New Japanese venture to heavily promote GBA video playback

am3 Inc, a joint venture between Toshiba and a number of other companies, is to start selling videos designed for playback on the Game Boy Advance console in Japan this June.

The first title to be launched will be Pokemon movie Pikachu's Summer Vacation, which will be priced at 4,980 Yen - around 38 Euro, which is quite expensive but does include a connection device for playback. It's not clear what the pricing on subsequent titles will be.

The am3 venture eventually hopes to release 500 films in the Pokemon series on the format, as well as other TV and theatrical movies and episodes - primarily focused at elementary school children.

Interestingly, the company has signed deals which will see its products being distributed in a large number of cinemas as well as in traditional retail outlets, and it expects to have the movies on sale at over 200 cinema outlets thanks to a deal with movie distribution companies Toho and Warner Mycal.

am3 expects to realise sales of some 500 million Yen (3.8 million Euro) from its video products in this summer alone. In the USA, a similar product is being promoted by publisher Majesco, using video playback technology developed by DC Studios.