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Editorials   NGenres.com Comments on GameCube Delay
- By Tariq Bashir

What does the NGenres.com staff think of the GameCube delay?

Mike Schneider, NShooters:
Hmmm, kinda ironic. I can hear Peter Main's strong words in my mind right now. His personal guarantee that the GameCube would make its November 5th global release date - that the date was totally set in stone. Only a mere two months ago, at E3. I guess another 2 weeks doesn't make that big of a difference, but now the Cube will be last out of the gates. I'm assuming it's because at least one of Nintendo's big gems didn't appear to be on track at nailing its November 5th date, so if that's the case, then there really is nothing that could be done. Nintendo could have saved that one title until it was ready, but that isn't the Nintendo thing to do… Why the delay? I'm going to guess the Luigi's Mansion setback in Japan was enough to cause the American release date to no longer seem feasible, since Luigi's Mansion is probably the only first party launch title with the name recognition and calling power to be a necessity at launch, since it is now apparent that Luigi is going to be the in-house launch killer-app. I don't think this is going to kill Nintendo, but it will hurt some. You know there's going to be some parents out there doing holiday shopping, and they'll see the snazzy big 'ol X-Box and purchase that for their little darlings, without even having any knowledge of Nintendo's upcoming marvel. But as I'm sure Travis is going to point out, the high price tag on X-Box should result in this delay not being detrimental.

Travis Coats, NSports:
Personally I don't think a delay is anything to fret about. For one, the idea that Nintendo is delaying the machine so there will be enough supply to meet demand has got to make retailers happy. Secondly, even though the new date is now the 18th, (which strangely is on a Sunday) Nintendo is still ahead of the crucial pre-thanksgiving holiday shopping season.

There is yet another reason that this delay concerns many of us. That reason is the X-Box, and all of its hype. Well once again, I'm not worried in the least. If you have been following this whole situation you would have learned that Microsoft is forcing (Yes, you read that right) retailers to sell the X-Box as a bundle package. Now this is confirmed for pre order sales, which means regular purchasers will probably be subjected to this as well. What a bundle means is essentially the console, a controller, a memory card, and at least one first party Microsoft title. Add that all up and you are looking at a grand total approaching five hundred dollars or more. I can't see any casual gamer or parent that would be willing to blow that kind of money on a game system for little Johnny. With Nintendo's lower price point, a week and a few days of a delay isn't going to hurt one bit.

A few months ago if I had read about a delay I would have freaked out. Now however, I've come to accept the idea that Nintendo knows what they are doing, and I take solace in that knowledge. In the days after the GameCube's launch none of us are going to care, or probably even remember there was a delay.

I think you can figure out why.

Brent Childers, NSports:
Nintendo's delay isn't that bad. It's not even a 2 week delay, so what's the big deal? Then again, what is the big deal with the 2 week delay? What does Nintendo hope to accomplish in 2 weeks that they can't stick to their original date? Oh well, I'm not that disappointed about the actual date, other than the fact that it's coming out on a Sunday. That means most gamers will get to go to stores that open later and close earlier on Sunday and then spend a minimum amount of time before heading off to school on Monday. What's up with that? I'd much rather see the system released on Friday or even Saturday. But Nintendo might be worried about kids skipping school to get Gamecube on Friday. But then you have to ask "Who ISN'T going to skip school on Monday because they didn't log in enough hours with their precious Gamecube on Sunday"?

Andrew Weatherton, NAdventures:
At E3 this year Nintendo announced that the GameCube would see a November 5th launch in America. This news came as a tremendous uplift for Nintendo fans who had just learned that Microsoft's Xbox would be launching State-side on November 8th, just three days later. The air was filled with anxiety; the idea of two competitors launching their systems nearly simultaneously was incredible. However, even with such a close launch, I was extremely happy to see that Nintendo's system would be out of the gates first. News that the GameCube has been delayed a measly 13 days just for the sake of launching with a larger supply of hardware is ridiculous. It makes almost no sense.

Michael Loewer, NAdventures:
I absolutely agree with Andrew on this one. Normally, I'd say that delays from Nintendo are part of the company's mystique and that this is just part of what we deal with as Nintendo loyalists. Unfortunately, there are special circumstances here that negate any chance for an intelligent reason for the delay. First, new consoles are always hard to find at launch and there are always hardware shortages. If Nintendo had been that concerned about making sure to overstock supply, they should have begun full scale Cube production earlier. Secondly, for such an unsupported "reason" to delay, Nintendo is being incredibly arrogant in ignoring the XBox issue. Releasing three days prior to and at $100 less than the XBox should have been a major marketing point. My concern is that casual gamers will see XBox before the GameCube in stores and jump on the bandwagon without waiting for the Cube--a horrible blow to Nintendo. Finally, claiming that the launch needs to be closer to the Thanksgiving shopping season makes absoutely no sense. Wouldn't Nintendo want hardcore gamers to get their systems sooner, thereby making it easier for parents to buy their kids when the shopping season arrives? Why create a shortage (because there will be, no matter how many consoles you build) right smack at the beginning of the biggest shopping days of the year? Sometimes, even Nintendo can screw up big time.