In its head-to-head battle against offerings from Microsoft Corp and Sony Corp, Nintendo Co's video-game machine GameCube has a tiny but potent ally -- the handheld Game Boy Advance that doubles as a sophisticated remote control, complete with a colorful display.
Play the game Kirby Tilt and Tumble on GameCube, and a rolling pink ball disappears into a cloud, rolls down and pops up on the Game Boy Advance display in your hand.
With just the right skillful manipulation, the player can jettison the ball back into the GameCube screen and continue with the rest of the game. The way the two Nintendo machines work together was a key part of an exhibit on GameCube by the Japanese game-maker shown to reporters ahead of its opening to the public in a Tokyo suburb tomorrow.
The big three-way game war is heating up ahead of Christmas. GameCube goes on sale in Japan Sept. 14 and Nov. 18 in the US. Microsoft's Xbox is slated for Nov. 8 in the US and its Japan plans will be announced next Monday.
"Many game fans are no longer amazed by superior graphics alone," said Nintendo executive vice president Atsushi Asada. "We need to offer new types of surprises."
Although the Sony PlayStation 2 has a head start in the race, already tallying nearly 15 million in worldwide shipments, GameCube makes up in pricing -- US$199.95 in the US and ?25,000 (US$207) in Japan.
That's a bargain compared to PlayStation2, which sells for US$299 in the US and recently came down here to ?35,000 (US$290) from the initial ?39,800 (US$330). Xbox will cost US$299.
Nintendo, based in the ancient capital of Kyoto, cut costs by keeping the machine simple, sticking to basic fun and games, although Net-linking and DVD capabilities are being offered later as separately sold attachments.
PlayStation2 also can show DVDs. Xbox has a built-in hard drive and high-speed Internet connection.
Peter Main, executive vice president of Nintendo of America, said he wasn't worried about the competition from Xbox and PlayStation 2 because GameCube was sticking to the basics and not trying to offer something consumers may only want down the road.
"GameCube pure and simple is an exquisite gaming machine -- one purpose only," he said. "Nintendo is ready for right now but also prepared for tomorrow."
Given the recent tough times on both sides of the Pacific, GameCube may have opted for smart pricing.
The expected arrival of GameCube is even setting off speculation the PlayStation2 may come down in price in the US ahead of Christmas. Sony refused to say whether a price cut was in the works.
"Offered at such an attractive price, GameCube is highly competitive," said Soichiro Fukuda, analyst with Nikko Salomon Smith Barney in Tokyo.
Microsoft's decision to offer more at a higher price could prove its downfall unless online games take off soon. The majority of players still go for regular packaged games.
Dreamcast, the video-game machine from Tokyo game-maker Sega Corp that went on sale in 1998, was the first to offer Net access. But it eventually lost out in the race against PlayStation2.
Sega pulled out of the console market earlier this year and is now only making games for other machines, including GameCube.
The remote function of Game Boy Advance, which has sold 5 million worldwide since going on sale earlier this year, can add a new dimension to playing games.
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