Nintendo DS Resource Center

Successor to the Game Boy Advance, the Nintendo DS is Nintendo's latest handheld system. The company released the original Nintendo DS in the fall of 2004, and a redesigned version, the DS Lite, arrived in March of 2006. The third DS model update, the Nintendo DSi, will ship in Japan at the end of 2008 and worldwide in 2009.

The system features two screens, the conventional D pad-and-button setup, a microphone, and the unconventional touch screen. Built-in Wi-Fi gives the console over-the-air multiplayer gaming via the Internet and through local ad hoc networks. The system has embedded PictoChat software that lets users create and send messages and pictures to other DS users over Wi-Fi. The original DS launched with an MSRP of $149, but Nintendo has evolved the system and dropped the price over time. You can currently find the Nintendo DS Lite in stores for $129.

The Nintendo DSi will not be backward compatible with GBA games because designers removed the GBA cartridge slot, but the two older DS systems maintain compatibility. The original DS and DS Lite can play Game Boy Advance games but does not support Game Boy or Game Boy Color titles, so hold on to that GBA system if you want to maintain full backward compatibility. Additionally, you will be able to play GBA games only in single-player mode, because the DS isn't compatible with the GBA link cable.

The majority of the DS's critically acclaimed games come from Nintendo's in-house development teams. Smash hits such as Nintendogs, Brain Age, and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass take advantage of the console's touch screen and voice-recognition capabilities to deliver a compelling handheld gaming experience. Nintendogs, for example, made fantastic use of the touch screen by allowing users to pet their virtual puppies. Conventional platformers and racing games like New Super Mario Brothers and Mario Kart DS offer fantastic, albeit well-trodden, gameplay.

Games like Brain Age and Brain Training offer engaging challenges that manage to sharpen the mind with tests of mathematical skill, image recognition, and spatial orientation. These games tap into the general audience interested in education and self-improvement and have spawned numerous sequels and clones.

Nintendo DS System Configurations

There are three versions of the DS. Find out which one to get.

Nintendo DS Online

Why play by yourself? Find out what kind of online options are available for the Nintendo DS.

Nintendo DS Accessories

There aren’t many first-party accessories for the Nintendo DS, but they’re still worth knowing about. You might need a Nintendo WiFi USB connector someday.

Nintendo DS FAQ

You probably have a few more questions about the Nintendo DS. Find the answers here.

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