Boop, Beep, Blurp, Jingle, Jingle

Hold on to your wallets, Nintendo fans. Super Mario Bros. 4 is on the way. But it could be a mixed blessing for all those addicted to the Mario Bros. series of home-video games — and a cash-register bonanza for the Japanese company that sells them. The new game (approximate cost: $50) will require different hardware: a one-megabit Super Family Computer (approximate cost: $165) to be unveiled in Japan this November. The machine will have stereo sound and the ability to display 32,768 color gradations, up from 52 in the old model. Eager customers should know that the upgraded hardware will not play the old Nintendo cassettes, some 350 million of which have been sold worldwide. A series of new-format cassettes, at $50 or so each, will be available from Nintendo.