2003
- January 7
- Nintendo unveils the Game Boy Advance SP handheld video game system in the US. It features a flip-up illuminated screen, built-in rechargeable battery, and complete compatibility with the Game Boy Advance. The unit is expected to go on sale March 23 for US$100. [597]
- January 9
- Capcom releases the Resident Evil 2 video game for the GameCube in the US. Price is US$39.99. [414.91] [436.165]
- Capcom releases the Resident Evil 3: Nemesis video game for the GameCube in the US. Price is US$39.99. [414.91] [436.165]
- January
- Nintendo temporarily ceases production of the GameCube video game system. (Production resumes in November.) [612.20]
- January (month)
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in the USA for the month: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. [1007]
- Top selling GameCube video game in the USA for the month: Skies of Arcadia. [1007]
- (month unknown)
- The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences holds its awards ceremony. Console RPG of the Year: Animal Crossing by Nintendo. Innovation in Console Gaming: Animal Crossing. Outstanding Achievement in Game Design: Animal Crossing. First-Person Action Game of the Year: Metroid Prime by Nintendo. [514.20]
- February
- AM3 announces it is working on a device to play music and video files stored on SmartMedia cards on the Game Boy Advance. [597]
- February 6
- Nintendo announces that starting February 9, purchasers of a new GameCube will also get a free game. Nintendo also reduces the price of several older titles from US$50 to US$30. Nintendo also reduces the price of the Super Mario Sunshine bundle (with GameCube and memory card) from US$190 to US$160. [597]
- February 14
- Nintendo releases the Game Boy Advance SP in Japan. Internally it is the same as the Game Boy Advance. New features include rechargeable battery and flip-up 2.9-inch color LCD screen with built-in front lighting. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery powers the system for about 10 hours with the light on, or about 18 hours without. Size is 3.33 x 3.23 x 1 inches; weight is 5 ounces. [425.28] [433.42] [597] [1101.117]
- February 16
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. At a boring event, a child says "I didn't bring a Game Boy". [949]
- February 17
- Nintendo releases the Mario Party-e for the e-Reader in the US [485.143]
- February (month)
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in the USA for the month: Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon. [1013.16]
- Top selling GameCube video game in the USA for the month: Metroid Prime. [1013.16]
- March
- In San Jose, California, the International Game Developers Association holds its 17th annual Game Developers Conference, including an awards ceremony. Game of the Year: Metroid Prime by Nintendo for the GameCube. Excellence in Level Design: Metroid Prime. [514.20] [597]
- March 10
- THQ releases the Red Faction II video game for the GameCube in the US. Price is US$49.99. [425.66] [414.90] [1007.26]
- March 12
- Sega releases the Sonic Advance 2 video game for the Game Boy Advance in the US. [401] [1007.26] (March 10 [779.40])
- March 17
- Nintendo releases the Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version video games for the Game Boy Advance in the US. [401] [411] [413.132] [485.145] [510.77] [644.188] [1007.26]
- March 23
- Nintendo releases the Game Boy Advance SP in North America. Price is US$99.95. Case colors available are cobalt (blue metallic) and platinum (silver). (Sales in the first two weeks: over 800,000 units. In its first year, over 6.5 million units are sold, a record for any video game system in history.) [425.28] [433.42] [443] [444.52] [585.C11] [597] [674.50] [1006.15] [1007.26]
- March 24
- Nintendo releases The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker video game for the GameCube in the US. [310.116] [401] [411] [425.62] [433.42] [485.145] [1007.26]
- March 31
- Unit shipments of video game systems worldwide to date: GameCube 9.4 million, Game Boy (all types) 120 million. [445.26,28,30] [597] (GameCube 7.78 million [938.64])
- Unit shipments of the Nintendo GameCube during the past twelve months: 5.6 million. [597]
- Unit shipments of the Nintendo Game Boy Advance during the past twelve months: 15.7 million. [597]
- March (month)
- Top selling video game in the USA for the month: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the GameCube. [470.20] [625.21]
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in the USA for the month: Pokémon Ruby. [470.20] [625.21]
- April
- Atari releases the Ikaruga video game for the GameCube in the US. Price is US$39.99. [414.72] [514.147] [1013.24]
- April (month)
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in the USA for the month: Pokémon Ruby. [471.24] [984.21]
- Top selling GameCube video game in the USA for the month: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. [471.24] [984.21]
- May 6
- Konami releases the Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow video game for the Game Boy Advance in US. Price is $29.99. [414.56] [427.70] [470.23,76] [1149.62]
- May 15
- Atari releases the Enter the Matrix video game for the GameCube in the US. Price is US$49.99. The game is based on the Matrix film trilogy, and cost US$30 million to create. [414.42] [426.16] [428.80,84] [436.57] [444.100] [470.23]
- May
- Nintendo releases the Game Boy Player for the GameCube in the US. [471.28] [674.50]
- May 21
- Nintendo releases the Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Microgame$ video game for the Game Boy Advance in the US. Price is $34.99. [426.80] [427.70] [444.41] [470.23] [1149.64]
- June 9
- Nintendo releases the Donkey Kong Country video game for the Game Boy Advance in the US. Price is US$34.99. [401] [428.50] [444.41] [471.28] [644.188]
- June 15
- Sega releases the Sonic Pinball Party video game for the Game Boy Advance in the US. Price is US$29.95. [401] [426.80] [428.46] [430] (May 27 [779.40])
- June 17
- Sega releases the Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut video game for the Nintendo GameCube in the US. [401] [426.107] [471.28] [606.11]
- June 23
- Nintendo releases the Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising video game for the Game Boy Advance in the US. Price is US$29.99. [428.50] [430.86] [471.28] [1149.62]
- June 26
- Nintendo releases the Wario World video game for the GameCube in the US. Price is US$49.99. [310.33] [411] [427.96] [436.165] [471.28] [511.56]
- June (month)
