Rumors are floating around the latest Next Generation Magazine that Nintendo is talking with some big companies about online gaming. The latest rumor surrounding this topic is...America Online. There's also something surprising said about Gameboy Advance. Remember, it may be a rumor, but it's an interesting one. Here's the full scoop:

The fact is, Nintendo had a content network on Famicom in Japan in the

1980s, and chairman Hiroshi Yamauchi has repeatedly stressed his interest in connecting. However, the company has shown more willingness to innovate along these lines in Japan - the NES network, for instance, never came to the US, and it is unclear whether or not Game Boy Advance, which is designed to work with cellular phones, will ever see the light of day in the States.

Still with AOL's Steve Case recently suggesting that AOL is looking to partner with next-generation console makers, it's easy to create AOL/Nintendo scenarios. Analyst Kevin Hause of IDC research feels that Nintendo will likely launch with some kind of network option. "Basically, any next-generation platform," says Hause, "including Dolphin, is probably going to ship a with a modem because as more and more developers find cool things to do with that connectivity to enhance and improve the gaming experience, it is going to become a requirement."