Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi has made a startling revelation about the GameCube's future. Speaking to a Tokyo newswire, Mr. Yamauchi, who is normally over-zealous about such matters, went so far as to say that "if we are unable to see a positive response at E3, this will have a disastrous impact on Nintendo... and we may have to consider freezing the Gamecube business altogether".

That the company has delayed the GameCube until 14 September in Japan is well known, but it has always been thought that development work was going well. Many summised that the Japanese setback was always bound to happen. AFX News cited Nintendo's dismay over the rising cost of NEC chips as a major factor in its decision to delay the console's release.

In all seriousness, the GameCube has very little chance of upsetting the crowds at E3. It's well known that Nintendo has been incredibly strict about the quality of in-house software, with Shigeru Miyamoto holding the reigns on games like Mario and Metroid. ®

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