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[Meier]

I would probably buy a Gamecube Nintendo if it dropped to $20/€20. And if they throw in a free game and memory card, I would buy it for sure.

The thing is, this is a terrible business idea and is clearly something Nintendo would never do. They're in this for the profits as its their only source of income for the most part. $100 for the system, Mario Kart and another controller (think that is this Christmas' bundle) is probably what we'll see for another 4-5+ months.

 

[Grubdog]

Drop the price to $75 US.

That would just make things worse, part of the reason it's not selling well is because it's percieved as a cheap toy by the ignorant mainstream "gamers".

Now I feel like an asshole for not buying Pikmin 2.

So you should

 

[unkasa]

I've seen this sentiment several times in this thread and I can't really agree. This is Square Enix's flagship title for the year and had a substantial tv ad campaign. It was out for almost the entire month, a quarter of a million in sales should be expected. In fact, it pales in comparison to Fable.

Hopefully Dragon Quest can do better than this in America.

Well, Fable, after 5 years of unfulfilled hype, sees its release on a console where rpgs are scarce. Why are its numbers impressive? Look at how Star Ocean 2 performed on the PSX. Immediately out of the gate, SO3 surpassed the second installment. What does a "substantial tv ad campaign" have to do with it eclipsing the expectations many held prior to its release? I never expected Star Ocean 3 to sell that well. How can it pale in comparison to Fable when the situation is hardly comparable? The PS2 has been the recipient of a number of above average rpgs this year. How many has the Xbox enjoyed? Zero. So, with Fable, the Xbox contingent, hungry for something other than their millionth run with KoTOR, snatched the game up. I know of several people who returned it, dissatisfied with the culmination of 5 years of empty promises.

 

[neptunes]

wouldn't a drastic price drop like that send messages to the public?

though, I'm sure it'll move some units. Price drop + mainstream killer app = good!

 

[cvxfreak]

Who would care, though?

The price is already $50 or more cheaper than the competition, and people still aren't buying it.

Honestly, if the GameCube dropped to $20, would it really make a massive spike long-term? I really don't think it would. For about three months, I think you'd see a pretty big spike, but after about a year, I think we'd be right back where we are now.

OK, for $20, it'd probably skyrocket to about above-PS2 levels.

 

[Buffy4ever]

Gee this thread has gone down..
ok for the people..
Nintendo is not doomed as a company, the GBA makes too much green for that to happen. Gamecube as a console is doomed.
there , now let get back to the genral sotware sells and less about Nintendo.
How did Viewtful Joe do????

 

[SolidSnakex]

So if PSP were doing poorly and people started going about with "SONY IS DOOMED" posts, there wouldn't be a temptation to remind them of how much ass Sony is kicking in the console market?

No, all that's going to do is show exactly how bad the PSP was doing.

 

[Rocket Punch]

I don't think Nintendo is quite done yet with the lil Cube that could. These doom and gloom post always show up when Nintendo has a bad month. I think that going into the holidays the GC will sell better to the families simply because of it's price, especially with the Mario Kart DD bundle. Holidays are still a force to be reckoned when it comes to hardware sales. And let's wait next month for Paper Mario 2 numbers before people start throwing the towels prematurely.

 

[Gazunta]

Any figures for TY The Tasmanian Tiger 1 (PS2 / XB / GC) or Jimmy Neutron: Jet Fusion (PS2 / GC) or Sunny Garcia Surfing (PS2)?

(I figure I should just set up a button that asks this question every month)

 

[Alcibiades]

WTF?!

Of course they are in the same market, they sit right next to each other on store shelves...

Let's see, generic racer/shooter/sports title on CONSOLE X vs. Metriod Fusion on GBA, it's not totally out of the ordinary to see GBA titles get chosen...

Castlevania PS2 (mediocre reviews) vs. Castlevania on GBA (stellar reviews)...

IMO, there is competition for than people are willing to admit...

that's like saying PS2 and XBox titles don't compete, just because someone doesn't own both systems, it doesn't mean some people out there own both and chose between titles between those two consoles...

