Spong reports that whilst Nintendo still sees a place in the market for its struggling last-gen machine, manufacturing efforts have now shifted over to the likes of Wii, DS and Game Boy Advance.

“Are we producing any more GameCubes? No,” Nintendo of America’s vice president of marketing and corporate affairs Perrin Kaplin explained in an interview with GameDaily. “But do we have the inventory there for people to still purchase? Yes.

“Just like the PS2 sold really well this past holiday, GameCube is a great starter system – price, ease, games. Every one of the consoles has had its cycle and every single one of them has become a great starter system at the last leg of its cycle, and that's where GameCube's at.”

Kaplan also went on to confirm that Nintendo will not release any new games for the system – a decision reinforced by the company’s recent change of heart in relation to Super Paper Mario. That platformer was announced for GameCube at last year’s E3, but has since gone on to become a Wii-only title.

“If you're a core gamer you wouldn't buy a GameCube,” she continued. “It's not aimed at you anymore. But for new people as a starter system, how many games are there for them to pick from? Plenty.

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“I mean, I wasn't the first to buy an iPod. By the time I bought it, it came to a price where I wanted it to be and looked the way I wanted it to look. So we're not selling GameCube to the people who are hardcore players and want all the gadgetry – we're going after the people who never really bought a system before now it’s finally at a price that they can afford for their family.”