NINTENDO MOVES INTO PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS
By Adnews Staff
Japan-based Nintendo Corp. is trying to make video game enthusiasts into photography junkies. The company will bring its Game Boy Camera to the North American market in June. The camera is a cartridge that features a swiveling, big-eye lens that fits into any Game Boy or Game Boy Pocket unit, and turns it into a digital camera. The Game Boy Camera will be available in four colors: red, yellow, green and blue. It will be able to store up to 30 images and allows users to manipulate the images in several ways. They can flip, stretch, zoom or split the screen. The Panorama mode shoots both tall and wide formats and the time-lapse mode lets the user take photos continuously or up to 60 minutes apart. The photos can be retouched and can be transferred to another Game Boy. In addition, users can put an image on the face of the main character in their video games. Four games come bundled with the camera: Space Fever II, Ball, D.J. and Run! Run! Run! In addition, Nintendo will launch a Game Boy printer that can be attached to the camera which prints photo stickers. Advertising plans for the camera and printer are still being finalized. In Canada, Leo Burnett Co. of Chicago will create the ads, while its Toronto office will localize the ads and handle the media buy. Canadian PR is done by The GCI Group of Toronto. Nintendo introduced the Game Boy Camera and printer to the Japanese market in February.