What?!?!?!! $99??? I'm worried now.

[TBoneFever]

Don't get me wrong. I think it's a good idea that Nintendo has decided to lower the price of the Cube, but at the same time it seems like this is also saying, "Wow...we're not selling anything, we're loosing the console battle." This is only going to further degrade the opinions the average joe smoe has about the Cube. When average joe smoe sees it for now $99, he's going to think:

"Wow...So, the PS2 is more powerful than a Gamecube. So I might as well wait and get the more powerful consoles (PS2, XBox). Why should I waste my money on something that's not powerful?"

But then again, there's no way in hell Sony is going to drop the price of the PS2 to $99. Nintendo will always have the cheapest console(s). This is going to help Nintendo with lacking Cube sells, but in the long run...it's going to get people thinking The PS2 is more powerful (or the better console due to the higher price). I sure hope Nintendo is planning on blowing us away with their upcoming games. Games like Viewtiful Joe, Mario Kart Double Dash and Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes are so freaking crucial to their success this holiday season. But wait, that's only 3 games. Um...Hmmm. I wonder how many blockbusters are going to be released on the PS2 this holiday season? (Screw XBox)

Nintendo is walking on thin ice. I'm so worried about the future of Nintendo. I'll be a Nintendo freak until the end.

[tekbit]

Any gamer that thinks that the PS2 is more powerful then the cube is not a gamer. The cube came out a solid year after the PS2 everyone knows sony is the weakest of the three. Think about it, the cube has always been the least expensive of the three anyway (considering that its not backward compatable and all). i can see if it was the same price to begin with but it wasnt. Don't be suprised if the Xbox and Ps2 soon follow suit with cuts to 149.99 or whatever the case may be. This is the smartest thing they can do with all the price drops in A titles such as Zelda, Metroid, Mario and whatever else. Also the new titles you mentioned set to hit this Christmas. i dont think you have anything to worry about. They are still turning a profit and they are still in second place internationally. And most important they are still releasing good games

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\"> This is only going to further degrade the opinions the average joe smoe has about the Cube. When average joe smoe sees it for now $99, he's going to think:

"Wow...So, the PS2 is more powerful than a Gamecube. So I might as well wait and get the more powerful consoles (PS2, XBox). Why should I waste my money on something that's not powerful?"


Nintendo is walking on thin ice. I'm so worried about the future of Nintendo. I'll be a Nintendo freak until the end.</div>

I guess you could consider me the average "joe smoe". While my main platform is PC, I recently picked up GC for the very reason it was affordable [relative term], & the younger gamers in the family were due for a change from N64 system. Other attractions to this "joe" was GC vast selection of games, including nostalgic appeal of Rogue Squadron [go ahead & laugh, I loved the N64 version].

I weighed the decision to buy GC against another wanted console [Xbox], but found the new price of GC too good to pass up.

Also, understanding hardware performance, I dont consider comparing GC to PS2 or Xbox realtive [regarding power differences], its an apple/orange deal. Each console is optimized for their games & all perform well.

Im not concerned about the perception of GC's low price, I think Its a good thing really, sales will[eventually] prove that out.
Funny you should bring this thread up, as I have heard similar concern from those owning Xbox ["Xbox prices are dropping, this will look like its failing"..etc].

Now if Xbox would only drop to $100! :)

[TBoneFever]

<div class=\"smallfont\"><div class=\"smallfont\"></div>
Also, understanding hardware performance, I dont consider comparing GC to PS2 or Xbox realtive [regarding power differences], its an apple/orange deal.</div>

Well, it is relative when talking about 3rd party games that are available for all 3 consoles.

One thing that I recently read on IGN.com is how Soul Caliber for the GC is outselling both the XBox and PS2 versions of the game. In fact, the ratio of the GC vs. the PS2 versions is 3:2! That's amazing. Hooray for Nintendo. (or should I say the Zelda franchise?)

