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Argos to retain Cube following massive sales increase

Cheaper consoles sell more units - who'd a thunk it?

gamesindustry.biz logo After suggesting that it would follow Dixons Group in dropping the GameCube from its range, UK retailer Argos has seen a surge in interest in the cut-price console and has confirmed that it will continue carrying it.

The retail chain slashed the price of the console to £78.99 (including a free game and memory card) last week, and the consumer reaction was instant. Sales of GameCube hardware jumped from an average of around 100 units a day to a stunning 5000 units last Saturday.

"The demand has been unbelievable," according to Argos marketing director Paul Geddes. "We've struggled to keep up and cleared out most of our overstock. It's been an unbelievable increase in demand."

The increased demand - unbelievable or not - points the way forward for Nintendo in Europe. Consumers are clearly interested in the GameCube, but not at the current price point, which they may consider too expensive for what is widely perceived as a "second console".

For now, however, Nintendo has Argos back on side just in time for today's crucial Metroid Prime launch, and the retailer says that it has already placed an order for additional hardware and software. It is unknown if this will affect the decision of the Dixons Group to clear its stock of GameCube. © gamesindustry.biz

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