The early leader in this season's favorite holiday high-tech gift is Nintendo's Game Boy(R) Advance.
Initial checks with U.S. retailers indicate the world's only handheld video game system sold through to approximately one million shoppers in the 10-day period running through the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
In the 17 months since its launch, Game Boy Advance has maintained its status as the fastest-selling new video game system in history. Over nine million systems have been sold to date in the U.S., representing 30 percent of all video game system sales. In addition, Game Boy Advance is a top-rated holiday gift for people of all ages, and according to a Yahooligans! survey released on Nov. 13, will be the No. 1 most requested toy this holiday season.
Fueled by nearly 300 top-quality, entertaining games for all tastes -- including this week's releases The Legend of Zelda(R): A Link to the Past(R) and Kirby(TM): Nightmare in Dream Land -- Nintendo's portable video game system, Game Boy Advance, is well on its way to soaring past the 10 million unit mark by year end.
"Game Boy Advance remains a driving force not only for Nintendo, but for the entire video game industry because it appeals to every kind of gamer," says Peter MacDougall, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Nintendo of America Inc. "Thirteen years after it first debuted, consumers love Game Boy more than ever."
The celebrated The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past makes its first appearance on Game Boy Advance. The game includes the first-ever multiplayer Zelda game Four Swords. In Four Swords, friends and foes must work together to complete the journey, while battling against each other to earn the top prize.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the most recent addition to a series that has proven to be immensely popular with more than 36 million Zelda games sold worldwide since its initial Nintendo Entertainment System(R) release in 1987. Another anticipated all-new Zelda title for Nintendo GameCube(TM) is due out early next year.
Kirby's new game, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, allows Kirby to breathe in his enemies and copy their abilities by transforming into more than 20 powerful shapes. Players can also link up to four Game Boy Advance systems for multiplayer mini-games. Nintendo, whose Kirby has appeared on every Nintendo platform and has a nationally syndicated cartoon "Kirby: Right Back at Ya!" on Fox Network's Fox Box, has sold more than 20 million Kirby games worldwide.
The new titles, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, both launched this week and carry an MSRP of $34.95.
