I could handle that. Personally I feel the system will still retail for about $200, but for $99 I would be thrilled. Here's what Nintendojo had to say.

"We are committed to bringing out the very best videogame-playing device at a very, very aggressive price point," said Howard Lincoln in the latest issue of Next Generation magazine. Speculation puts the price point of Nintendo's new system as low as $99! At E3 this past May, Lincoln also stated his committment to an inexpensive system. "It will retail at a mass-market price for home video game systems."

However, this good news comes with a small disappointment. "You will not be able to play audio CDs on Nintendo's machine, and you will not be able to play movies. Nintendo is a videogame company, and that's exactly what our device will do." While that announcement is bad news for those expecting the next-generation system to play movies, it is heartening to see Nintendo sticking to what works. Instead of Sony with their shadowy stance on the PSX2 as a DVD player or a videogame system, the N2000 will leave no doubt in the industry's mind as to what Nintendo plans to do for the forseeable future. That's news all of us Nintendo fans can enjoy! (jb)

Here's Magic Box's take:

According to an interview from The Next Generation, Nintendo's next console machine will have more than 1 version. First, Nintendo's version of the machine will not have built-in function to play audio CDs and DVD movies, but it will cost only around $100 - $150 US. Panasonic will release their own version of the machine, which will include audio CD and DVD movie playable capabilities, at a higher price point.