With the North American release date of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the GameCube set for March 24, 2003, Nintendo is being pressured by those eager to lay their hands on a copy of the bonus preorder disk. This nifty little treasure includes The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, originally for the Nintendo 64, and previously unreleased The Legend of Zelda: Master Quest, originally destined for the failed 64DD.

After approximately 500 people bombarded its North American consumer service line with questions regarding the bonus disk, Nintendo locked in the date for the beginning of the preorder bonanza as February 16, 2003 in order to meet the demand.

Peter MacDougall, vice president of sales and marketing for Nintendo of America, commented, "We were surprised consumers tracked the program in Japan and were begging us to do it here. We decided it was a great idea and one we know consumers really want." He then went on to say that the preorder "solidifies Nintendo's commitment to the hardcore gamer, while introducing the series to a whole new generation of gamers."