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in the USA for the month: Donkey Kong Country. [549.22]
- Top selling GameCube video game in the USA for the month: Sonic Adventure: DX. [549.22]
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in Japan for the month: Legend of Starfi. [644.188]
- Top selling GameCube video game in Japan for the month: Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. [644.188]
- April-June
- Nintendo worldwide shipments of GameCube systems over the past three months: 80,000. [568.26]
- Nintendo worldwide sales of Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP systems over the past three months: 3.24 million. [568.26]
- (month unknown)
- The last Famicom video game system is manufactured in Japan. [1255.19]
- July 28
- Nintendo releases the Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour video game for the GameCube in the US. [428.95] [512.29] [644.188] [871.38]
- July 30
- At the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, California, G4 Media holds the G-Phoria Glow Awards show. Most Innovative Game: Animal Crossing. [567.19]
- July (month)
- Top selling GameCube video game in the USA for the month: Mario Golf. [567]
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in the USA for the month: Dragon Ball Z: Legacy II. [567]
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in Japan for the month: Legend of Starfi. [644.188]
- Top selling GameCube video game in Japan for the month: Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. [644.188]
- August 10
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs the Futurama TV show in the US. In one scene, two characters on stairs jump over falling barrels, creating "100" point signs, and making the same jumping sound as Mario in the arcade game Donkey Kong. [848]
- August 14
- EA Sports releases the Madden NFL 2004 video game for the GameCube in the US. [426.70] [427.102] [428.45] [430.84] [461.36] [644.188]
- August 26
- Namco releases the Soul Calibur II video game for the GameCube in the US. [304.106] [427.74] [430.60] [549.26] [644.188]
- August (month)
- Top selling GameCube video game in the USA for the month: Soul Calibur II. [644.188]
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in the USA for the month: Donkey Kong Country. [568.28]
- (month unknown)
- Nintendo releases a special Game Boy Advance bundle in the US, including the e-Reader, and Donkey Kong Jr. eGame, for US$79.99. [568.26]
- September 2
- Activision releases the Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure video game for the GameCube andGame Boy Advance in the US. [450.74] [477.144] [549.38] [567.26,70]
- September 8
- Nintendo releases the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance video game for the Gameboy Advance in the US. [428.55] [869.19]
- September 25
- Nintendo of America reduces the price of the GameCube in North America to US$99. [478.26] [508.20] [597]
- September (month)
- Top selling GameCube video game in the USA for the month: Soul Calibur II. [507.16] [509] [548.30]
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in the USA for the month: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. [507.19] [509] [548.30]
- October 10
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Fairly Oddparents TV show in the US. The main character plays a home video game system called "V-Cube", with a wired controller with left-thumb joystick and right side 4-color buttons, a reference to the Nintendo GameCube. [848]
- October (month)
- Top selling GameCube video game in the USA for the month: Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike. [508.16] [574.28]
- Top selling Game Boy video game in the USA for the month: Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. [508.19] [574.28]
- November 10
- Nintendo releases the Mario Party 5 video game for the GameCube in the US. [477.79] [484.50] [513.19] [548.34] [644.154] [871.38]
- November
- AM3 launches the Advance Movie Adapter for the Game Boy Advance in Japan. The device with play video files on specially modified Smart Media cards. Price is 3200 yen (about US$29). [612.22]
- Nintendo resumes production of the GameCube video game system. (Production had ceased in January.) [612.20]
- November 17
- Nintendo releases the Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for the Game Boy Advance in the US. [513.10] [548.34] [568.60] [644.98]
- Nintendo releases the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! video game for the GameCube in the US. [477.79] [484.21,133] [513.19] [548.34] [568.50] [644.152,190] [871.38]
- November 21
- Nintendo releases the Pokémon Colosseum video game for the GameCube in Japan. [508.121]
- November (month)
- Top selling GameCube video game in the USA for the month: Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. [576.28] [582.16] [1162.16]
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in the USA for the month: Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. [576.28] [582.16] [1162.16]
- (month unknown)
- At the Media Art Festival in Japan, the Agency for Cultural Affairs awards the Grand Prix in the Entertainment category to Square Enix's Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles video game. [582.20]
- December
- Nintendo launches the iQue video game system in China. The unit is essentially a Nintendo 64 packaged inside a controller, with a 64 MB flash memory card unique to each iQue. Players must pay for and download a game to the card to play. The card can only contain one game at a time, but once a game is paid for, future downloads of it are free. Price is 568 Yuan (about US$69), including Dr. Mario. [597] [612.20]
- The Hollywood Wax Museum in California unveils a wax likeness of Nintendo's Mario character in the museum's lobby. [582.21]
- December 25
- 20th Century Fox releases the film Cheaper by the Dozen to theaters in the USA and Canada. A GameCube appears in one scene. [1044]
- December 31
- Total shipments of GameCube video game systems in the US to date: 6.8 million. [541.43]
- Total shipments of Game Boy Advance video game systems in the world to date: 8.1 million. [541.44]
- December (month)
- Top selling GameCube video game in the US for the month: Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. [559.26] [577.30] [579.14]
- Top selling Game Boy Advance video game in the US for the month: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. [577.30] [579.15]
- Year
- World market share of video game systems: PlayStation 2 69%, GameCube 16%, Xbox 15%. [1110.44]
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