±±¾©Èü³µpk10

The link encompasses co-sponsorship of a 42-date club tour that will include TV broadcasts, on-air competition packages and a Nintendo GameCube MTV 'fun weekend' set to take over the channel's airwaves on May 4 and 5.

Bespoke 30-second ads will also promote a competition to win a weekend in a GameCube-branded penthouse. Gamers can enter the competition by text message or a dedicated MTV promotional micro-site.

The MTV tie-up comes after Nintendo signed a deal to be a sponsor of the official web site for the World Cup, FIFAWorldCup.com, joining other confirmed sponsors MasterCard, Budweiser, Philips and site host Yahoo!

Nintendo will sponsor the entertainment section of the site. The internet is expected to attract impressive viewing figures because of the time difference with World Cup host Japan.

GameCube launches across Europe on May 3. Its launch preparations have been hit by a games console price war instigated last week by Microsoft, which slashed £100 off its Xbox console to put it on a par with runaway market leader, Sony's PlayStation 2 at £199.

Xbox launched on March 14, but sales have so far been disappointing.

Nintendo this week responded to the price wars by trimming £20 off GameCube to take it down to £129.