GBA SP cut to $79.99 in USA
As predicted, Nintendo's current handheld has been reduced for the US market, although there's no news on a similar cut in the UK or Europe at the moment.
Nintendo of America has cut the price of the Game Boy Advance SP by $20 to $79.99 from today, the company has announced following retail reports to that effect earlier this week.
"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," said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications.
The price drop will certainly give the console some more momentum in the run-up to the festive season, increasing the likelihood that it will continue to perform despite competition from another Nintendo handheld, the Nintendo DS, which is expected to launch in late November or early December.
Earlier this week, retail sources in the UK indicated that the Game Boy Advance SP could undergo a price drop in Europe, too, despite the fact that the DS won't launch here until early 2005, however Nintendo has yet to announce anything to that effect at this week's European Games Network trade show.