Japanese retailers predict GameCube price cut

Retailers in Japan are gearing up for a significant GameCube price cut at the end of October - despite the fact that Nintendo has yet to make an official announcement.

However, Nintendo did confirm that it will no longer be providing an MSRP for the console from October 27 - instead there will be an "open price", allowing retailers to determine price according to market conditions. The same strategy was adopted by Sony for the slimline PlayStation 2 recently.

Some Japanese retailers are already taking preorders for GameCubes to be collected after October 27 for 9700 Yen (USD 84) - around 30 per cent less than the current price of 13,800 Yen (USD 120). This would make the GameCube the lowest priced games console on Japanese store shelves and should give sales a much-needed boost - according to Media Create, the PS2 is currently outselling Nintendo's machine by ten units to one in Japan.

Nintendo was unavailable to comment on whether price cuts will also be made in the US and Europe, but it does seem likely that other regions would follow suit. The company has already announced plans to launch a Mario Party 7 GameCube bundle in the States, and told GamesIndustry.biz that European Christmas promotions would be announced in the coming weeks.