Nintendo's Dolphin proves a slow swimmer

Leading Japanese game maker Nintendo Co. Ltd. said on Wednesday it would unveil long-awaited details on Aug. 24 of two key next-generation game machines due for launch late this year and early next year.
The Kyoto-based company plans to launch the 128-bit video game machine, code-named Dolphin, in 2001, a delay from its original target of late this year.
Investors and analysts are eager for specifics on Dolphin following the recent launch of rival next-generation consoles in Japan: Sony Corp.'s PlayStation2 was released March 4 and Sega Enterprises Ltd.'s Dreamcast hit Japanese stores in late 1999.

Nintendo will also unveil the Game Boy Advance, a new version of the world's top-selling handheld game player, which will feature a 32-bit processing unit and telecommunications functions.
The originally scheduled summer launch of the machine was delayed until late this year due to tight supplies of components.

Details of Mobile System GB, a device connecting Game Boys to mobile phones, will be also disclosed at the news conference, scheduled ahead of the Nintendo Spaceworld 2000 exhibition for fans, a Nintendo spokesman said.
The new Nintendo products are expected to mark the start of a full-blown battle in the highly competitive game industry, with U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp. scheduled to join the fray later in 2001 with its Xbox console.