Perfect Storm

[Gregory Alan Bolcer]

Russell Turpin wrote:
> 
> "A FISHING boat deckhand playing a computer game was
> electrocuted when a huge wave smashed through the window
> of the trawler's wheelhouse off the southern Queensland
> coast, according to police.
> 

Blue Storm and Tony Hawk 3 and Super Smash
Brothers Melee are *definitely* on my Christmas list. 

http://cube.ign.com/news/40173.html


                GameCube: Fastest Selling Console Ever?

                We interview Nintendo of America's Beth Llewelyn for more
                insight into the recent GameCube sales.

                November 29, 2001

                Yesterday Nintendo issued a press release stating that GameCube is
                the fastest-selling videogame system ever. However without any
                solid sales data and vague numbers we decided to go straight to
                Nintendo to see if we could get a clearer picture of sales. Beth
                Llewelyn, Director of PR for Nintendo of America, commented on
                the situation providing a little more insight into the sales. The
                interview is as follows: 

                IGNcube: Nintendo is reporting that GameCube is the fastest
                selling system ever. Under what circumstances? Is that a week
                or the launch day? 

                Beth Lewelyn: "We're looking at it just in that launch period." 

                IGNcube: Did it sell better than the Sony PlayStation 2 on
                launch day? 

                Beth Lewelyn: To compare against Sony we're looking at TRST
                data and we pretty much looked at [Sony's] first week of sales. So,
                compared against that -- 515,000 may have been their shipment
                number -- but wasn't, from what we can tell with TRST, their
                sell-through number and that's what we're comparing. 

                IGNcube: So during the first-week you're saying you sold more
                GameCubes than PS2 did in that same launch period? 

                Beth Lewelyn: Yes. 

                IGNcube: You didn't give out any specific sales numbers,
                though. What are we looking at? 

                Beth Lewelyn: Around 510,000, a little over that, [for the first
                week]. 

                IGNcube: Luigi's Mansion, the fastest selling launch title ever.
                Is that across all systems and not just Nintendo's? 

                Beth Lewelyn: We're looking at the numbers and certainly in
                recent history it would be across all platforms. 

                IGNcube: That's also based on TRST data? 

                Beth Lewelyn: Yes, our numbers comparatively against TRST. 

                IGNcube: Do you have actual numbers for how many units
                Luigi's Mansion sold? 

                Beth Lewelyn: I don't have the actual numbers, but I know it sold
                several hundred thousand. 

                IGNcube: What about Wave Race: Blue Storm? 

                Beth Lewelyn: I don't have the numbers, but it ranked third.
                [Editor's note: According to Nintendo's recent press release, Star
                Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader was ranked second after
                Luigi's Mansion.] 

                Final Verdict
                It seems that Nintendo is sticking with the declaration "Fastest
                Selling Console Ever...in a week." It remains to be seen what kind of
                sales the system saw on launch day. Indeed it must be close to Sony's
                launch day PS2 sales, but does it eclipse it? Hopefully we'll soon
                find out. Nintendo also notes that it doesn't have final sales data for
                the launch software just yet, which is why it hasn't released final
                numbers. 

                What about the Xbox sales, you say? It seems Microsoft is keeping
                clear of the public relations war for now. Early world suggests that
                Microsoft simply may have not had enough consoles on the market
                at launch to compete with Sony's and Nintendo's sales numbers.
                However, the console has also seen sell-out sales since release. 

                Whatever the truth may be, all three next-generation consoles are
                well on their way to making large footprints in the next-generation
                markets, and the real indicator of success will only be seen in the
                years to come. 

                More as it develops.