MINI-tendo The size of Nintendo's consoles aren't the only thing Nintnedo is cutting down on.
| |
||
As you may already know, Nintendo has slated the release of the much criticized Game Boy Micro for Sept. 19th. If you do not know about this or do not even know about the Micro (where were you at e3!?), then here is part of a press release by Nintendo about it and an image:
"Game Boy goes anywhere, and now it fits anywhere," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "The incredibly small size of Game Boy Micro belies the powerful technology shrunk into a hip new casing with an intensely bright screen; and at under $100, it's a must-have." Game Boy Micro measures just 4 inches wide, 2 inches long and 0.7 inches thin. It weighs 2.8 ounces, about the weight of 80 paper clips. Yet it boasts the same power as previous Game Boy Advance models, complete with the ability to play all Game Boy Advance games, a library of more than 700 titles. Game Boy Micro features a 2-inch, crystal-clear screen, and Start/Select buttons that glow with the cool, neon-like blue found on many cell phones
Also, Nintendo has announced the release of the much awaited Nintendo "Revolution" for mid to late 2006. Here is an image of the console. It is reported to be equal to if you stacked up three DVD cases. As you can see, the sizes of these consoles have been shrunk since its predecessors. The size of the Game Boy Micro stands at an amazing "4 x 2 x 7". Its price has been cut as well. It was originally priced at 125.00 USD, but then Nintendo announced that its price would be reduced to $100.00.
The Micro was not the only platform that Nintendo cut the price on. At first, it was the Nintendo Gamecube cutting its price from 129.99 to 99.99. The newest generation in the Nintendo hand-held family, the Nintendo DS, had its price dropped from 149.99 USD to 119.99 USD. Obviously, Nintendo has made these price cuts to compete with Sony's fast marketing skills of the PSP and the new, slimmer version of the PS2.
Trying to keep up with not just Sony, but Microsoft is very important for Nintendo. The reason? Nintendo used to rule gaming with NES and SNES. Then came its decline with the Nintendo 64. Too many faults and bad luck ultimately had Sony's console sell nearly double compared to the N64. Matters worsened with the Nintendo Gamecube losing to not only Sony in this console war, but Microsoft as well. Analysts and gamers alike are certain that Nintendo will not recover at all in the next generation and may even lose out in the handheld war against Sony's PSP. Nintendo's innovation is unique, but many mainstream gamers aren't going for it. Price cuts are Nintendo's other answer. Nonetheless, even with our thoughts, Nintendo has announced the price cut for the DS was to promote the new game, Nintendogs, it was also a good marketing ploy to rival Sony's growing sales in the PSP. Nintendo's reasoning of DS's price cut is valid as Nintendogs sold 250,000 copies, which is nearly 15% of the total DS base. PSP has yet to come close to a record like that. Anyway, the next price cut you ask? Expect the price of the Game Boy Micro to drop as well as the price of the "Revolution" 9 months after its release.
//-->
