- January
- Nintendo temporarily ceases production of the GameCube video game system. (Production resumes in November.) [612.20]
- Koei releases the Dynasty Warriors 3 XL video game. [470.63]
- Atari releases the Sega Arcade Gallery for the Game Boy Advance in the United Kigdom. Included are After Burner, Space Harrier, Super Hang-On, and OutRun. [1343.36]
- January 16
- Sony announces it has shipped over 50 million PlayStation 2 systems worldwide to date. Regional totals are: North America 21.5 million, Europe 16 million, Japan 12.5 million. [597]
- Microsoft launches its Xbox Live online service in Japan. Microsoft begins selling an Xbox Live starter kit for about US$58, including several games, a voice communicator, and a one-year online subscription. [597]
- January 17
- Microsoft announces it has sold 8 million Xbox systems to date. [597]
- January 25
- Capcom releases the Devil May Cry 2 video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. Price is US$49.99. [425.40] [436.96] [541.132] [629.34] [1086.121]
- January (month)
- Top selling video game in the USA for the month: The Getaway for the PlayStation 2. [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 2
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. When faced with loading a large number of objects into his car, a character comments that "this is what all those hours of playing Tetris were for". The objects assume the shapes of Tetris shapes, and the game music can be heard. [947]
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- 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 5
- Midway closes its West Coast office in Milpitas, California. [1007.18]
- Nokia unveils the N-Gage handheld gaming device in London, England, and Sydney, Australia. It features a game console with games on MultiMedia Cards, cell phone, wireless connectivity, web browser, audio player, email support, and stereo FM radio. The unit is to be on sale by the end of the year. [414.30] [444.40] [568.100] [597] [1007.15]
- February 6
- Nvidia and Microsoft resolve their dispute over pricing of graphics chips for the Xbox video game system. [597]
- 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
- Microsoft recalls the Kakuto Chojin video game for the Xbox from retail stores, due to the inadvertant inclusion of chanting of Muslim passages from the Koran. [426.24] [444.42] [1007.18]
- February 12
- Sony releases the EverQuest Online Adventures video game for the PlayStation 2. [431.54] [1006.26]
- February 13
- Sega announces plans to merge with Sammy in Japan. [414.30] [427.25] [597] [1013.20]
- Capcom releases the Marvel vs. Capcom 2 video game for the Xbox in the US. Price is US$39.99. [426.109] [436.165]
- February
- NEC announces its return to the video game industry. The NEC Interchannel division will create software for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. [434.26]
- 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
- Dave Mirra files a lawsuit against Acclaim, claiming the company continued to use his name to promote the BMX XXX video game after he withdraw support for it. [414.30] [430.53]
- February 16
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A video game is played on a big-screen television. [948]
- 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 19
- Agetec releases the Disaster Report video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. [479.98] [1006.26]
- February (month)
- Top selling video game in the USA for the month: The Getaway for the PlayStation 2. [1013.16]
- March 2
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. An actress comments that most actor-dates just want to talk about "their Botox, their Tae-bo, or their Xbox". [950]
- March 4
- Sony CEA releases the Primal video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. Price is US$39.99. [414.86] [436.165] [1007.26]
- 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 14
- Square releases the Final Fantasy Origins video game for the PlayStation in the US. Included are enhanced remakes of Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II. [869.19] [1013.24]
- March
- Microsoft launches its Xbox Live online service in Europe. [754.11]
- Sony releases the Amplitude video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. Price is US$39.99. [425.71] [426.103]
- Washington state House of Representatives passes a bill that would fine retail employees US$500 for selling video games that depict killing police officers or violence against women or minors. [755.9]
- Koei releases the Dynasty Warriors 4 video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. Price is US$49.99. [414.137] [426.102] [470.63]
- March 17
- Nintendo releases the Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version video games for the Game Boy Advance in the US. (Total combined sales: 13 million.) [401] [411] [413.132] [485.145] [510.77] [644.188] [1007.26] [1425.53]
- March 19
- A research report by Bryan Raudenbush, an assistant professor of psychology at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia, suggests that playing high-action video games reduces sensitivity to pain by distracting the player. [597]
- 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] [1438.46]
- March 26
- Capcom releases the Auto Modellista video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. Price is US$49.99. [414.70] [427.95] [1007.26]
- March 28
- Nintendo releases the Game Boy Advance SP in the United Kingdom. [1482.13]
- March 29
- An anonymous hacker reveals a method to run Linux on an unmodified Xbox video game system, by exploiting a buffer overflow flaw in the "save/load game" function of the James Bond 007 in Agent Under Fire video game. The flaw exists in several games, and can be used to load and run other software on the Xbox. The hacker is now eligible to win a US$100,000 challenge funded by Lindows founder Michael Robertson. [597]
- March 30
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs the Futurama TV show in the US. Pacman characters with authentic movement sound are shown as "an oil-eating bacterium". [846]
- March 31