I'm sure there are people out there choosing between GBA and GCN/XBox/PS2 titles...

Final Fantasy Tactics, Castlevania, Metroid, and Advance Wars don't really appeal to children anyway...

 

[Subitai]

No one cares about the Burnout3 bomb? For all the terrific ads, big publisher, and great reviews, it still did pretty mediocre. I guess people like modding cars than actually racing them.

 

[sc0la]

No one cares about the Burnout3 bomb? For all the terrific ads, big publisher, and great reviews, it still did pretty mediocre. I guess people like modding cars than actually racing them.

no the people want features, and those features are hip soundtrack, framerate stutter, and sluggish control/gameplay. Burnout 3 only had one of those three features.

 

[duderon]

WTF?!

Of course they are in the same market, they sit right next to each other on store shelves...

Let's see, generic racer/shooter/sports title on CONSOLE X vs. Metriod Fusion on GBA, it's not totally out of the ordinary to see GBA titles get chosen...

Castlevania PS2 (mediocre reviews) vs. Castlevania on GBA (stellar reviews)...

IMO, there is competition for than people are willing to admit...

that's like saying PS2 and XBox titles don't compete, just because someone doesn't own both systems, it doesn't mean some people out there own both and chose between titles between those two consoles...

I'm sure there are people out there choosing between GBA and GCN/XBox/PS2 titles...

Final Fantasy Tactics, Castlevania, Metroid, and Advance Wars don't really appeal to children anyway...

Dude....


DUDE.


Just stop. Please. *shakes head and walks away*

 

[Barnimal]

theres a strange occurance within the gamecubes top 15. 7 of those games are quite old while xbox has 1 old title being halo and ps2 has 0 older titles.

 

[Notorious]

He has lost it now...

 

[Shoryuken]

theres a strange occurance within the gamecubes top 15. 7 of those games are quite old while xbox has 1 old title being halo and ps2 has 0 older titles.

GC has less titles being released for it. Notice most of the PS2's and Xbox's top titles are titles that were released either this month or last month.

 

[SolidSnakex]

theres a strange occurance within the gamecubes top 15. 7 of those games are quite old while xbox has 1 old title being halo and ps2 has 0 older titles.

That's because there's a big lack of GC releases, look at this:

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categori...p?wherefrom=comingsoon&web_dept=PlayStation+2
http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/products/deptpage.asp?wherefrom=comingsoon&web_dept=XBOX
http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/products/deptpage.asp?wherefrom=comingsoon&web_dept=GameCube

That lack doesn't seem to be getting any greater anytime soon.

 

[Project Midway]

Is Gahiggidy still updating his title chart?

 

[Alcibiades]

Dude....


DUDE.


Just stop. Please. *shakes head and walks away*

can you dispute a point instead of just dismissing what I posted?

I just stated examples, I mean I'd choose Metroid GCN over THQ kids-game on GBA, but the point I was millions (judging by sales of titles oriented to older audiences) think highly of some games on GBA, and maybe even over console counterparts...

there are still people that detest Metroid 3-d but love the 2-d incarnations on GBA...

 

[Lazy8s]

Metal Gear Solid 3 will be one of the games to suffer from the tough competition for holiday sales this year.

 

[Renegade]

Portables and Consoles ARE two different markets.

For portables you have two choices. Handhelds in the vein of VTechs/Palm pilots and GBA. Or really just GBA. Consoles are split amongst 3 candidates.

It's like the election just before the civil War. The Democrats split into two groups while the republicans held steadfast with one candidate. While the Democrats had much more people on their side, they were split amongst 2 subparties, while all republicans went for Lincoln.

The console market is bigger than the handheld market. This month there were over 650K consoles sold vs 525K portables. However, the console market is hit with a 3 point schism that's going to divide the users while portables remain with one uncontested system that retains all sales to itself.

 

[Subitai]

GC has less titles being released for it. Notice most of the PS2's and Xbox's top titles are titles that were released either this month or last month.

