According to a leading trade publication, Nintendo is about to cut the cost of the Game Boy Advance SP.

In a move that will surprise no-one following the recent price-cuts in the US, Nintendo are to cut their Game Boy Advance SP hardware to a pocket-friendly �69.99, according to MCV.

The move comes after the SP was cut stateside to a meagre $80 and follows on from the recent cuts in price of the Playstation 2 and XBox to �104.99 and �99.99 respectively.

Although there will be no major new price initiatives for the Gamecube, it appears that Nintendo will be offering the Gamecube Mario Kart Double Dash Bundle Pak for the princely price of �79.99.

Both Sony and Microsoft have seen large increases in sales following their price-slashing antics over the past few weeks, it seems logical that Nintendo would need to take a more aggressive line following the jumps in sales their rivals have seen.

Update: The press release!

17th September 2004 � Nintendo of Europe today announced that as of 24 September 2004, Game Boy Advance SP, the world's best selling and most stylish handheld console is now more affordable than ever. At the amazing new price of around �69, UK consumers will now make a saving of around �20 on the current price and have two great new limited edition Game Boy Advance SP bundles to choose from.

Jim Merrick, Senior Director of European Marketing for Nintendo of Europe, comments: "With Game Boy Advance SP now available at this great new price, we are making it much more accessible to a broader range of gamers, especially our younger fans. With so many fantastic games available on the Game Boy Advance and plenty more to come in time for Christmas we want everyone to be able to have a Game Boy Advance SP."

Nintendo is also launching two Limited Edition Game Boy Advance SP bundles in time for Christmas. The Zelda Limited Edition Pak launches across Europe on 12th November 2004 and includes a limited edition Zelda-branded Gold Coloured Game Boy Advance SP, plus a copy of the highly anticipated The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. The Mario Limited Edition Pak launches across Europe on 19th November 2004 and will contain a copy of Mario vs. Donkey Kong along with a unique Mario themed Game Boy Advance SP. Both Limited Edition Pak's have an estimated retail price of around �89 in the UK.

The Game Boy Advance SP has already proved a huge success since it launched in March 2003 with sales across Europe at over 4 million. At this fantastic new price and with the range of games coming this Christmas Game Boy Advance SP will continue to go from strength to strength. In the run up to Christmas 2004 Nintendo will be launching highly anticipated games including Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. Add to this a great list of third party games such as Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force (Ubisoft), The Lord of the Rings; The Third Age (EA), Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (Activision) and Disney Pixar's The Incredibles (THQ), gamers have never had it so good!