New LCDs for Game Boy Advance
It doesn't necessarily mean brighter ones, but it could be the start of a good thing
Nintendo has hired technology firm Matsushita to produce the next wave of liquid crystal displays for the Game Boy Advance. Over the past few months the GBA has come under a lot of criticism over the issue of its LCD display, manufactured by Sharp. Consumers have complained that it's too dark, rendering the machine useless unless under direct light. For games like Castlevania which rely on artificial darkness to accentuate the mood, it has even led to weaker reviews. Many believe that Nintendo's move to deploy Matsushita as a major LCD partner will eventually mean curtains for Sharp's contract. At first the company will produce only 5% of the LCDs for Game Boy Advance, but details have slipped that it intends to spend 2-3 billion yen upgrading its facilities to handle mass production of the component. Many insiders see this as a bad sign for Sharp, who will have difficulty competing if Matsushita offer to produce the LCDs for a lower rate than them. Production of the new displays will be handled by a plant in Ishikawa, and representatives of all the companies concerned have refused to comment on whether the displays will be any brighter. In related news, Nintendo's stock price fell 4% after Nikko Salomon Smith Barney issued a warning to investors in Japan questioning Nintendo's sales projections for the year. It seems NSSB aren't as confident of Nintendo shifting 24 million units this year as Ninty themselves. Related Feature - The Portable Avant-Garde