Thanks to a rumor reported by IGN Wii, we now have a fresh new batch of rumors to pass along.

This time, IGN Wii speculates that the console itself could be released in mid-to-late October, thanks to third-party publisher release dates around that time. They also throw out November 2nd and 12th as potential release dates, proving that even they don't really know what the date is.

So yeah, not exactly earthshaking stuff. The price speculation is a little more enticing though, as they claim sources believe the Wii will release for $229 and launch in both black and white. Nintendo is reportedly also aiming to produce as many as 5 million units by the end of the year, and it unfortunately will not be region free.

Perhaps most interesting is what isn't included in the article; or rather, what was originally included before IGN pulled it and reworked it a bit.  The original article also included the following paragraph:

Insiders claim to have seen final hardware. The Broadway CPU is allegedly in the 750 CL line, a continuation of the 750 GX series. IBM may be working on a revised Broadway chip with a lower clock speed for a future Nintendo handheld - presumably one that plays GameCube discs.

Of course, the interesting thing is that IGN believes (it was in print after all, however briefly) a GameCube-based portable may be in Nintendo's future.  If true, the fact that it may use a revised Broadway CPU is the first solid bit of info on it.  If the portable is indeed based on GameCube and revised Wii technology, it would make sense for it to be released sometime in the next few years...and for its games to be playable on Wii.  Of course this is all speculation on our part, but not really much of a stretch when you think about it.

We should know soon exactly what is planned for the Wii at least, as Nintendo plans to make a major announcement sometime next month.