Nintendo confirms a release date and price for the smaller, brighter, and lite-er handheld...

After much speculation, Nintendo Europe has today confirmed that the DS Lite will be released across Europe on June 23rd at a cost of £99.99. Two versions of the handheld will be available, in white and black, and will be released less than a fortnight after it launches in North America.

Smaller, lighter, and with brighter screens than the original DS, the Lite will hit European stores a week before the anticipated return of the pint-sized plumbers in NEW Super Mario Brothers on June 30th, and a fortnight before Electroplankton on July 7th.

Nintendo has also confirmed that over four million original DS systems have been sold in Europe since it was first launched in March 2005 across the continent, with sixteen million sold globally to date.

We'll have more on Nintendo DS Lite shortly...