History Platform / NintendoDS

-->-- The original {{Tagline}}.[[note]]''[[HehHehYouSaidX Heh heh]]...[[AccidentalInnuendo "touching"]]''[[/note]]

-->-- The original {{Tagline}}.

The PDA-like touchscreen also provided a more "intuitive" interface for game development. Rather than pressing buttons that manipulated some object on the screen, the player could simply touch what they wanted to. This fell into a new strategy of Nintendo pursuing so-called "non-gamers": people who would normally not play games and might be intimidated by being confronted with [[UsefulNotes/GeneralGamingGamepads an array of buttons and a d-pad]]. Nintendo went on to market the Platform/{{Wii}} this way as well. Besides, die-hard fanboys could take solace in the console's overall layout, which was a ShoutOut to Nintendo's original handheld product, the LCD-based Platform/GameAndWatch, specifically the Multiscreen series of games.

# UsefulNotes/FlashMemory prices had pretty much collapsed by the time the DS came out, making profit margins on affordable CD-capacity cart games possible. (Although for more niche publishers, cart costs could still be a factor for release, especially outside of Japan.)

* Two ARM [=CPU=]s. The main processor runs at 67 [=MHz=], and handles the UsefulNotes/PolygonalGraphics alongside with its GPU. The secondary processor is a more advanced version of the GBA's processor, and runs at 33 [=MHz=]. The [=DSi=]'s main processor is clocked at 133 [=MHz=].

* There is also 656 KB of UsefulNotes/VideoRAM (not sure if the main 4 MB can also act as video memory if needed).

* Textures are a different story. Not only does the system allow huge textures (1024×1024 apparently with a max size of 512K, though you are not going to fit anything good after that due to 656K of total VRAM.), but the system also has UsefulNotes/TextureCompression built in. (Though this is more likely to save cart space than for motherboard bandwidth.) Although the system only supports point texture filtering, possibly resulting in blocky textures up close, the greatly improved texture resolution and color depth negates this disadvantage.

* The [=DSi=] would be Nintendo's first handheld to enforce [[UsefulNotes/RegionCoding region-locking]], drawing a fair bit of criticism. However, the region-locking only affected [=DSiWare=] download titles and [=DSi=]-exclusive cartridges; games that lacked any [=DSi=]-exclusive features were still region-free.

-->-- The original {{Tagline}}. It didn't last long, [[AccidentalInnuendo for obvious reasons.]]

-->-- The original {{Tagline}}. It didn't last long, [[AccidentalInnunendo for obvious reasons.]]

->''"[[{{Tagline}} Touching is good.]]"''

The Nintendo [=DS=] is '''[[http://www.vgchartz.com/article/250616/nintendo-ds-is-the-king-of-video-games-passes-the-playstation-2/ THE]]''' best-selling handheld video game system ''of all time'', with over 153 million units sold as of December 2012. It sold just less than 2 million under the [=PS2=], which means it's also the second-highest-selling video game system in general. [[CashCowFranchise It prints money.]]

Perhaps the most enduring legacy of the DS was that it became the progenitor of mobile phone gaming. This was due to the intuitiveness of the touch interface and an expanded library that [[MultipleDemographicAppeal included games and software to appeal to casual gamers]]. Both UsefulNotes/{{iOS Games}} and Platform/AndroidGames would take these a step further, as cell phones were even more portable and accessible than dedicated handheld gaming devices, and they consequently became stiff competition for Nintendo's new casual player base (not helped by Nintendo's notoriously slow ability to adapt to the Internet). Ironic. [[https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/22/18000592/nintendo-ds-mobile-casual-gaming As game journalist Jeremy Parish put it]], the DS may have saved Nintendo from its [=GameCube=] era slump, but in becoming the unintentional TropeMaker for mobile gaming, it also may have become the GenreKiller for handheld gaming as people knew it at the time.

* The slot for GBA games can include extra devices for DS games. This could include a rumble pack or even a camera. This slot is sacrificed for an UsefulNotes/SDCard slot and cameras on the [=DSi=], however.

* ''VideoGame/TraumaCenter: Under the Knife''

So those advantages (which Creator/{{Sony}} seems to agree with itself due to the change in media with the PSP's successor, the Platform/PlaystationVita), combined with lower development costs, made developers turn around and give huge support for the DS. It wasn't a total reversal, as developers also supported the PSP (at least in Japan), but it's definitely a redemption for Nintendo.

** The console also lacks a GBA link cable port, making it impossible to trade on the GBA Pokemon games, play multiplayer GBA games, link up to a GameCube to use as a second screen, or use GBA peripherals.