And now that I think about it, this new price drop is awesome. Think about this: every one out there who just has a PS2 might be considering getting another console. What do you think they would most likely choose:
- an XBox with its minor collection of quality games, its $179 price tag, and it's lack of games for EVERYBODY (aka, it's lack of kid-friendly games)
(or)
- a Gamecube with its great 1st party/2nd party games, it's now $99 price tag, and it's surplus of games for EVERYBODY (from Sports, to um...some RPGs, to Kids games to the max, to Mature rated games (the quantity is less than XBox's games, but the quality can't be compared), to some AWESOME party games)
????

The choice is so freaking obvious. Not to offend anyone, but you'd have to be crazy to pass up a great deal like that! I was worried, but now I see there's nothing to worry about. If anything, more people with have Gamecubes - which means when the next Animal Crossing comes out, I'll have a lot more towns I can go to ;-)

[TBoneFever]

When you think about it, the only reason to get an XBox is for Halo 2. I've been playing Halo for about 2 months now, and yes...it kicks ass. But it's not worth an XBox purchase. (It's not my XBox.) But then again, the only reason I bought my PS2 was to play DDR. Hmmmm...

Splinter Cell was gonna be this huge game that was going to get people buying XBoxes. I thought it was an exclusive game for the XBox. I was really considering buying an XBox (in addition to my GC) to play this game. But since then, I've been playing it for the GC and I'm satisfied. I guess my point is this: there really isn't any XBox-only games coming out that would give someone a reason to purchase it over the Gamecube. (Can anyone prove me wrong?) Gamecube has all these franchises! My God! In my opinion, purchasing a GC to play Mario Kart makes more sense than purchasing an XBox to play Halo 2. Sure there's online gaming for XBox, but I'm assuming PC online gaming is a hell of a lot better than anything the XBox or PS2 can do.

Wow...this is such a useless rant, lol. Bottomline, Nintendo's getting ready to kick some major ass.

(Sorry in advance if this offended anybody, lol.)

[kggekmg]

You must be insane. Although I am a fan of the Gamecube (in fact, I own all three systems), it gets little use compared to my XBox. So far this year, I have picked up a total of two games (Zelda and Metroid Prime) for my Gamecube. In comparison, there have been several outstanding games released for the Xbox including KOTOR, MotoGP2 (one of the best online experiences you will find anywhere), ESPN Football (a game that Sega decided not to publish for the Cube), Panzar Dragon Orta and Midtown Madness 3.

In regard to the ability to play online, the Cube's broadband adaptor is a virtual afterthought. There is no console experience that can compare to a great game played over a broadband connection with the ability to chat with your opponent. In fact, I hope Nintendo realizes the potential of the online market and how far they currently lag behind.

So, I would admit that Halo2 will be a reason for those without an XBox to pick one up. However, there are plenty of reasons to pick one up now. Even for the $79 extra that you will spend.

<div class=\"smallfont\">When you think about it, the only reason to get an XBox is for Halo 2. I've been playing Halo for about 2 months now, and yes...it kicks ass. But it's not worth an XBox purchase. (It's not my XBox.) But then again, the only reason I bought my PS2 was to play DDR. Hmmmm...

Splinter Cell was gonna be this huge game that was going to get people buying XBoxes. I thought it was an exclusive game for the XBox. I was really considering buying an XBox (in addition to my GC) to play this game. But since then, I've been playing it for the GC and I'm satisfied. I guess my point is this: there really isn't any XBox-only games coming out that would give someone a reason to purchase it over the Gamecube. (Can anyone prove me wrong?) Gamecube has all these franchises! My God! In my opinion, purchasing a GC to play Mario Kart makes more sense than purchasing an XBox to play Halo 2. Sure there's online gaming for XBox, but I'm assuming PC online gaming is a hell of a lot better than anything the XBox or PS2 can do.

Wow...this is such a useless rant, lol. Bottomline, Nintendo's getting ready to kick some major ass.

(Sorry in advance if this offended anybody, lol.)</div>

[T.Tashi]

The Gamecube is more powerful graphically. But considering the PS2 plays DVDs and CDs, while the Cube doesn't I could understand why somebody might think Ps2 is more powerful, but it's not. More versatile, yes.

