Nintendo DS
The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released worldwide between 2004 and 2005. The "DS" in the name is an initialism for "Dual Screen", reflecting the system’s most distinctive feature: two LCD screens working in tandem, with the lower screen functioning as a touchscreen. Both screens are housed in a clamshell design similar to that of the Game Boy Advance SP and some models of the Game & Watch series. The DS was among the first portable consoles to support wireless connectivity for local multiplayer over short distances, as well as online play through the now-defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Its primary competitor during the seventh generation of video game consoles was Sony's PlayStation Portable.
Initially marketed as an experimental "third pillar" in Nintendo's console lineup—complementing the handheld Game Boy Advance family and the home console GameCube—the DS's backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance titles and strong sales led it to be widely regarded as the successor to the Game Boy line. On March 2, 2006, Nintendo released a refreshed model, the Nintendo DS Lite, that was slimmer, lighter, with brighter screens and improved battery life.
The DS and DS Lite were followed by the Nintendo DSi, a revision released on November 1, 2008. The DSi added dual digital cameras, larger screens, more memory, a faster processor, and internal flash memory, and it was later offered in a larger DSi XL model. It also introduced digital distribution of games, but lost compatibility with Game Boy Advance cartridges. Although hundreds of downloadable titles were available, only six DSi-exclusive game cards were released.
The DS line was ultimately succeeded by the Nintendo 3DS in February 2011. Combined sales of the Nintendo DS, including the DS Lite and DSi models, surpassed 154 million units, making it Nintendo's best-selling system, the best-selling handheld game console, and the second best-selling video game console of all time. The DS Lite accounted for over 60 percent of total DS hardware shipments.
History
Development
Development of the Nintendo DS began around mid-2002, as company president Hiroshi Yamauchi stepped down and assumed an advisory role. At the time, he proposed that Nintendo explore a system built around two screens.Satoru Iwata succeeded Yamauchi as president in May 2002. He acknowledged that Nintendo had fallen behind industry trends, particularly online gaming, and sought to broaden the company’s audience beyond traditional gamers. Internal research suggested that Nintendo’s past emphasis on unconventional hardware had complicated third-party development and weakened its competitiveness. Iwata therefore supported development of a dual-screen handheld that would offer distinctive new ways to play, be more accessible to non-traditional audiences, and easier for developers to support. Because Nintendo believed consumers were unlikely to pay recurring fees for online services, the design emphasized wireless functionality to enable local multiplayer and new interactive experiences without subscriptions.
On January 20, 2004, Nintendo announced that it would release a new dual screen game device under the codename "Nintendo DS", describing it as an experimental "third pillar" alongside the Game Boy Advance and GameCube rather than a replacement for either. Few technical details were initially disclosed, other than that it would feature two 3-inch TFT LCD displays, dual processors, and up to 128 MB of memory.
In March 2004, a leaked document revealed additional technical specifications, including that one of the screens would be touch sensitive, and identified the internal development name "Nitro". The prototype was shown publicly in May at E3 2004 in Los Angeles, where Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé noted that the design would change before launch. On July 28, 2004, Nintendo unveiled a redesigned, “sleeker and more elegant” version and confirmed Nintendo DS as the final name.
Iwata characterized the DS as Nintendo’s first hardware launch in support of its “Gaming Population Expansion” strategy, highlighting that its touch-based interface would allow for intuitive play, and described the project as “a completely different concept from existing game devices”, intended to reassert the company’s reputation for innovation.
In February 2004, while the Nintendo DS was still in development and amid concern over the GameCube’s lukewarm performance, Yamauchi stated, "If the DS succeeds, we will rise to heaven, but if it fails we will sink to hell".
