Starting on Sunday (September 27), the new price of the Nintendo Wii video-game console will be $219.95.

A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with the Canadian representatives for Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony.

The impetus was Sony’s announcement of a newly designed PS3 video-game console that was to be sold at a lower price. (It’s worth noting that more than one million of the units have sold worldwide in the three weeks since the release of the new console.)

Microsoft had their own price drop to promote, too, but when I spoke with Nintendo of Canada’s Matt Ryan, he said, “Nintendo has made no announcements about a price drop on any of our systems.”

It was carefully worded and carefully stated. Carefully enough that I wondered if there might be something to be read between those lines.

Well, at the Tokyo Game Show yesterday (September 23), Nintendo made the announcement that I suspected might be coming. The new price point for the Wii cuts $60 off the best-selling game system.

In an interview with the Straight this morning (September 24), Ryan said the price adjustment brings “even better value to consumers out there who are on the fence about making a Wii purchase”.

Nintendo’s other big announcement in Tokyo was the release date for the highly anticipated New Super Mario Bros. game for the Wii: November 15.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be the first Mario game to offer multiplayer gaming, permitting up to four players to compete and cooperate at collecting coins and 1-ups, stomping on the mushroom-like Goombas, and finding hidden portals and secret treasures.