Rumors were flying last week about the Nintendo's pricing and release date strategy for the Wii after a message board post from a supposedly reliable source close to console's development found it's way onto IGN. The post stated something to the effect that the Wii would be released sometime between Nov. 2 and Nov. 12 for a price of $229.

But almost as quickly as it was up, it was removed, as the poster "didn't want to go to jail". Fair enough. They make rapings there.

Now a new rumor, courtesy of Shacknews, sites Japanese investment bank, Nikko Citigroup, who indicate that Nintendo was able to get a better price on the Wii's Broadway CPU than they initially expected which could possibly bring the price of the console down considerably to around $170.

Read the Shacknews report HERE.

Frankly anything under $200 would be shocking. Nintendo has never launched a console for more or less than $200 and while a lower price would certainly not be totally unwelcome it may lead to a public perception of the Wii being "cheap" (and I don't mean simply pricewise) when compared to the other consoles.

I love my 360 (despite my copy of Condemned not working. Seriously, what the eff?) and the jury is still out on the PS3. But in my heart I'm honestly looking most forward to the Wii to not only take me back to the feeling I first had when I laid my eyes on Castlevania and R.O.B., but great new experiences of flailing about and knocking shit over trying to balance plates and turn knobs. Price be damned!