I think Nintendo is in the same boat they were in with the N64. Losing battle, lack of 3rd party support but always quality over quantity. So this is familiar territory and the lowering of the price for the holiday season coming up is a good move. After all they are neck and neck with Microsoft globally.

At $99 I'm finally gonna get one and I already know the games I'll be getting with it. Eternal Darkness, RE0, Metroid Prime, Animal Crossing and after I knock out 1 or 2 of those, Zelda! :D

[ItalianStalion5]

In my opinion PS2 should be considered worse than n64 ALL the games are worthless. So i would rate ps2 last among the "big three" gaming systems. next i would rate Gc now don't get me wrong i love the system and have been a faithful follower of nintendo for many years, but the game catagotry is VERY limited and as far as good fps and rpg games they don't exist. (with the exception of precious few) Basically GC was made for a younger audience, while i don't mind that monkey ball gets really old after a while. It is for this reason that i recently sold my gc and bought an xbox. Now i can see some of you screaming TRAITOR! But if you think about it Xbox has better hardware and u can get mosty of the same games os on gc + halo and halo 2. I'm sad to give up my gc but i belive xbox is better in the end.

[TBoneFever]

ItalianStalion5, You really shouldn't have sold your GC. The future looks good. There's a lot of games to look forward to. And...I'm really tired of people saying the GC was made for a younger audience. No, the disc weren't made small for smaller hands - it's to reduce the # of pirates who make illegal copies. All the kids games you can get for GC can be bought for PS2 (minus a few; Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, a backyard baseball game, whatever). Just because a majority of Nintendo's 1st party games are rated Everyone doesn't mean the GC was created for kids. Rated Everyone doesn't mean "for kids," it means FOR EVERYONE.

The Gamecube has more RPGs than the XBox does. (Somebody prove me wrong :-P ) .

"...get most of the same games os on gc + halo and halo 2" - yeah, but that's minus the future Zelda game, Metroid Prime 2, Resident Evil 4, Viewtiful Joe, Mario Kart, Pikmin 2, and Killer 7. When it's Halo 2 vs. the things coming out for GC, I'll stick with the GC. Hardware means nothing if a majority of the developers aren't taking advantage of it. XBox has so much potential, but I haven't seen enough developers taking advantage of it.

I agree, the PS2 is very worthless compared to the XBox and GC. Unfortunately, developers don't see it like that and will continue to make good games for it. Games that would be GREAT games if they were made for the GC or XBox (bc the hardware would give them more freedom to cram more detail in their).

The XBox is better in the end? I don't really know about that. In terms of more features and functionality (hard drive, xbox live, dvd player), YES. In every other area, it's questionable.

[Aylmer]

I think Nintendo, with over 40 years of business experience, has something up thier sleeve. And tho it's popular to talk about how they are losing the 'console wars', that thread always overlooks the fact that they have sold millions of GBAs.

Nintendo has always been very secretive, so anything about their future plans can only be speculation. I doubt, however, that they made an engineering decision about online gameplay that they are now ignoring and was in error.

Think about this. With a $99 price tag, how many GBA owners would pick up a new Cube if, say, software was released that allowed GBA gamers to play opponents online via a Cube for a small monthly fee? And given the small amount of data transfer that would be necessary, it, it would even work well at 56k. In fact, worldwide, there are thousands of online gamers playing PSO on their Cubes at 56k with no problem.

How many of those millions of GBA owners would cough up $100 for a Cube if it meant they could play Super Puzzle Fighter II or Advance Wars or Final Fantasy Tactics or (God help us all) Pokemon with human opponents. Personally, I'd sign up today.

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">I think Nintendo, with over 40 years of business experience, has something up thier sleeve. And tho it's popular to talk about how they are losing the 'console wars', that thread always overlooks the fact that they have sold millions of GBAs.
</div>

Good observation Aylmer, Nitendo is anything but inept when it comes to gaging the gaming market.

A similar thread existed on a photo forum regarding Sony's ability to stay in the digital market. Sony has a reputation w/retailers for being arrogant & less than responsive to customers needs, but look @ their success. [gotta be the product :) ].

I wouldnt pull my stock on the big "N" just yet....