Well, they may arrive ten days after the Xbox, which shouldn't be a big deal. Since all the hype about gaming consoles has flittered about, people either already have their little heart set on one game box or they're waiting to see comparative reviews. The real gaming death match will probably be won over the Christmas holiday. Game console sales will soar. A renewed sense of confidence in technology will come to pass. The world economy will rise to new heights, and Santa Claus will arrive right on time. Both Nintendo and Microsoft figure they'll sell tons of the gadgets and Nintendo of America today announced it will increase U.S. shipments of its Gamecube home video game console to 700,000 systems, and deliver them to store shelves on Sunday, November 18th, directly in advance of the key Thanksgiving shopping rush here in the States. Now the marketing wonks and PR weasels have even infringed on my favorite holiday, moving Xmas shopping all the way back to when I'm still digesting the excesses of a holiday that requires money spent on nothing but oral consumables. Nintendo intends to ship 1.1 million units by December 31. In addition, Nintendo will be providing for connectivity between Gamecube and Game Boy Advance. By linking the two systems, the Game Boy Advance can be used as a controller or to transfer a character trained on Gamecube to Game Boy Advance to continue game play while away from home. Nintendo expects to introduce the first Gamecube title to take advantage of Game Boy Advance connectivity later this year in Japan and in 2002 for North America. For the fashion conscious, Gamecube will initially be available in two colors, Indigo and Jet Black. (Incidentally, it seems like there's always a fancy color option available in Japan that you can't get here in the states, like the Special Pikachu Edition of the Game Boy Advance I got ahold of.) In addition, you'll be able to purchase additional controllers in four colors, Indigo, Indigo/transparent configuration, Jet Black, and Spice (orange); memory cards; Nintendo Power Player Guides, and other accessories. Let the game wars begin.