Nintendo Losses, Dolphin Delay?

Nintendo announced Friday that it expects to post a 50 billion yen (US$475 million) loss for the first half of the 1999-2000 business year. Its current profit forecast for the first half is not 20 billion yen ($190 million) from an earlier estimate of 60 billion yen ($571 million). The yen's declining strength and a price drop of N64 hardware in North America, as well "as the delay of Game Boy software" (most likely referring to Pokémon Gold and Silver), contributed to its revised forecast.

The company also said that it would give the first public demonstration of its Dolphin hardware and software next August, after E3, which leads us to believe the machine will not debut in the US until 2001. Certainly an August display of the system could mean that the system could still launch in Japan in 2000 (but as late as the winter holiday season).

As of press time, Nintendo has not returned phone calls to confirm/deny a delay.