Nintendo resumes Cube production

Nintendo resumed production of GameCube consoles in October according to a report originating in the Nikkei Journal. Production of the consoles had been halted in January in order to try and clear retail channels of large backlogs of stock, and with sales up thanks to worldwide price cuts and bundle initiatives, Nintendo obviously finally feels the need to make some more...

Indeed, the price drops seem to be having a major effect on sales of GameCube, with the console doubling its market share in the US according to new figures from Nintendo of America, and Nintendo Europe also hammering out releases about sales surges and whatnot (though the Xbox has been doing better in recent weeks).

NOA vice president of marketing George Harrison recently told the Wall Street Journal that the company expects to sell two million of the consoles between now and Christmas. "In a tough economy, we've found the sweet spot on pricing," he told an investor conference in New York, "and players are grabbing Nintendo GameCube systems off the shelves at the fastest rate since the console's debut."

However a price cut is only useful when there are decent games to go round. Whether Nintendo can sustain the Cube's top sales will be down to Mario Kart and friends, and how much of an effect they have on punters in the run up to Christmas.