The Nintendo DS is a foldable handheld game console made by Nintendo and released worldwide in 2004 and 2005. The name "DS" stands for "Dual Screen," which describes the system's main feature: two LCD screens that work together, with the bottom screen acting as a touchscreen. Both screens are placed in a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP and some Game & Watch models. The DS was one of the first portable consoles to support wireless play for nearby multiplayer games and online play through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Its main competitor during the seventh generation of video game consoles was Sony's PlayStation Portable.
At first, the DS was promoted as an experimental "third pillar" in Nintendo's lineup, joining the Game Boy Advance handhelds and the GameCube home console. Its ability to play Game Boy Advance games and strong sales made it seen as the next step after the Game Boy line. A slimmer version, the Nintendo DS Lite, was released in 2006. It had brighter screens and better battery life.
The DS and DS Lite were later replaced by the Nintendo DSi, released on November 1, 2008. The DSi included two digital cameras, larger screens, more memory, a faster processor, and internal flash memory. It also came in a larger version called the DSi XL. The DSi allowed games to be downloaded from the internet but could not play Game Boy Advance cartridges. Although many downloadable games were available, only six DSi-exclusive game cards were made. The DS line was eventually replaced by the Nintendo 3DS in February 2011.
Including the DS Lite and DSi models, the Nintendo DS sold 154 million units, making it the best-selling Nintendo console until the Nintendo Switch surpassed it in 2025. It is also the third best-selling video game console of all time, after the PlayStation 2 and the Switch. The DS Lite made up more than 60% of all DS console sales.
History
The development of the Nintendo DS started around mid-2002, when Hiroshi Yamauchi left his role as company president and became an advisor. At that time, he suggested that Nintendo explore a system with two screens.
Satoru Iwata became president in May 2002. He noted that Nintendo had fallen behind in trends like online gaming and wanted to attract more people who did not usually play video games. Studies showed that Nintendo’s focus on unique hardware made it harder for other companies to create games for their systems. Iwata supported creating a handheld device with two screens, which would offer new ways to play, be easier for people to use, and help developers create games more simply. Since Nintendo believed people would not pay for online services, the design focused on wireless features to allow local multiplayer and interactive experiences without subscriptions.
On January 20, 2004, Nintendo announced a new dual-screen device called the “Nintendo DS,” describing it as an experimental “third pillar” alongside the Game Boy Advance and GameCube, not a replacement for them. Few technical details were shared at first, except that it would have two 3-inch TFT LCD screens, two processors, and up to 128 MB of memory.
In March 2004, a leaked document revealed more details, including a touch-sensitive screen and the internal name “Nitro.” A prototype was shown publicly in May 2004 at E3 in Los Angeles, where Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé said the design would change before launch. On July 28, 2004, Nintendo unveiled a redesigned version and confirmed the name “Nintendo DS.”
Iwata described the DS as Nintendo’s first hardware launch to support its “Gaming Population Expansion” strategy. He said the touch-based interface would make games easier to play and called the project “a completely different concept from existing game devices,” aiming to show Nintendo’s innovation.
In February 2004, while the DS was still being developed and concerns grew about the GameCube’s weak sales, Yamauchi said, “If the DS succeeds, we will rise to heaven, but if it fails we will sink to hell.”
On September 20, 2004, Nintendo announced the DS would launch in North America on November 21, 2004, for $149.99 (about $260 in 2025). It would later release in Japan on December 2, 2004, for ¥15,000 (about ¥17,040 in 2024), in Australia and New Zealand on February 24, 2005, and in Europe on March 11, 2005. The North American launch included a midnight event in Los Angeles, while the Japanese launch was quieter, partly due to cold weather.
Nintendo released the DS in North America before Japan, its first hardware launch to follow that order, to prepare for the U.S. holiday season. Demand was very high: over 3 million units were preordered in North America and Japan. Nintendo initially planned to ship about 1 million units but added production after seeing preorder numbers. For the U.S. launch, 550,000 units were shipped (more than the planned 300,000), and over 500,000 were sold in the first week. The system reached 1 million sales in the U.S. by December 21, 2004, and 2.8 million units were sold globally by year’s end—800,000 more than expected. By June 2005, global sales reached 6.65 million units, compared to the popularity of the “Tickle Me Elmo” toy in 1996.
