing a handful of 20 dollar bills right now while grinding their teeth into little stubs waiting for all the new electronic toys.
posted by skallas at 3:08 PM on August 23, 2001

Nintendo's always made the games I wanted to play. Doesn't really matter to me when this thing comes out, as long as it does, and I get my Mario fix. Microsoft trying to be cool and hip is just plain creepy, and I still can't believe the PS2 could be out so long and still not manage to have a single game that looks even remotely interesting to me. I'll be jumping on goombas thanks.
posted by kevspace at 4:32 PM on August 23, 2001

on an home console underdog note: i wish sega would stop making good, but slightly less powerful consoles that psyche people out for other companies' consoles. stupid company.
posted by elle at 6:05 PM on August 23, 2001

Sega did just stop making consoles; from here on out they'll be producing software for other consoles (ChuChuRocket for GBA, for example).
posted by skyline at 6:27 PM on August 23, 2001

Sure, Dr. Vital, but I bet that if I got laid off I couldn't live inside the case of the gamecube. So there!
posted by NortonDC at 7:20 PM on August 23, 2001

Why I'll be buying the GameCube instead of the XBox in one word: Rare. They consistantly make games I like, and they only make them for Nintendo.
posted by muta at 7:23 PM on August 23, 2001

I am mostly waiting until the GameCube and the Xbox to come out so I can get a PS2 at a halfway decent price. Because I want to play Gran Turismo 3. But also, I will wait until there is more than one game that I want available only on a platform I don't have before I will get that platform. That is why I won't get the PS2 yet, since there is only one game I want. But when Metal Gear Whatever comes out, that will be two. So far there are a few things that look interesting for the Gamecube (I remember when they called it Dolphin) and nothing for the X-box. For some reason though, I suspect that Microsoft will find a way to make Halo much more appealing on the Xbox than on other consoles.
posted by donkeymon at 9:07 PM on August 23, 2001