Japan's Nintendo Co Ltd said on Tuesday it would launch a device to allow games used in its GameBoy series to be played on a TV screen via its GameCube home video console.

With the new product, which will increase the selection of games that can be played on GameCube, Nintendo hopes to recover some lost ground in its mainstay home game console market where arch rival Sony Corp maintains a dominant lead on the strength of its PlayStation 2 system.

Nintendo, known for its hit "Mario" and "Pokemon" games, said the new device can be connected to the base of GameCube to allow game software for the existing GameBoy, GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance systems to be played on TV screens.

The new player, which is flat with a square surface equal to that of the GameCube, will hit store shelves next March in Japan and May in the United States, followed by releases in Europe and Australia, the company said.

The device will sell for 5,000 yen ($41.32) in Japan.

The price tags for other markets have not been decided, a company spokesman said, adding that Nintendo expects gamers will load up on hardware ahead of the new product's release.

"We wanted to send a message to game lovers about what they will be able to do with the GameCube console in the future," he said.

"In that way, we aim to shore up sales of GameCube hardware during the upcoming Christmas shopping season."

He said there is big demand for a device that allows GameBoy users to play the games on their home TVs, pointing to the sales of 6.9 million units of a similar device in the past.

In 1994, Nintendo released a product that enabled GameBoy games to be played on TVs via the Super Family Computer.