Some early units had stuck pixels, a common issue with LCD screens at the time. Nintendo of America offered repairs or replacements if owners felt the issue affected gameplay.
The Nintendo DS was released in China on July 23, 2005, by Nintendo’s partner iQue as the iQue DS. This version had updated firmware to stop game piracy and came in a new red color. Five games were made for it. The iQue DS was the only model with regional lockout: games made for it could not be played on other DS models, though games from other regions worked on the iQue DS.
The system’s promotional slogans used the word “Touch” in most countries, with the North American slogan being “Touching is good.”
Many analysts compared the Nintendo DS to Sony’s PlayStation Portable, but both companies said their systems targeted different audiences. Time magazine named the DS “Gadget of the Week.”
At launch in the U.S., the DS cost $149.99. The price dropped to $129.99 on August 21, 2005, one day before the release of Nintendogs and Advance Wars: Dual Strike.
Nine official colors of the DS were available through retailers. Titanium-colored units were sold worldwide, Electric Blue was only in North and Latin America, and a red version came with Mario Kart DS. Other colors included Graphite Black, Pure White, Turquoise Blue, and Candy Pink in Japan, and Mystic Pink and Cosmic Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Some colors were also sold in Europe and North America through Nintendogs bundles, though they were called simply pink and blue. These colors were only available for the original DS model, while the DS Lite had different, limited colors.
The Nintendo DS Lite was announced on January 26, 2006, and shown at E3 2006. It launched in Japan on March 2, 2006. High demand caused shortages, and some retailers sold units for more than the listed price. Nintendo shipped 550,000 units in March 2006, exceeding expectations, but they sold out quickly. The company added 700,000 units in April, but shortages continued through 2006 and 2007.
The DS Lite launched in Australia on June 1, 2006, with a Brain Age demo. North America followed on June 11, 2006, with some stores selling units before the official date. By June 12, most major U.S. retailers had sold out, and Nintendo reported selling 136,500 units in the first two days.
In Europe, the DS Lite launched on June 23, 2006, with early sales in Finland and Sweden to avoid the Midsummer holiday. Nintendo reported selling 200,000 units across Europe in the first ten days. During the launch, a shipment of consoles and games worth HK$18 million (about $2.32 million in 2006) was stolen in Hong Kong while being sent to Europe.
After Nintendo of Korea opened in July 2006, the DS Lite became its first console release on January 18, 2007. Promoted by actors Jang
Hardware
The design of the Nintendo DS is similar to earlier Nintendo products, such as the dual-screen Game & Watch line, including games like Donkey Kong and Zelda, as well as the clamshell Game Boy Advance SP.
The system has two 3-inch (diagonal) TFT LCDs. Each screen has a resolution of 256 × 192 pixels and a 4:3 aspect ratio. The lower screen has a resistive touchscreen that can be used with a finger or the included stylus, which is stored in a holder on the device. The system also has a D-pad, six action buttons on its front (A, B, X, Y, Start, and Select), and two shoulder buttons (L and R). The layout is similar to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System controller. The top edge has the game card slot and power connector (the same as the Game Boy Advance SP), while the bottom has a slot for Game Boy Advance cartridges.
Stereo speakers are placed on either side of the upper display and can provide virtual surround sound. A built-in microphone is located below the lower screen and is used for features like speech recognition, voice chat, and gameplay actions that require the player to blow or shout into it.
The Nintendo DS has two processors that work together in a different way. One is an ARM7TDMI, the same as in the Game Boy Advance but twice as fast (34 MHz), and it handles input/output functions and backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance software. The second is an ARM946E-S running at 67 MHz, which performs most of the system’s primary processing. The two processors share tasks and exchange data as needed by the software.
The console includes several types of memory: 32 kB of work RAM shared between both processors, an additional 64 kB accessible only to the ARM7, and 4 MB of PSRAM used as the main system memory. The system also has 256 kB of flash memory that stores the firmware, user preferences, and certain system settings. Firmware updates were not intended to be installed by the user.
