Hot on the heels of the US launch of the Wii U (we're due to get hands-on with the console this Friday), Nintendo has lifted the curtain on a brand-new redesign of its predecessor, the Wii. Named the Wii Mini, Nintendo has so far been hesitant to reveal territories it will go on sale, with only a Canadian release on December 7 thus far confirmed. Still, just in time for the holidays, it's a pretty neat package.

The release also marks the console's first proper re-design, following in the steps of the super-sleek rejig of the Xbox 360 and the twice-over of the PS3 by Sony (it gets worse looking with each step). The Wii U releases in the UK this Friday.Shedding the pounds and the familiar gloss-white finish of the original Wii console, the Wii Mini features a bold, black matt finish and distinctive red border. Nintendo says it's “exclusively designed to play Wii games”, which seems a fairly redundant statement until you consider the Wii Mini will not be able to connect to the Internet at all, nor will it have Gamecube backwards-compatibility.

What that does mean is Nintendo can boast a 'mini' price point, just under the $100 sweet-spot at $99.99. In addition, it'll be bringing out a whole range of “value-priced” 'Nintendo Selects' games for a suggested retail price of $19.99, featuring some of the most critically-acclaimed Wii titles from the past six years. We await more news of when we can expect a global release.

Richard Birkett