Nintendo Co. released its GameCube video game console on the Japanese market Friday, mounting a challenge to the PlayStation2 console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
The company said it hopes the GameCube, whose 25,000 yen price tag is 10,000 yen less than PlayStation2, will give it a higher share of the home video game market.
Nintendo is aiming to produce 4 million GameCube units worldwide during the current fiscal year.
The new game console has already attracted the attention of consumers.
Convenience store operator Lawson Inc. said it stopped accepting GameCube orders in early September as its anticipated supply of the product is fully reserved.
In Tokyo and Osaka, people formed long lines to buy the GameCube at electrical appliance stores even before the doors had opened. Daisuke Hasegawa, a 21-year-old college student, queued for three hours at Bic Camera Co.'s store in Nanba, Osaka. "I'm a longtime fan of Nintendo's game consoles. I would never buy another maker's," he said.
GameCube is to be released in the U.S. on Nov. 18.