Speaking in an interview published today, Electronic Arts executive VP and COO of EA's worldwide studios David Gardner hinted the Wii pricepoint was a done deal, pegging $170 for the new Nintendo machine, due for release at an unknown date in the coming months.

"I've heard in Japan that the price is about $170, but I don't know if the price has been set in Europe yet," he said. "Nintendo has come up with a very clever strategy. They've made a choice which is great for the consumer. Now we're going to have a choice whereby consumers can buy a Wii plus one other console."

Of course, you will have seen, recent gossip emerging from financial analysts in Japan also claimed the Wii will be $170 at launch. As we explained, using exact currency conversions, this translates to a mere £90, a shade over $170 for the US and 133 Euros. Though of course, should Nikko Citigroup's Japanese pricepoint be correct, the price will be adjusted for Europe, the UK and the US, most likely working against British gamers. Understand that in spite of our surging currency value, in real terms we are probably paying the cost of a few pints of Stella more than anyone else.

All of which hints that perhaps Gardner 'heard' about the $170 release date on the Internet...

Expect a major announcement from Nintendo, this week, preliminary details of which you can read here.

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