Nintendo Co Ltd on Tuesday unveiled a cell phone-size Game Boy and said its new console will be able to download old favourites like the original Super Mario Brothers and Donkey Kong.
Nintendo is looking at a fall release for the new Game Boy Micro handheld, which measures four inches by two inches by 0.7 inches and can be customised.
Nintendo dominates the portable game industry with about 94 per cent market share and aims to strengthen its grip with the Micro as it goes up against Sony's new PlayStation Portable.
The Micro handheld weighs about 2.8 ounces, about 20 per cent less than Apple Computer Inc's iPod mini music device.
"It is not new technology, but it's a brand new look," said Reggie Fils-Amie, a Nintendo marketing executive.
"Micro represents yet another morphing of the Game Boy brand, this time to the image-conscious consumer," he said, speaking at a news conference before the opening of the E3 annual industry trade show.
The Micro, whose screen has adjustable brightness levels, will play all the same games as the current Game Boy Advance SP and will be compatible with an add-on digital music player. Nintendo did not set a price for the Micro.
{{/usCountry}}The Micro, whose screen has adjustable brightness levels, will play all the same games as the current Game Boy Advance SP and will be compatible with an add-on digital music player. Nintendo did not set a price for the Micro.
{{/usCountry}}Console "Revolution"
The new console, code-named "Revolution," will launch in 2006 with access to more than 20 years of games from past Nintendo consoles. It will support a new disc format as well as discs from Nintendo's current console, the GameCube.
The console, roughly the size of three stacked DVD cases, will feature wireless controllers, two USB ports and built-in wireless Internet access, and an add-on for DVD playback.
"It's not about what you will be playing, but how you will play," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told reporters.