The DS has 656 kB of video memory and two 2D graphics engines (one for each screen), which are more advanced than the single engine in the Game Boy Advance. The system’s 3D hardware includes a geometry and rendering engine capable of effects such as texture mapping, alpha blending, Gouraud shading, cel shading, and basic lighting. Because it uses nearest-neighbor texture filtering, some games appear blocky. The system is limited by a fixed polygon budget—about 2,048 triangles per frame—and renders 3D to only one screen at a time, making dual-screen 3D difficult and performance-intensive. The DS also has 512 kB of texture memory and supports textures up to 1024 × 1024 pixels.
The Nintendo DS supports Wi-Fi via the IEEE 802.11b standard, optionally with WEP encryption, enabling local multiplayer over short distances and online play through the now-defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. These standards are now considered outdated, and WEP in particular is regarded as insecure.
Nintendo states that the rechargeable 850 mAh lithium-ion battery lasts up to 10 hours under ideal conditions after a 4-hour charge, though actual battery life depends on factors such as volume, screen brightness, wireless use, and whether one or both screens are active. The battery is user-replaceable with a Phillips screwdriver, and its capacity declines after about 500 charge cycles.
Closing the system activates a sleep mode that pauses most games and conserves power by turning off the screens, speakers, and wireless features. Sleep mode does not work while playing Game Boy Advance titles, and some DS games do not pause. A few titles use closing the system as part of gameplay.
The Nintendo DS Lite is a redesigned version of the Nintendo DS. It keeps the original model’s core features but has a slimmer case, a larger stylus, improved battery life, and brighter displays. The top screen has a maximum brightness of 200 cd/m², while the lower touch screen reaches 190 cd/m². Its 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery provides approximately 15–19 hours of play after about three hours of charging. The DS Lite uses a different AC adapter from the original Nintendo DS and the Game Boy Advance SP due to a smaller power port on the unit. The included stylus is 1 cm longer and 2 mm thicker than the original model’s.
Although the secondary port on the Nintendo DS accepts Game Boy Advance cartridges (but not Game Boy or Game Boy Color cartridges), Nintendo stated that its primary purpose was to support a range of accessories for the system.
The Rumble Pak was the first accessory designed for the expansion slot. Shaped like a Game Boy Advance cartridge, it provides force feedback in compatible games. It was released in North America and Japan in 200
Software and features
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was a free online game service created by Nintendo. Players with a Nintendo DS game that worked with the service could connect to it using a Wi-Fi network and either a Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector or a wireless router. The service began in North America, Australia, Japan, and Europe in November 2005. On the same day, Nintendo released an online compatible Nintendo DS game for each region.
Later, more Nintendo DS Wi-Fi Connection games and a special Nintendo DS web browser were introduced. Nintendo believed that the success of the online platform helped make the Nintendo DS more popular. The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was part of the foundation for the later Wii console. Most online features for games on the DS and Wii were stopped worldwide on May 20, 2014.
Download Play allowed users to play multiplayer games with other Nintendo DS systems or later Nintendo 3DS systems using only one game card. To use this feature, players needed to be within wireless range (about 65 feet) of each other so the guest system could download data from the host system. Only some games supported this feature, and these games had fewer features than the full version.
Download Play was also used to transfer Pokémon from fourth-generation games into the fifth-generation games Pokémon Black and White. This task required two different game cards and two handheld units, but only one player could use them.
Some Nintendo DS stores had DS Download Stations that let users download free game demos. However, the demos were deleted when the system was turned off. Each Download Station had 1 to 8 standard DS units and a DS card with the demo data. On May 7, 2008, Nintendo released the Nintendo Channel for the Wii. The Nintendo Channel used WiiConnect24 to download DS demos. Users could choose a demo, download it to their DS, and play it until the system was powered off.
Multi-Card Play, like Download Play, let users play multiplayer games with other Nintendo DS systems. In this case, each system needed its own game card. This mode was accessed through a menu inside the game, not the main DS menu.
PictoChat allowed users to talk to other Nintendo DS users nearby using wireless connections. Users could type messages, write with a stylus, or draw pictures on the touchscreen. There were four chatrooms (A, B, C, D) where people could join. Up to 16 people could be in one chatroom at a time.
PictoChat was not available on the later Nintendo 3DS systems.
The Nintendo DS system starts with firmware provided by Nintendo. First, a health and safety warning appears, then the main menu loads. The main menu offers four options: play a DS game, use PictoChat, start DS Download Play, or play a Game Boy Advance game. Other options include adjusting the backlight, changing system settings, or setting an alarm.
