Starting March 22, GameCube hardware produced for and sold in the Japanese market will lack a digital audio/video output, Nintendo announced today. Nintendo explains the change as a cost-cutting measure, part of a price drop intended to compensate for sales taxes.

The GameCube's price will not increase or decrease on the 22nd. A stand-alone console will still cost 14,000 yen ($130), and an "Enjoy Plus Pack" bundling the console with a Game Boy Player will cost 19,800 yen ($185). However, consumers won't have to pay sales tax on top of that price -- essentially, the systems have received a price drop identical to the tax rate imposed on them.

To make up for the price drop, however, those Cubes will lack the digital A/V out, as well as the removable nameplate on the top of the console. Nintendo has occasionally given away alternate nameplates as part of sales promotions.

The digital A/V output allows users to connect their GameCube to a television using a D-Terminal or component video cable, providing a very high-quality video signal and allowing certain games (like Rogue Squadron III) to send a 480p progressive scan signal to an HDTV. GameCubes without digital A/V output will presumably be unable to output such a signal, even with games that support the feature.

Nintendo of America representatives confirmed that the change to the hardware will eventually affect all territories, including North America. The first GameCubes without the digital A/V output will begin hitting the North American market in May, although the vagaries of the distribution pipeline mean the exact time of their arrival (and the gradual disappearance of hardware from earlier production runs) will be hard to pinpoint.

Famitsu.com reports that Nintendo plans to release a special version of the console with the digital output retained. Such a package's pricing and release date have yet to be officially confirmed, however, as well as whether it would see release outside Japan.

As the GameCube continues this rather strange phase of its evolution, we'll update with further details as they arise.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in 1UP.