The GameCube, Nintendo's fourth entry into the console gaming market, was released in the United States in Nov. 2001 but struggled to gain market share in the face of heavy competition from market leader Playstation, and more recently newbie Xbox

A number of game publishers even slowed or stopped production on GameCube games as the Japanese manufacturer slowed production due to stalling sales.

But a price cut on the GameCube to $99 from $149 last September recharged sales. January hardware sales were up 60 percent, while software sales for the same period were up 101 percent.

Nintendo recently confirmed that it was working on its next-generation console, with an expected launch some time in 2006. Sony and Microsoft are also expected to have new consoles by then as well.