Yeah, that's not new. What's new is that GCN owners aren't over-gorging on Nintendo's latest 1st party release(s) to make up for it. Pikmin 2 would have been in the top 10 at this time 2 years ago.

 

[duderon]

can you dispute a point instead of just dismissing what I posted?

I just stated examples, I mean I'd choose Metroid GCN over THQ kids-game on GBA, but the point I was millions (judging by sales of titles oriented to older audiences) think highly of some games on GBA, and maybe even over console counterparts...

there are still people that detest Metroid 3-d but love the 2-d incarnations on GBA...

Yes, but the only similarity between GBA and the home consoles is that they all play video games. GBA is not comparable to the home consoles because it is not a system that is meant to be played in your home. I believe people shop separatly for GBA games and console games, mostly because of the 2D, 3D difference. That's it. You can spin it around and say the games are competing because they have the same name, or something else similar, but people do not compare home console games to GBA games when making a purchase. I think others will agree.

 

[Alcibiades]

they are "different markets" in that maybe more casuals pick up a GBA for travel, but I'd argue they are both part of the same "videogame" market as well...

GBA titles target the same gaming dollars that GCN/XBox/PS2 are going for.

That's like saying Laptops/Desktops aren't in the same market because one is portable, they still are chasing the same audience and students/teachers/parents, etc... will weigh the portability feature against the power of the desktops...

it's not a 100% parallel with GBA vs. home consoles, but it's similar.

I've worked in retail, and many times parents coming in for gifts would decide between a PS2 or GBA, and many customers looked through GBA titles as well as GCN/XBox/PS2 titles when looking for something to buy...

Even the analysts count GBA when they talk about the "$10 billion" vidoegame market and when they tabulate total sales for current-gen videogame systems...

 

[Bebpo]

Metal Gear Solid 3 will be one of the games to suffer from the tough competition for holiday sales this year.

It would be kinda nice if MGS3 does slightly better in Japan. Then maybe Kojima would stop releasing the US version first But then again if the Jpn MGS3 has more extras like the Jpn MGS2, I guess it's cool.

 

[SolidSnakex]

It would be kinda nice if MGS3 does slightly better in Japan. Then maybe Kojima would stop releasing the US version first But then again if the Jpn MGS3 has more extras like the Jpn MGS2, I guess it's cool.

If you're waiting for the Japanese version because you want Japanese voice acting, Kojima has said that he's looking to include that in the US version also.

 

[Bebpo]

If you're waiting for the Japanese version because you want Japanese voice acting, Kojima has said that he's looking to include that in the US version also.

No, I'm waiting for the Jpn version because I'm in Japan and only have a Jpn PS2

Just a little bitter because the same thing happened at MGS2 time and it was a bitch to avoid spoilers for a month while still reading forums for other news

 

[duderon]

That's like saying Laptops/Desktops aren't in the same market because one is portable, they still are chasing the same audience and students/teachers/parents, etc... will weigh the portability feature against the power of the desktops...

That's not a good analogy because i'm using a laptop right now esentially as a desktop computer. A GBA compared to a home console is MUCH more portable than a laptop compared to a desktop. You don't see people walking around with their laptops trying to type stuff up.

 

[Alcibiades]

Yes, but the only similarity between GBA and the home consoles is that they all play video games. GBA is not comparable to the home consoles because it is not a system that is meant to be played in your home. I believe people shop separatly for GBA games and console games, mostly because of the 2D, 3D difference. That's it. You can spin it around and say the games are competing because they have the same name, or something else similar, but people do not compare home console games to GBA games when making a purchase. I think others will agree.

- the GBA was meant to be a portable game system, not necessarily aimed at being played outside the home (w/ exception of Boktai maybe) exclusively. Whether Nintendo meant it or not, some of it's games aren't exactly "travel" material you only play once or twice and not finish, the games are built to be completed and provide as much playtime entertainment as possible...

