Nintendo is set to announce release date and price for its new games console, the Wii U, tomorrow (13 September), during a live streamed broadcast on the Nintendo Direct website. However, we reckon we know the price already, at least for Japan, as historically the company always prices its new consoles an identical amount on launch: 25,000 yen.
As tweeted by Japanese resident and gamer Kyle McLain (@FarmboyinJapan) every home console launched by Nintendo since the Super Famicom (SNES) has initially been priced at 25,000 yen (£200). That includes the Super Famicom itself, Nintendo 64, Gamecube and Wii. It's different when you come to handhelds, although the 3DS was also launched at 25,000 yen, ironically.
Therefore, it's a safe bet that the Wii U will cost 25,000 yen too - although with the technology involved in the touchscreen controller, that could see Nintendo breaking one of its traditional rules of making a profit on the hardware.
Most games consoles are subsidised by the manufacturer, with the individual companies reaping rewards on software sales. Nintendo has regularly operated on a different business model, but it is widely believed that the 3DS was released at a loss so this could be a new strategy for the big "N".
Either way, we'll find out tomorrow at 3pm when Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata makes his online announcement.