Well it seems the bevy of Nintendo news just isn't slowing down, as the past 24 hours have seen DS / DS Lite power adapters recalled, Wiimote straps deemed unworthy, the truth (right?) behind how much loot Nintendo's pulling in on each Wii sold, and now we've got a potential price drop on our hands. Not even waiting for the backlog of lines that form each morning as Wii hopefuls stand vigilantly and await their prize to calm down, the big N just might have next year all mapped out already. While we've heard whispers of Microsoft knocking a few bucks off the Xbox 360's price, we aren't exactly sold on Nintendo cutting into those (questionably) sweet profits so soon after launch. Nevertheless, a very talkative Toys 'R Us manager apparently let a "few details" about the Spring 2007 plans "slip," insinuating that Nintendo would be "relaunching" (saywha?) the Wii for $200 and in a variety of colors to boot. Notably, this is about the time the firm will start pushing its WiiConnect24 service, but if sales keep up, the company shouldn't have to lower prices to entice folks to hop on in. While we can't entirely dismiss the (admittedly exciting) claims, we've really nothing substantial to go on here, and until we get confirmation from someone other than a retail store overlord, we're taking this one with a dash of salt.

[Via Digg]

There you have it folks, if there was even a shred of doubt that Nintendo might pursue the Xbox Live option of levying charges on (at least certain aspects of) online gameplay, the records been set straight by the Regginator after having spoken with USA Today. Reggie Fils-Aime let it be known that the Wii would not pursue subscription services for Wii Connect24 or online gameplay, answering that Nintendo views "online gaming as essentially an enhanced way to enjoy the gaming experience and drive more sales of hardware and software," and that Nintendo "will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for. They'll be able to enjoy that right out of the box. ... It won't have hidden fees or costs." Ok, sounds good to us, but that wasn't all. USA Today also semi-officially confirmed some details: November launch for under $250. It's semi-confirmed because they didn't exactly list a source, but hey, if USA Today sits down with Reggie we'd like to think any details they publish are as good as gold.

[Via slashdot]