Japanese game maker Nintendo said on Tuesday about 300,000 of its new GameCube consoles were sold in the first weekend after launch, disappointing some analysts who had expected the shipment to sell out.
Nintendo had targeted initial shipments of 500,000 consoles for its September 14 launch in Japan but said delays in production and transportation forced it to come up 50,000 short.
Despite the hiccup, the game maker said everything was going to plan. "We are satisfied with the sales figures, they are right on target," said a Nintendo spokesman.
The GameCube launch lacked the hype surrounding Nintendo"s big name rivals, overshadowed by the attacks on the United States that shocked the world and dominated media attention.
"I"m disappointed, although I am not surprised," said Lisa Spicer, an analyst at ING Barings Securities. "This does not mean it is a complete failure for them. Keep in mind, that just like the Americans, the Japanese were glued to their TVs, last week."