* The DS does not have the Z80 like processor from the Platform/GameBoyColor, making it impossible to play original Game Boy or GBC cartridges. While the system is capable of emulating the games, [[RevenueEnhancingDevices Nintendo will only let you run an emulator]] [[CompilationRerelease if you repurchase a game with it]].

Perhaps the most enduring legacy of the DS was that it became the progenitor of mobile phone gaming. This was due to the intuitiveness of the touch interface and an expanded library that [[MultipleDemographicAppeal included games and software to appeal to casual gamers]]. Both UsefulNotes/{{iOS Games}} and UsefulNotes/AndroidGames would take these a step further, as cell phones were even more portable and accessible than dedicated handheld gaming devices, and they consequently became stiff competition for Nintendo's new casual player base (not helped by Nintendo's notoriously slow ability to adapt to the Internet). Ironic. [[https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/22/18000592/nintendo-ds-mobile-casual-gaming As game journalist Jeremy Parish put it]], the DS may have saved Nintendo from its [=GameCube=] era slump, but in becoming the unintentional TropeMaker for mobile gaming, it also may have become the GenreKiller for handheld gaming as people knew it at the time.

Some DS games were ported to the Platform/WiiU through the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole, as that system's [=GamePad=] allowed the preservation of the dual screen setup. The first three included ''VideoGame/BrainAge''/''Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training'', ''VideoGame/MarioKartDS'', & ''VideoGame/YoshisIslandDS''.

* All versions on the DS have wireless capabilities, allowing systems to link up together without the need for any Game Link cables at all.[[note]]Unfortunately, this also meant that Game Boy Advance games could not be played in multiplayer mode since multiplayer [=GBA=] games were designed with Link Cables in mind.[[/note]] This also allows the DS to play games over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, playing with people all around the world (as long as you have a wireless router). The lack of WPA encryption is a bit of a sore point for some users. The [=DSi=] has more sophisticated wireless capabilities, allowing it to connect to many WPA networks for UsefulNotes/DSiWare, but retail packaged games have been developed with WEP in mind.

* ''VideoGame/MightyFlipChamps'' (UsefulNotes/DSiWare)
** ''VideoGame/MightyMilkyWay'' (UsefulNotes/DSiWare)

*** [[/index]]''Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!'' (UsefulNotes/DSiWare)[[index]]

*** ''[=WarioWare=]: Snapped!''
*** ''[=WarioWare=]: D.I.Y.''

Short story, the Nintendo DS succeeded in just about every way the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 faltered.

Long story, Creator/{{Nintendo}} got a little nervous about the rising development costs in games, because other developers [[PanderingToTheBase were making bigger and better games appealing to a gradually narrowing audience]]. Now how much of that is true is [[FlameWar debatable]], but it can't be argued that Nintendo's steps to remedy this created an unbeatable counter to the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable.

Their first step was, instead of simply making "a more powerful UsefulNotes/GameBoy", trying something new with the system to alter the gameplay and get developers out of a rut. With the DS, the method was to add a touchscreen in between the d-pad and the buttons, while keeping the regular screen above it. The public prototype was codenamed the "Developer's System", or the "DS" for short.[[note]]It was initially developed under the code name "Nitro" in-house; DS games still carry the "NTR" indexing code as a result, with the exception of games capable of using the [=DSi=]'s additional features, which use "TWL" instead.[[/note]] However, because of its two screens, the gaming press kept thinking it stood for "Dual Screen". Recognizing it was giving the system name recognition already, [[PermanentPlaceholder Nintendo made "DS" the official name]].

When it was in development, Nintendo presented the device as a "third pillar" to complement the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube and the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, rather than claim that the DS was the latest iteration of the Game Boy hardware line. There is some indication that this was a marketing ploy -- Nintendo did not want to potentially tarnish the positive image of the much-beloved Game Boy line if the DS failed to live up to expectations; plus since the DS was backwards compatible with GBA games, if it failed, there would still be some value in the device. Unnecessary in retrospect, and it didn't stop people from calling it the "Game Boy DS" anyway. Although, at one point, they did plan to call it the City Boy, but they fortunately didn't.

The PDA-like touchscreen also provided a more "intuitive" interface for game development. Rather than pressing buttons that manipulated some object on the screen, the player could simply touch what they wanted to. This fell into a new strategy of Nintendo pursuing so-called "non-gamers": people who would normally not play games and might be intimidated by being confronted with [[UsefulNotes/GeneralGamingGamepads an array of buttons and a d-pad]]. Nintendo went on to market the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} this way as well. Besides, die-hard fanboys could take solace in the console's overall layout, which was a ShoutOut to Nintendo's original handheld product, the LCD-based UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch, specifically the Multiscreen series of games.

