Rick has been e-mailed the most interesting of links, seemingly confirming the $199 launch price. Read for yourself ...
If you go to BabelFish and translate the following URL ( http://www3.neocity.to/treebbs/view.cgi?board=112/minaduki&root=181565&target=181659&mode=tree&page=1 ) from Japanese to English, you can read a very interesting message board reprint of an article claiming that GameCube will Launch at 25,000 Yen, or $199.99. Plus, software is slated for a $49.99 price point.
Also of note, apparently Nintendo plans to ship 2.5M units across Japan and the US by year-end.
Wow.
Thanks to Mikey for the heads-up.