Perhaps in anticipation of the upcoming competition from Sony's PSP, Nintendo have announced a significant price drop on their Game Boy Advance SP console. Previously retailing at a recommended price of $99.99 in the US, Nintendo have sliced $20 off that price and are now selling the SP for a mere $79.99.
George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications, made the following statement regarding the price drop:
This new price point makes Game Boy Advance SP affordable for the vast majority of the mass market, and gives people a ‘gotta-have' gift to automatically put at the top of their holiday gift lists. Nintendo has always owned the portable video game market, and this further strengthens our leadership position.
Fighting talk from Nintendo, who are preparing for perhaps the most significant challenge to their dominant position in the hand held console market that they have ever faced, in the form of Sony's PSP. Other manufacturers have tried (and failed - N-Gage anyone?) to usurp Nintendo from their position in the hand held console market. Over 20 million units of the Game Boy Advance SP have been shipped worldwide, and Nintendo own around 95% of the handheld console market.
Competition and price wars amongst manufacturers are invariably good news for consumers, who usually benefit from the lower prices. Nintendo have a very extensive lineup of games for the Game Boy Advance consoles, and this new price point will make the devices tempting for gamers who may have been uncertain before. One thing is for certain, the upcoming year looks very exciting for handheld gamers.
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