GameCube and X-Box consoles steal the show at E3 convention - Brief Article - Product Announcement

DSN Retailing Today, June 4, 2001 by Doug Desjardins

LOS ANGELES -- The Olympics may not be here until next year, but console fans are already singing "Let the Games Begin" as Nintendo and Microsoft prepare to launch their highly touted new game consoles in the same week in November.

Nintendo's GameCube will make its debut on Nov. 5 at a price of $199. The colorful cube-shaped console will play games on a proprietary 3.5-in, disc, and Nintendo will have six first-party games available for launch for $49 each.

Microsoft's X-Box will hit stores on Nov. 8 at a price of $299. The powerful new console--which will include a hard drive and a 733- megahertz Intel processor--will play games on DVD discs and also play DVD movies with the purchase of a $29 remote control. Microsoft executives said the system will debut with 15 to 20 games and that 600,000 to 800,000 units will be available at launch. Game prices were not announced but are expected to be in the $50 range.

The launch dates and price announcements from Nintendo and Microsoft headlined the seventh annual Electronic Entertainment Expo May 17 to 19 in Los Angeles. More than 62,000 people crammed the Los Angeles Convention Center to check out and play more than 700 new games from the industry's major manufacturers.

Industry leader Sony also made some noise at the show. Sony announced dozens of new games scheduled to launch this year for Playstation 2 and will introduce several new accessories for the console, including a modem and a remote control for DVD movies. Sony is also expected to lower its $299 console price before the start of the holiday season.

As always, the quality and quantity of games available at launch will determine which system will rule the $6 billion game industry. "If you look at them in terms of the quality of the graphics, they're pretty much all on equal footing," said Brian O'Rourke, senior analyst for Cahners In-Stat Group. "It all depends on the games and how they appeal to the gamers."

Nintendo is pinning its hopes on "Luigi's Mansion" and "Super Smash Bros. Melee" for its launch, along with "Pikmin" due in December. The X-Box lineup will include "Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee," "Dead or Alive 3" and the combat game "Halo." Sony, which launched its Playstation 2 last October, already has dozens of titles on the market and will have a lineup of new games ready for the holidays, including "Metal Gear Solid 2" and "Kinetica."

The game console battle is expected to provide a windfall for consumer electronics chains this fall no matter who wins. Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown predicts Best Buy will reap more than $40 million in incremental profits during the holidays from sales of X-Box hardware and software alone.