Once again confirming how tough it is to keep the lid on an impending game-console price cut these days, Nintendo tonight said it will, in fact, drop the price of its Wii console to $199.99, effective this Sunday -- budging, finally, from the $249.99 price that has been charged for the console since its launch nearly three years ago.

The $199.99 bundle comes with the motion-sensitive Wii Remote and Nunchuck, along with the Wii Sports games.

But unless Nintendo comes out with special holiday bundles in certain parts of the world, it looks like Wii latecomers will still have to pay separately for the Wii MotionPlus accesory, which refines the technology behind the Wii Remote, and the follow-up Wii Sports Resort game. They sell as a package for $49.99.

Nintendo has taken a sizable lead in market share this console generation through a combination of its unique, motion-sensitive controller and what was previously a considerable price advantage. Recent price cuts by Microsoft and Sony narrowed the price gap, prior to tonight's announcement by Nintendo.

Redmond-based Nintendo of America also announced a Nov. 15 release date for the multiplayer New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

The Wii price drop had been rumored and all but confirmed in advance through a variety of leaks. Note to Best Buy managers: Telling your employees to "please keep this quiet!" pretty much guarantees that they won't.

It's the latest volley in a price war that most recently has had Microsoft offering an additional $50 mail-in rebate on the Xbox 360 Elite console, which recently dropped in price by $100, to $299.

Microsoft sells the Xbox 360 Arcade, without hard drive, for $199.

Meanwhile, Sony tonight said that sales of the PlayStation 3 are up 300 percent since the price was dropped to $299 a few weeks ago.