Launch
On September 20, 2004, Nintendo announced that the Nintendo DS would launch in North America on November 21, 2004, for followed by releases in Japan on December 2 for, in Australia and New Zealand on February 24, 2005, for or, and in Europe on March 11, 2005, for or. The North American debut was marked by a midnight launch event in Los Angeles, while the Japanese launch was comparatively subdued, reportedly in part because of the winter weather.Nintendo released the DS in North America ahead of Japan, its first hardware launch to follow that order, to position the system for the U.S. holiday shopping season and Black Friday. Demand exceeded expectations: more than three million preorders were placed across North America and Japan, quickly exhausting many retailers’ allocations. Nintendo initially planned to ship about one million units combined for both launches but added production capacity after seeing preorder volumes. For the U.S. launch, 550,000 units were shipped, with just over 500,000 sold in the first week. The system reached one million units sold in the United States by December 21, 2004, and worldwide shipments totaled 2.8 million by the end of the year—roughly 800,000 above Nintendo’s forecast. By June 2005, global sales had reached 6.65 million units, and some commentators likened its popularity to the “Tickle Me Elmo” craze of 1996.
Some early units were reported to have stuck pixels, as was common with LCD displays of the time. Nintendo of America launched a program to repair or replace screens if the owner felt that the stuck pixels interfered with their gaming experience.
China
The Nintendo DS was released in China on July 23, 2005, by Nintendo’s localization partner iQue as the iQue DS. This version featured updated firmware to block game piracy and was also released in a new red color. Five games were localized for the system. The iQue DS is the only Nintendo DS model with regional lockout: games designed for it cannot be played on DS systems from other regions, although games from other regions are compatible with the iQue DS.Games available on launch
| Title | Publisher | NA | JP | EU | AU/ NZ | CN |
| Asphalt: Urban GT | Gameloft | |||||
| Daigasso! Band Brothers | Nintendo | |||||
| Feel the Magic: XY/XX | Sega | |||||
| Kensyūi Dokuta Tendo | Spike Chunsoft | |||||
| Madden NFL 2005 | Electronic Arts | |||||
| Mahjong Taikai | Koei | |||||
| Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt | Nintendo | |||||
| Mr. Driller Drill Spirits | Namco | |||||
| Ping Pals | THQ | |||||
| Pokémon Dash | Nintendo | |||||
| Polarium | Nintendo | |||||
| Rayman DS | Ubisoft | |||||
| Retro Atari Classics | Atari | |||||
| Robots | VU Games | |||||
| Spider-Man 2 | Activision | |||||
| Sprung | Ubisoft | |||||
| Super Mario 64 DS | Nintendo | |||||
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour | Electronic Arts | |||||
| The Urbz: Sims in the City | Electronic Arts | |||||
| WarioWare: Touched! | Nintendo | |||||
| Zoo Keeper | Success | |||||
| Zunō ni Asekaku Game Series Vol. 1: Cool 104 Joker & Setline | Aruze |
Promotion
The system's promotional slogans revolve around the word "Touch" in almost all countries, with the North American slogan being "Touching is good."The Nintendo DS was seen by many analysts to be in the same market as Sony's PlayStation Portable, although representatives from both companies stated that each system targeted a different audience. Time magazine awarded the DS a Gadget of the Week award.
At the time of its release in the United States, the Nintendo DS retailed for. The price dropped to on August 21, 2005, one day before the releases of Nintendogs and Advance Wars: Dual Strike.
Nine official colors of the Nintendo DS were available through standard retailers. Titanium-colored units were available worldwide, Electric Blue was exclusive to North and Latin America. There was also a red version which was bundled with the game Mario Kart DS. Graphite Black, Pure White, Turquoise Blue, and Candy Pink were available in Japan. Mystic Pink and Cosmic Blue were available in Australia and New Zealand. Japan's Candy Pink and Australia's Cosmic Blue were also available in Europe and North America through a Nintendogs bundle, although the colors are just referred to as pink and blue; however, these colors were available only for the original style Nintendo DS; a different and more-limited set of colors were used for the Nintendo DS Lite.