New Game Boy Advance Video Puts Popular Animation in the Palm of Your Hand; Pokemon Television Episodes Join the Lineup

Business Wire,  April 20, 2004  

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REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2004

Entertainment consumers have long dreamed of carrying their favorite video material with them on small portable devices. DVD players made that possible -- but at a cost of hundreds of dollars. On June 21, Nintendo offers the same capability to owners of the portable Game Boy(R) Advance at a much lower price. No additional hardware purchase is required to view the Pokemon(R) episodes that debut on Game Boy Advance Video.

With an MSRP of $19.99 per Video pak, Nintendo's Pokemon franchise will be represented initially with episodes "Playing with Fire!" and "Johto Photo Finish" on one pak and "A Hot Water Bottle" and "For Ho-Oh The Bells Toll!" on another.

The Pokemon franchise remains as popular as ever. In fact, Pokemon Colosseum(TM), which launched on March 22 for Nintendo GameCube(TM), sold 400,000 copies in its first month in the United States. And, with more than 300 episodes to its credit and now in its sixth season, the Pokemon animated television series remains one of the top-three-rated shows for boys ages 6 to 11.

"Even by the remarkable standards of product evolution that have characterized the Game Boy franchise, this is a landmark event," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Pokemon is part of the first step in revolutionizing the nature of portable video entertainment, with eventual reach targeting all demographics."

Pokemon, published by Nintendo, joins previously announced animation titles published by Majesco based on Nickelodeon, 4Kids Entertainment and Cartoon Network original programs. The first offerings will include top-rated shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly Oddparents, Dora the Explorer and Codename: Kids Next Door, as well as franchise favorites like All Grown Up!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Strawberry Shortcake and Sonic X. Typically, two to four full episodes of an animated series will be included on each Video pak.

Game Boy Advance Video initially allows up to 45 minutes of animation and fills the screen of the Game Boy(R) Advance SP or Game Boy Advance with brilliant full-color video and audio.

The innovative Game Boy Advance cartridge-sized Video paks automatically turn the millions of Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP units in the United States into portable video players. The Video pak format contains no moving parts, thus eliminating skipping or stuttering. Playback uses DVD-style controls.

Game Boy Advance SP units are available at an MSRP of $99.99, while the Game Boy Advance sells at an MSRP of $79.99.

The worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home and portable video game systems. Each year, hundreds of all-new titles for the best-selling Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo GameCube(TM) systems extend Nintendo's vast game library and continue the tradition of delivering a rich, diverse mix of quality video games for players of all ages. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.8 billion video games globally, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario(TM) and Donkey Kong(R) and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid(TM), Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(R). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere.

For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.

Note to editors: Nintendo press materials are available at press.nintendo.com. Please note that press.nintendo.com is a password-protected site; to receive a password, contact Chris Olmstead at 213-623-4200, ext. 780.

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