Out-Law / Your Daily Need-To-Know

Nintendo launched its new GameCube console in Japan on Friday. Around 500,000 units were supplied to the Japanese market for the release, with around 80% of sellers reporting that their allocation has been sold out by pre-orders.

Nintendo expects to put 1.4 million consoles, which retail at 25,000 yen (£145), into the Japanese market by the end of the year. The company also reports that it remains on target to launch the GameCube in the US on 18th November, despite the recent terrorist attacks in that country. The US launch date was recently set back from 8th November which means that Microsoft's forthcoming Xbox will enjoy a 10-day lead in the US market.

Despite being 10,000 yen (£58) cheaper, early indications from Japan suggest that the GameCube has not sold as well as its rival Sony’s Playstation 2 console which launched in Japan last March.

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