More leakages from sources within US retail indicate that a Wii price cut is not only incoming, but is kicking off this weekend.

The latest apparent confirmation of this is an email from Stateside retail giants Best Buy, in which store managers are instructed not to discuss the forthcoming price cut with customers until Nintendo makes their official announcement on the subject this Friday. The new $199.99 price point then comes into effect from Sunday 27th – that’s 50 bucks off the regular rrp.

This is just the latest in a burgeoning series of similar stories, of course – the last coming from Toys R Us and Wal-Mart. Needless to say that Nintendo hasn’t commented on any so far, and likely won’t until they jolly well feel like it. Even then we’ll lay odds that they trot out something about the discount being a retail-led initiative and how it's actually nothing to do with them. Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve used the line...

But the price cut rumours persist. Besides, now that Microsoft and Sony are enjoying the fruits of their hardware discounts and Wii sales are beginning to flounder, it all seems more and more like a formality. We dearly hope so, anyway. £150 Wii in time for Xmas, anyone?