GameCube Sold Faster Than Xbox, Toysrus Says

In a preview of the upcoming video game wars, Toysrus.com Inc. said Monday that it sold out of its pre-order allotment of Nintendo Co.’s GameCube consoles in four minutes--about eight times faster than it sold out of Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox consoles in September.

The Fort Lee, N.J., online retailer would not disclose how many consoles were involved in the pre-sale events, but sources said there were more GameCubes than Xboxes, suggesting stronger demand for the Nintendo console.

Officials at Toysrus.com, a subsidiary of Toys R Us Inc. operated by Amazon.com Inc., said the sellouts for both consoles are indications of a robust holiday season for the video game industry, which languished last year as consumers awaited next-generation machines.

“We came into the season believing that the video game category would have its best year ever, and I think these numbers are starting to bear that out,” Toysrus.com spokeswoman Jeanne Meyer said.

Other retailers holding pre-sales, which let buyers reserve a box, have reported similar successes. Electronics Boutique halted its pre-order program for the Xbox after three weeks, partly because of strong demand but also because of Microsoft’s inability to deliver as many units as it had promised for the Xbox launch Nov. 15. Nintendo’s GameCube will launch in North America on Nov. 18.