The firmware also includes a clock, customization options (such as game priority when inserted and Game Boy Advance screen preferences), and the ability to enter personal information like name, birthday, and favorite color. This information could be used in games.
Nintendo DS consoles in Japan, the United States, and Europe supported the following languages: English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, and Italian. On consoles from mainland China, Japanese was replaced with Chinese. On Korean consoles, Italian was replaced with Korean.
Games
The Nintendo DS can play games made for the Game Boy Advance (GBA). The smaller Nintendo DS game cards fit into a slot on the top of the system, while Game Boy Advance games fit into a slot on the bottom. The Nintendo DS, like the Game Boy Micro, cannot play games made for the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color because the system lacks the needed hardware and has physical differences that prevent compatibility.
The Nintendo DS does not have a port for the Game Boy Advance Link Cable, so multiplayer and GameCube–Game Boy Advance link-up modes are not available in Game Boy Advance titles. Only single-player mode is supported on the Nintendo DS, as it is also the case for Game Boy Advance games played on the Nintendo 3DS (Ambassadors only) and Wii U via the Virtual Console.
When playing Game Boy Advance games, the Nintendo DS uses only one screen. The user can choose whether the top or bottom screen is used by default. The games appear inside a black border on the screen because the screen resolutions differ between the two systems (256 × 192 px for the Nintendo DS, and 240 × 160 px for the Game Boy Advance).
Nintendo DS games inserted into the top slot can detect if specific Game Boy Advance games are in the bottom slot. In some games, extra content can be unlocked by starting the Nintendo DS game with the appropriate Game Boy Advance game inserted. For example, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl or Pokémon Platinum allowed players to find more or exclusive Pokémon if a suitable Game Boy Advance cartridge was inserted. Some of this content remains permanently even after the GBA game is removed.
The GBA slot can also hold expansion paks, such as the Rumble Pak, Nintendo DS Memory Expansion Pak, and Guitar Grips for the Guitar Hero: On Tour series. The Nintendo DSi and DSi XL have an SD card slot instead of a second cartridge slot and cannot play Game Boy Advance games or Guitar Hero: On Tour. In some Wii games, like Band Hero, the Nintendo DS can be used for additional features.
The Nintendo DS is region free, meaning any console can play Nintendo DS games from any country. However, Chinese iQue DS games cannot be played on other versions of the original DS because those systems lack the required Chinese character support. This restriction is removed on the Nintendo DSi and 3DS. While other region DS consoles cannot play Chinese games, the iQue DS can play games from other regions. Some multiplayer games require both players to have the same region’s game card to work properly, though some titles, like Mario Kart DS, are compatible across regions. With the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, certain games can be played online with users from different regions.
Some Wi-Fi enabled games, such as Mario Kart DS, allow players to choose opponents by region. Options include "Regional" ("Continent" in Europe) and "Worldwide," as well as settings that are not based on location. This lets players compete only with opponents from the same area, depending on the region code of the game being used.
Nintendo DS game cards use a special type of memory chip called a solid state mask ROM, made by Macronix, with an access time of 150 ns. The cards range in size from 8 to 512 MiB (64 Mibit to 4 Gibit), though the maximum capacity is not officially confirmed. Larger cards transfer data 25% slower than smaller ones. Most cards include a small amount of flash memory or an EEPROM to save user data, such as game progress or high scores. The cards measure 35 mm × 33 mm × 3.8 mm (1.38 in × 1.30 in × 0.15 in) and weigh about 3.5 g (1/8 oz), which is roughly half the size of Game Boy Advance cartridges.
Hacking and homebrew
The R4 cartridge, also called Revolution for DS, is a common flash cartridge used with the Nintendo DS. It lets users play ROMs and homebrew games on the DS by loading them from a microSD card.
In South Korea, many people buy illegal copies of video games, including those that work with the DS. In 2007, more than 500,000 copies of DS games were sold, while 800,000 DS hardware units were sold.
Another device called Action Replay, made by Datel, allows users to enter cheat codes. These codes let players change games by giving them unlimited health, power-ups, the ability to move freely through any part of the game, unlimited in-game money, the power to walk through walls, and other features based on the game and code used.