- just a couple of weeks ago I made a thread and asked about whether I should go with extra bongos on GCN or The Omega Factor on GBA, I'd say that's comparing a home console product vs. GBA game... I'm sure that's not the only time in the history of the GBA that a home gaming product (and it's happened with games where I have to choose between a GBA game or GCN game) that someone contemplates between a GBA or home console product...

 

[SolidSnakex]

No, I'm waiting for the Jpn version because I'm in Japan and only have a Jpn PS2

Just a little bitter because the same thing happened at MGS2 time and it was a bitch to avoid spoilers for a month while still reading forums for other news

The spoilers were everywhere because there was a leaked version of the game. It didn't help that for some reason Konami sent out screens to 1 site of Raiden in game. They need to keep MGS3 underwraps this time.

 

[bishoptl]

I'm positive Xbox will outsell PS2 this holiday season.

:lol

 

[Alcibiades]

You don't see people walking around with their laptops trying to type stuff up.

you don't live in a college campus

seriously though, I know some people that are practically attached to their laptops (Apple ones especially, always at it in class, hallways, social gatherings, committee/club meetings, etc...)

 

[btrboyev]

I hate to troll but there are a whole lot of disappointed gamers right now that bought fable....

disappointment of this gen by far imo


I really don't know whats keeping the cube from selling better than it is..sure it has less software coming out than the other two but the quality is still there. Sales will pick up in oct through dec and january should be good.

and count on ps2 to outsell xbox this holiday*




*as long as sony has enough psTwo's shipped*

 

[JJConrad]

The idea that consoles and handhelds are not a part of the same market is complete bullshit. It's mostly spin by fanboys that hate to see Nintendo suceed. Take a damn econ or business class, people. The only thing seperating a handheld from a console is the built-in screen; its still sold to the same group of people, next to each other, at the same places. If you can't admit to that, your a fucking moron.


Has anyone seen bunkum... we need the rest of the numbers.

 

[Subitai]

can you dispute a point instead of just dismissing what I posted?

I just stated examples, I mean I'd choose Metroid GCN over THQ kids-game on GBA, but the point I was millions (judging by sales of titles oriented to older audiences) think highly of some games on GBA, and maybe even over console counterparts...

there are still people that detest Metroid 3-d but love the 2-d incarnations on GBA...

...only GBA. 2-D games like Contra, Ikaruga, VJ, and classic fighters have been met with unremarkable sales.

You think MP in 2-D would still do 1 mil on GCN the way it did on GBA?


Man, now that you put that way, DS looks even weaker 2-3 years from now.

they are "different markets" in that maybe more casuals pick up a GBA for travel, but I'd argue they are both part of the same "videogame" market as well...

GBA titles target the same gaming dollars that GCN/XBox/PS2 are going for.

That's like saying Laptops/Desktops aren't in the same market because one is portable, they still are chasing the same audience and students/teachers/parents, etc... will weigh the portability feature against the power of the desktops...

it's not a 100% parallel with GBA vs. home consoles, but it's similar.

I've worked in retail, and many times parents coming in for gifts would decide between a PS2 or GBA, and many customers looked through GBA titles as well as GCN/XBox/PS2 titles when looking for something to buy...

Even the analysts count GBA when they talk about the "$10 billion" vidoegame market and when they tabulate total sales for current-gen videogame systems...

Anyway, the markets are seperate. I don't know about you, but when I worked at Best Buy, I never had anyone ask for help between a GBA and a console or a GBA game and a console game the same way I never had any ask for help between a console game and a PC game.

Oh wait, I did have to weigh a PSOne combo pack against an SP for a customer looking to entertain in the family van during tips. The combo with an extra controller won because it was cheaper than 2 SPs and 2 games if they wanted play with each other.

GBA may be next to the consoles in most retailers, but I think handhelds are their own weird market now. Radio Shack carries SPs now. No games. Just SP and accessories. Why don't they carry consoles? Especially considering they carry accessories for those too.

GBA competes with cell phones, PDAs, and laptops for hardware sales more than XBX or GCN. Cell phone games (should we thank Nokia?) are also included by anaylsts, if not NPD, and publishers when they're looking at the $10 billion game market.


