I find it funny that all you people bring up the fact that the PS2 has been out a year and has a huge market share. I can tell because everywhere I go all I see is used PS2's for sale. I wonder why that is?

It shouldn't be overlooked buts its not a big deal... back in 1985 with the original NES there was no competition for Nintendo and they sold a whole lotta stuff. Them being in the game a long time is a reason that they will sell the gamecube... people will buy the Gamecube becasue of their loyalty to Nintendo.

Used PS2s are around sure, but they still took up a lot more of the market then Nintendo has because you can't buy a Nintendo system right now. Just say... that 30% of the video gamers market (the type that will own one system for arguments sake) bought the PS2, and 7% of that market decided to return it... then another 3% decide to return it after the Gaecube release... thats still 20% of this market that can't be tapped into. Thus giving Sony a 20% advantage for releasing their system a year earlier.

Even if Nintendo DOESN'T make it in this go-around for consoles, it's not like it'll kill 'em. They OWN the portable market. Considering that the GBA costs $90 and each game is $30-$40...

Umm, no? The last console you must have played was the NES.

Well, the last system I played was the PS2, and I only used my thumbs and index fingers (for the shoulder). I don't see why you would want to use your other fingers with the Gamecube - It's not like a joystick. Do you really feel like you need to hit the B button with your pinky?

It seems to me that you have solved the problem, yet you do not seem to realize that you have. Yes, you use thumbs and index! Both are quite important, so you do not "only play with your thumbs" as Goat stated. Heck on the occasional game on N64, the ring finger was used (scenario that left thumb was on the + d-pad, right thumb on the action buttons, index fingers on the shoulders, ring [or a really uncomfortable middle] on the Z Trigger).

Well if anyone thinks that Nintendo will fold if they don't suceed with one console is pretty dumb. They do own the portable market and no one stands a chance against nintendos GBA or GBC.

You're right IIG... you do use your index fingers but only for the shoulder buttons. You only use your thumbs on the face of the controller. whens the last time you used anything but your thumbs on the face anyway? And its the face of the Gamecube controller that has differant button sizes.

You said yourself, you use your thumbs for the action buttons. Why would you have the action buttons different sizes then?

I dunno why I'm even discussing about this though, it is pretty stupid arguing about button sizes, it's almost cosmetic. I just hated how the C buttons on the N64 controller were so small.

Anyway, to (not) address the actual topic - what's keeping me from buying the GameCube is simple - the games I can only afford one next-gen gaming system, and while the GC looks to have some impressive software, I'm just not really not interested by anything the GC has to offer. No Gran Turismo A-Spec, no Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty, and most importantly, no Final Fantasy X! I don't think I could ever support a system in good faith that didn't have a Final Fantasy game on it

While some people may argue about hardware specs and marketing audiences, we all know that it's all about the games. I remember that last generation, the Playstation and Saturn were about even in market share. Then a little announcement called Final Fantasy VII skyrocketed the sales of Playstations around the world. Sega was never really able to recover. While Nintendo is definitely a little more market-savvy than Sega and I don't see them dead in the water, this very fact could prevent them from gaining an advantage or even equal standing with Sony.

So while I may regret not being able to play such interesting titles as Luigi's Mansion and Metroid Prime, I don't think I'll be shedding any tears while I'm enjoying gaming brilliance on the PS2

God, are you people still on Square? I admit I was a die-hard Square fan, but then along came FF8. I could put up with FF7, I even liked it, but no FF game will ever be as good as they were on SNES.
And I don't understand your numbers with the whole market share figures. You're assuming that just because a person has purchased a PS2 that there is NO chance they will purchase a Gamecube. Most people I know own more than one console.

You must've overlooked something in my post about the market numbers here it is again...

Used PS2s are around sure, but they still took up a lot more of the market then Nintendo has because you can't buy a Nintendo system right now. Just say... that 30% of the video gamers market (the type that will own one system for arguments sake) bought the PS2, and 7% of that market decided to return it... then another 3% decide to return it after the Gaecube release... thats still 20% of this market that can't be tapped into. Thus giving Sony a 20% advantage for releasing their system a year earlier.

If you notice the bold print, you'll see that i was talking about the consumers in the video game market that will only buy one system. Of course theres a market that will buy more then one and maybe even buy all three next gen systems. But i was just pointing out the market of consumers that will buy one system and theres a lot of those

Nintendo fail? I think Nintendo knows what they are doing...


**Top 10 Publishers of 2000**
**publisher/units sold/ (sales)**

1)Nintendo/ 26,807,180/ ($955,169,820)
2)Electronic Arts/ 11,946,160/ ($435,493,079)
3)Activision/ 9,775,986/ ($332,803,304)
4)THQ Inc/ 6,956,563/ ($262,998,114)
5)Sega/ 6,332,560/ ($262,494,552)
6)Sony/ 8,927,900/ ($244,438,591)
7)Midway/ 4,058,503/ ($135,982,929)
8)Acclaim/ 4,684,894/ ($134,503,569)
9)Capcom/ 3,633,586/ ($124,124,609)
10)Infogrames Entertainment/ 3,913,971/ ($112,687,963)

source: TRST http://www.npd.com/
http://ps2.ign.com/news/30159.html

You're still assuming that no one owns two current consoles at the same time...

No see you don't understand what i'm saying... theres plenty of differant video games consumers... theres the type that will buy one next-gen system, and the type that will buy more then one next gen system. The numbers I used are made up and i just used the market that will buy only one next-gen system for arguments sake. To show that Sony has an advantage becasue they released the PS2 a year earlier.

Great find Creature X... nintendo will definatly not fail but don't forget that those #'s are based on software sales alone, and not hardware sales... check out the link provided by creature X