- Unit shipments of video game systems worldwide to date: PlayStation 2 51.2 million, Xbox 13 million, GameCube 9.4 million, Game Boy (all types) 120 million. [445.26,28,30] [597] (Xbox 7.84 million, 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]
- April 1
- In Japan, Square and Enix complete merging companies to form Square Enix. [869.19]
- April 11
- Microsoft drops the price of the Xbox in Europe to 199 euros (about US$214) on the continent, and 129 pounds (about US$202) in Britain. [427.25]
- April 13
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. An Asteroids arcade video game appears. [951]
- April 14
- Sony Computer Entertainment announces an updated PlayStation 2 in Japan, to be available May 15. It features support for progressive scan DVD playback, DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW discs, built-in infrared receiver, quieter fan, and removed IEEE 1394 FireWire port. [625.14] [597]
- 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 video game in the USA for the month: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell for the PlayStation 2. [984.21]
- (month unknown)
- Sega releases the Virtua Cop 3 arcade video game. [427.32]
- May 6
- Konami releases the Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow video game for the Game Boy Advance in the US. Price is $29.99. [414.56] [427.70] [470.23,76] [1149.62]
- May 12
- Before the E3 trade show, Microsoft announces Xbox plans, including a demo of Doom 3 and Halo 2. [428.20] [470.23]
- May 13
- Sony announces a new handheld video game system, the PlayStation Portable. It features two 333 MHz 32-bit MIPS R4000 processors, 128-bit system bus, 8 MB eDRAM memory, 480x272 pixel 4.5-inch diagonal backlit LCD screen, Universal Media Disc optical disc reader (60-mm diameter, 1.8 GB capacity), MPEG 4 video playback, built-in stereo speakers, USB 2.0 port, IrDA and wireless 802.11 LAN ports, Sony Memory Stick data storage slot, and rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. The system is expected to be available at the end of 2004. [428.20] [445.42] [477.24] [481.21] [597]
- Sony introduces the Eye Toy accessory for the PlayStation 2. It is a camera that connects to the game system via the USB port. [597]
- Sony announces worldwide shipments to date of the PlayStation: 96.4 million, PlayStation 2: 51 million, Xbox: 13 million, GameCube 9.4 million. [428.22] [460.24]
- Sony reduces the price of its current PlayStation 2 inventory in the U.S. to US$179, with new systems in June to include the Network Adaptor for US$199. The updated PlayStation 2 system will support rewritable DVDs and include a quieter fan. [428.20] [597]
- May 14
- Microsoft drops the price of the Xbox in the US from US$199 to US$179.99. [597] (May 13 [428.20])
- May 15
- Atari releases the Enter the Matrix video game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and 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. Atari ships four million copies on the first day. [414.42] [426.16] [428.80,84] [436.57] [444.100] [445.52] [470.23]
- May
- In the U.S., the Washington state legislature passes a law that would impose a US$500 fine on retailers who sell certain violent video games to children under age 17. The law is set to go into effect on July 27. [597] (April [471.24])
- Nintendo releases the Game Boy Player for the GameCube in the US. [471.28] [674.50]
- Infogrames changes its name to Atari. [428.24] [518.20] [597]
- May 21
- Nintendo releases the Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Microgame$ video game for the Game Boy Advance in the US. Price is $34.99. [426.80] [427.70] [444.41] [470.23] [1149.64]
- May 28
- In Tokyo, Japan, Sony Electronics vice president Ken Kutaragi unveils the PSX, combining a PlayStation 2 game player with DVD recorder. The PSX includes a broadcast satellite tuner, 120 GB hard drive, Memory Stick slot, and Ethernet and USB ports. [438.24] [445.43] [597] [1446.13]
- 3DO announces it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US, giving the company time to find a buyer for the company. [438.24] [445.64] [597] [700.30]
- May 29
- Nature magazine publishes the article "Action video game modifies visual selective attention" by D. Bavelier and C. Green. It reports that video games improve visual skills. [480.50]
- May (month)
- Top selling video game for the month in the US: Enter the Matrix for the PlayStation 2. [1446.18]
- (month unknown)
- Sega and Sammy decide to abandon merger plans. [428.20]
- Disney Interactive changes its name to Buena Vista Games. [518.20]
- 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
- The 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals rules that video games are protected as free speech under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. [438.24]
- 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 18
- Capcom releases the Resident Evil Dead Aim video game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. [427.93] [834.17]
- 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 30
- Activision sues Viacom, claiming that its ten-year exclusive deal to produce Star Trek video games is losing value due to Viacom's neglect of the franchise. [449.64] [594.40]
- Total sales of video game hardware and software in the US during January-June: US$3.5 billion. [597]
- June (month)
- Top selling video game in the USA for the month: NCAA Football 2004 for the PlayStation 2. [644.188]
- Top selling video game in Japan for the month: Gundam: Meguriai Uchou for the PlayStation 2. [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 Wheeling Jesuit University publishes the article "Differential effects of video game play on pain tolerance and threshold" by B. Raudenbus, J. Koon, and S. Lilley. It reports that video game playing reduces the feeling of pre-existing pain, and increases pain tolerance. [480.50]
- The film House of the Dead is released in the US. The film is based on the video game of the same name. (Gross theater revenues: US$17 million.) [828.24]
- Sundance Di Giovanni and Mike Sepso create Major League Gaming to stage video game tournaments. [940.31]
- The last Famicom video game system is manufactured in Japan. [1255.19]
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