Kids want a GBA and a PS2.

Adults usually want a productivity or communication device on the go that plays games too when they can't game in front of TV.

GB sales never hurt Genesis sales, SNES and NES did. What it did kill off was Game Gear.

 

[SolidSnakex]

I hate to troll but there are a whole lot of disappointed gamers right now that bought fable....

disappointment of this gen by far imo


I really don't know whats keeping the cube from selling better than it is..sure it has less software coming out than the other two but the quality is still there. Sales will pick up in oct through dec and january should be good.

and count on ps2 to outsell xbox this holiday*




*as long as sony has enough psTwo's shipped*

Their biggest problem is they don't know how to advertise. MS is still advertising Fable while Nintendo seems to have given up on Pikmin 2 ad campaigns. That's one of the big things seperating Sony and MS from Nintendo, they both know how to market and for extended periods of time while Nintendo seems to have no idea.

 

[Subitai]

The idea that consoles and handhelds are not a part of the same market is complete bullshit. It's mostly spin by fanboys that hate to see Nintendo suceed. Take a damn econ or business class, people. The only thing seperating a handheld from a console is the built-in screen; its still sold to the same group of people, next to each other, at the same places. If you can't admit to that, your a fucking moron.


Has anyone seen bunkum... we need the rest of the numbers.

Except for a handful of people, GBA #s were never brough up this much to support Nintendo in the past until GCN started really falling behind. Usually they were ignored.

 

[unkasa]

I hate to troll but there are a whole lot of disappointed gamers right now that bought fable....

disappointment of this gen by far imo

I don't think you're trolling to say this. I also don't think many people will dispute what you're saying. The game is as mediocre as they come, and its posting in September negates that none.

Will the Xbox outsell the PS2 during the holiday season? PS2 will enjoy a much higher number of potentially AAA titles this Xmas, so I'd have to say "no"

 

[JJConrad]

Their biggest problem is they don't know how to advertise. MS is still advertising Fable while Nintendo seems to have given up on Pikmin 2 ad campaigns. That's one of the big things seperating Sony and MS from Nintendo, they both know how to market and for extended periods of time while Nintendo seems to have no idea.

Yes, but MS is not advertising anything else at the moment, they don't have anything else to really push. Nintendo is currently running ads for Donkey Konga, Paper Mario, Metroid Prime 2, Mario Pinball Land and the GBA price drop. Sony is currently only running GT4, I haven't seen a Sly Cooper ad in weeks. They all have different resources and priroities(sp?).

Except for a handful of people, GBA #s were never brough up this much to support Nintendo in the past until GCN started really falling behind. Usually they were ignored.

Not true. One could argue that the GCN has always been behind, so when did this change accure? The truth is, people began claiming that the handhelds don't compare to consoles when the GCN didn't take off as an attempt to discredit Nintendo. "Nintendo is doom3d!!" makes no sense when they have the top selling system of the generation....that can't be!

 

[Subitai]

Yes, but MS is not advertising anything else at the moment, they don't have anything else to really push. Nintendo is currently running ads for Donkey Konga, Paper Mario, Metroid Prime 2, Mario Pinball Land and the GBA price drop. Sony is currently only running GT4, I haven't seen a Sly Cooper ad in weeks.

Advertising anything besides Halo 2 is a waste of money as PGR2, Crimson Skies, and GbtG sales last holiday showed.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

I think most people, that I've talked to IRL, are happy with Fable. Yes, there is a great deal of disappointment with the title's missing stuff. Still, it's a very, very good game, IMO. I guess I didn't fall into the hype-hole quite as far as many did...and I don't think I'm alone in this. I think it'll continue to do pretty well for itself...probably into 1.1 million territory within a few more months if it hasn't already gotten that close.

On the GBA thing always brought into things like this...why? If someone says Nintendo is doing poorly, then I guess it makes sense... But if we're talking about GC versus XBOX versus PS2, then the answer is: why? Anyway, it's my opinion that the video game market consists of the PC gaming sector, the mobile gaming market (cell, PDA, etc.), the handheld market, and the console market.

