"A mass-market approach"

The reaction from distributors to the Nintendo GameCube price cut has been as positive as it was for Microsoft Xbox barely four days ago. We spoke to Ed Gilmour at Play Distribution this time, and got his initial reaction. "It would suggest a mass-market approach," Ed told us. "Nintendo seems to be going for the lot, and consequently it should be interesting. It really is Sony's market, but you've had an announcement from Microsoft last week, and an announcement from Nintendo this week, and nothing from them. You have to expect them to turn around and do something now." "I suspect you could even see a Sony price point of £99.99. They might do 149 or 179. They might wait until the last minute - Sony is a very crafty company. It's an exciting time in the industry." In terms of the GameCube hardware, Ed reckons it will appeal to gamers. "Of course the PS2 is arguably superior with its games and DVD function, but I think hardcore gamers will be more impressed by Nintendo." Will we ever see another £299 console launch? "It hasn't been that successful - no one's really done it successfully - so probably not, but then again you don't know what the next generation is going to be like. Nevertheless, it is a stumbling block for the consumer. People just aren't interested in spending £299 on a console, except for the hardcore gamers." Related Feature - GameCube €199 / £129