With the Game Boy Advance having owed much of its success to [[UpdatedRerelease updated releases of SNES games]], it looked early on as though the DS would do the same for UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 games. This never happened in the end, though, with ''VideoGame/SuperMario64 DS'', ''[[VideoGame/RidgeRacer Ridge Racer DS]]'', ''[[VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape Rayman DS]]'', and ''VideoGame/DiddyKongRacing DS'' being the only major examples. Exactly why this was the case is debatable, though the most common explanations are that Nintendo was making a push for more innovative games instead of ports with [[{{Waggle}} touchscreen gimmicks bolted on]] (a major problem with a lot of the system's early games), Nintendo 64 games wouldn't work as {{Killer App}}s since the N64 contributed to Nintendo's market share decline in the late '90s (and thus wouldn't generate hype), and/or the system was poorly-suited for Nintendo 64 ports in the first place due to the lack of an analog stick (tellingly, the [=3DS=], which ''did'' include a stick, would actually get more in the way of Nintendo 64 remakes).

So those advantages (which Creator/{{Sony}} seems to agree with itself due to the change in media with the PSP's successor, the UsefulNotes/PlaystationVita), combined with lower development costs, made developers turn around and give huge support for the DS. It wasn't a total reversal, as developers also supported the PSP (at least in Japan), but it's definitely a redemption for Nintendo.

The DS also had a [[ProductFacelift redesign]] to address problems noted with the first system, such as a dim screen light and the bulk. The so-called "DS Phat" is the biggest of Nintendo's handhelds since the original UsefulNotes/GameBoy, while the DS Lite is just about the size of the original GBA. Another redesign, the [=DSi=], dispenses with the GBA slot entirely and slightly decreases the battery length to increase the size of the dual screens, slim its third dimension even more and add an SD Card slot, two cameras, and 256MB of onboard flash memory, all built-in. Games could now be downloaded through a [=DSi=] Shop Channel, much like the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}'s own Wii Shop Channel. The [=DSi=] sold over half a million units in '''''[[http://www.gamespot.com/news/6207644.html two days]]'''''.

And 32 million or so of those money-printers were sold in Japan. While this entry's going long, it is worth emphasizing at this point: in Japan, the DS was quite possibly the single most culturally relevant gaming system since [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem the Famicom]], and certainly since the first two [=PlayStations=]. At 30 million-plus units, virtually every household in Japan owned at least one DS by the late stage of the system's life; it hosts some of the best-selling software in Japan, ever, and was a hotbed of new IP and ideas once developers really began to dig into the possibilities of its interface. Even relatively niche games (like ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'') found significant audiences on the system, and the system's cultural impact was profound; the success of the DS allowed Japanese developers to actually sidestep the early parts of the HD era and focus instead on creating lower-cost games for the DS, and later, the PSP and 3DS. This was of great consequence, and the resulting divide between Japan's preference for handhelds and the West's preference for set-top consoles even ended up influencing the creation of the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

On the plus side, the ubiquity of flashcarts did lead to a fairly decent homebrew scene for the platform - including some solid emulators for the Game Boy and UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor - though the limited hardware means that the support isn't nearly as strong as it is for other handhelds like the 3DS, PSP, or Vita.

It was succeeded by the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, which includes 3D technology. Just like the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 continued to exist well into the UsefulNotes/PS3's lifespan, it was expected that the non-3D DS family will stick around for some time after the release of the 3DS... which was true, in a sense. After the 3DS' release, the only major DS titles were ''VideoGame/KirbyMassAttack'', ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', and ''Ace Attorney Investigations 2'', the last of which never released outside of Japan. [[https://web.archive.org/web/20190405223603/https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/vyWpoM6CBIe6FjW8NIY7bvzOrgBURhzw Nintendo ended Wi-Fi service for the DS on May 20th, 2014]], and all major developers, both first- and third-party, jumped almost exclusively to the 3DS. (This is at least partially due to the rampant piracy DS software had accumulated.) Needless to say, with its gangbuster sales, DS systems and their games are not in danger of becoming scarce.

Some DS games were ported to the UsefulNotes/WiiU through the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole, as that system's [=GamePad=] allowed the preservation of the dual screen setup. The first three included ''VideoGame/BrainAge''/''Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training'', ''VideoGame/MarioKartDS'', & ''VideoGame/YoshisIslandDS''.

* The DS does not have the Z80 like processor from the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, making it impossible to play original Game Boy or GBC cartridges. While the system is capable of emulating the games, [[RevenueEnhancingDevices Nintendo will only let you run an emulator]] [[CompilationRerelease if you repurchase a game with it]].

* The DS was the first Nintendo handheld to have a screen that was both in color and backlit. This was a whopping 15 years after the UsefulNotes/AtariLynx and 14 years after the UsefulNotes/GameGear (both of which had backlit color screens), but Nintendo certainly made up for the wait as shown by the battery life.