 

[Subitai]

"Nintendo is doom3d!!" makes no sense when they have the top selling system of the generation....that can't be!

I guess you missed it when I posted the fact that DS is coming in a few weeks and GBA development has gone down significantly while the PS2 still has tons of games in the future and a very sought after new design in addition to at least 2 more price drops.

 

[Deg]

I guess you missed it when I posted the fact that DS is coming in a few weeks and GBA development has gone down significantly while the PS2 still has tons of games in the future and a very sought after new design in addition to at least 2 more price drops.

good luck on that one. The usual GBA dev houses are still focusing alot more on GBA. So are other ocmpanies. Its obvious DS and PSP wont match GBA for 3rd party support.

 

[Alcibiades]

t I don't know about you, but when I worked at Best Buy, I never had anyone ask for help between a GBA and a console or a GBA game and a console game the same way I never had any ask for help between a console game and a PC game.

I also worked at Best Buy for 2 summers, and spent my time at Fun and Games 90% of the time (once my supervisor saw me push games really well and how informed I was).

Plenty of times (especially with parents), customers would go in and I'd give them comparisons between GBA and console games. I worked in a very busy Best Buy (on the Texas border where I swear 1/2 of Mexico shopped as well) and never saw a moment of rest because of the massive traffic, so I encountered all types of customers...

It was not out of the ordinary to see families/parents/kids as customers buying a gift or something for themselves look through both the GBA and GCN sections looking for a game, and they'd ask me about the games and I'd give them recommendations...

and I did have people ask me if I about console/PC games at one time...

many times I'm sure customers think about this on their own either at home or once they are there, it's not like they want to talk to a customer service employee everytime they are contemplating this...

 

[Alcibiades]

good luck on that one. The usual GBA dev houses are still focusing alot more on GBA. So are other ocmpanies. Its obvious DS and PSP wont match GBA for 3rd party support.

true, the GBA has a stellar lineup with 4 great NES-classics plus the 2 Square games this fall, as well as Kirby and DKC 2...

Next year there's Minish Cap to look foward to, and I'm sure at some point DKC 3 is not out of the question...

 

[SolidSnakex]

"One could argue that the GCN has always been behind, so when did this change accure?"

That isn't the truth though, Nintendo themself had been saying the GC was in 2nd place for quite awhile. It's start slipping more and more in recent months. Then came Nintendo fans starting to spin the GBA into thing to overshadow how much the GC was underperforming.

 

[thorns]

I doubt most of the game buyers would prefer a GBA (outside of a select few in this forum) to any console. Just looking at the game sales shows what kind of audience it has. The bulk of the GBA demographic is as different as it gets from the people on this board (kids <12).

I still can't believe MS let Sony get away with GTA:SA. They should have given R* a huge money hat to get them to release the two versions simultaneously, instead of demanding exclusivity. THEN they would have a really good chance at outselling PS2 this christmas, but I don't think they can outsell PS2 now.

 

[SolidSnakex]

I still can't believe MS let Sony get away with GTA:SA. They should have given R* a huge money hat to get them to release the two versions simultaneously, instead of demanding exclusivity. THEN they would have a really good chance at outselling PS2 this christmas, but I don't think they can outsell PS2 now.

It's not hard to believe that Sony got GTASA when you consider that VC's US sales alone are higher than any Xbox games sales worldwide.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

I still can't believe MS let Sony get away with GTA:SA. They should have given R* a huge money hat to get them to release the two versions simultaneously, instead of demanding exclusivity. THEN they would have a really good chance at outselling PS2 this christmas, but I don't think they can outsell PS2 now.

I'm sure they tried... Anyway, there's the rumor that a GTA will grace the Xenon launch.

 

[thorns]

It's not hard to believe that Sony got GTASA when you consider that VC's US sales alone are higher than any Xbox games sales worldwide.

Yeah, but if they both release at the same time, it would have sold a lot more than if it was only for PS2. Either R* got a huge money hat from sony or they had a disagreement with MS or whatever.