Nintendo Delays GameCube By Two Weeks, Giving U.S. Launch Lead To Xbox

In the tight launch race between Microsoft's Xbox and the GameCube, the 13-day delay means the Xbox will be the first to hit store shelves by a scant ten days. Nintendo said that the delay will not affect the number of units it thinks it can sell, standing by its projection of 4 million consoles by March 31. George Harrison, NOA's senior VP of marketing and corporate communications, explained to Reuters the reason behind the rescheduling: "We looked at the available quantity that we had, and we felt that it's more important to have sufficient quantity for Thanksgiving weekend and we thought that was a better day to go on sale." Nintendo will debut the GameCube in Japan on September 14, with three launch titles available.