Nintendo wins new software maker

Nintendo's Game Boy Advance is due out on March 21 in Japan

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Japanese video game software wholesaler Digicube Co. Ltd says it will start selling software compatible with Nintendo's Game Boy machines.

It is the company's first foray into Nintendo-compatible software. Digicube's parent, software maker Square Co. Ltd., broke off a partnership with Nintendo in 1996 to ally itself with Sony.

The move by Digicube, which typically sells its software through 24-hour convenience stores in Japan, could present heightened competition for its partner Sony, which produces the popular PlayStation game machines.

"Given its increasing popularity, we felt it necessary to cater to Game Boy," a Digicube spokesman said. "It is based on market judgment."

Digicube will start accepting orders Thursday for Enix Corp's popular "Dragon Quest" game software series, which will be sold at 20,000 convenience stores beginning in March.

"We are looking to increase the number of software to sell for Game Boy," the spokesman added.

Heavy competition in Japan

The news comes amid a fierce tug-of-war between high-profile game makers in Japan.

In January, Nintendo announced it would team up with a major telecom company KDDI to embark on a game networking system through mobile phones, while Sony decided to ally itself with telecom giant NTT DoCoMo.

Nintendo has just recently released a "Mobile Adapter GB" that gives communication capabilities and Internet access to Nintendo's million-seller pocketsize game console, Game Boy Color, by connecting it to mobile phones.

Through KDDI's dial-up network service, Game Boy users are able to "email each other, upgrade game software and fight with friends and strangers," says Nintendo. The access to the Internet is limited to Nintendo-provided content for children.

The much-anticipated new portable game console, Game Boy Advance, due out on March 21, will also support the "Mobile Adapter GB."

Sony Computer Entertainment intends to develop a new mobile communication network system jointly with NTT DoCoMo, combining its celebrated PlayStation technology and DoCoMo's i-mode service.

The new network system is expected to provide mobile phones with PlayStation game titles through DoCoMo's new Java-enabled i-mode service, called i-appli.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Sony PlayStation Official Homepage
Nintendo Game Boy Official Homepage

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