Nintendo to unveil new game machines

Nintendo 64

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Leading Japanese game maker Nintendo Co. Ltd. said on Wednesday it would unveil long-awaited details on August 24 of two key next-generation game machines due for launch late this year and early next year.

The Kyoto-based company plans to launch the 128-bit videogame machine, code-named Dolphin, in 2001, a delay from its original target of late this year.

Investors and analysts are eager for specifics on Dolphin following the recent launch of rival next-generation consoles: Sony Corp.'s PlayStation2 released on March 4 and Sega Enterprises Ltd.'s Dreamcast that hit Japanese stores in late 1999.

Nintendo will also unveil the Gameboy Advance, a new version of the world's top-selling handheld game player, which will feature a 32-bit processing unit and telecommunications functions.

The originally scheduled summer launch of the machine was delayed until late this year due to tight supplies of components.

Details of Mobile System GB, a device connecting Gameboys to mobile phones, will be also disclosed at the news conference, scheduled ahead of the Nintendo Spaceworld 2000 exhibition for fans, a Nintendo spokesman said.

The new Nintendo products are expected to mark the start of a full-blown battle in the highly competitive game industry, with U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp. scheduled to join the fray later in 2001 with its X-box console.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Give me Liberty: GameBoy emulator runs on PalmOS
July 11, 2000
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
June 23, 2000
Top gaming news from E3 in Los Angeles
May 15, 2000
Game makers file lawsuit against Yahoo
March 30, 2000
Nintendo prevails in game piracy case
December 24, 1999

Nintendo

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.