Nintendo DS

For other uses, see Nintendo DS (disambiguation).

Nintendo DS
An electric blue Nintendo DS
DeveloperNintendo
ManufacturerFoxconn
Product familyNintendo DS
TypeHandheld game console
GenerationSeventh
Release date
  • NA: November 21, 2004
  • JP: December 2, 2004
  • AU: February 24, 2005
  • EU: March 11, 2005
Introductory priceUS$149.99 (equivalent to $241.95 in 2023)[1]
DiscontinuedFebruary 2013[2]
Units sold154.02 million worldwide (as of June 30, 2016)[3] (details)
MediaNintendo DS Game Card
Game Boy Advance Game Pak
CPU67 MHz ARM946E-S
33 MHz ARM7TDMI
Memory4 MB RAM
StorageCartridge save
256 KB flash memory
DisplayTwo TFT LCDs, 256 × 192 pixels
ConnectivityWi-Fi (802.11,[4][5] WEP)
Online servicesNintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Best-selling gameNew Super Mario Bros., 30.80 million[6]
Backward
compatibility		Game Boy Advance
PredecessorGame Boy Advance
SuccessorNintendo 3DS
Related

The Nintendo DS[note 1] (retroactively referred to as NDS or DS) is a 32-bit foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen",[7] introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens working in tandem (the bottom one being a touchscreen), a built-in microphone and support for wireless connectivity.[8] Both screens are encompassed within a clamshell design similar to the Game Boy Advance SP. The Nintendo DS also features the ability for multiple DS consoles to directly interact with each other over Wi-Fi within a short range without the need to connect to an existing wireless network. Alternatively, they could interact online using the now-defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Its main competitor was Sony's PlayStation Portable during the seventh generation of video game consoles.

Prior to its release, the Nintendo DS was marketed as an experimental "third pillar" in Nintendo's console lineup, meant to complement the Game Boy Advance family and GameCube. However, backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance titles and strong sales ultimately established it as the successor to the Game Boy series.[9] On March 2, 2006, Nintendo launched the Nintendo DS Lite, a slimmer and lighter redesign of the original Nintendo DS with brighter screens and a longer lasting battery. On November 1, 2008, Nintendo released the Nintendo DSi, another redesign with several hardware improvements and new features, although it lost backward compatibility for Game Boy Advance titles and a few DS games that used the GBA slot. On November 21, 2009, Nintendo released the Nintendo DSi XL, a larger version of the DSi.

All Nintendo DS models combined have sold 154.02 million units,[10] making it the best-selling Nintendo system, the best-selling handheld game console, and the second-best-selling video game console of all time, overall, only about a million units behind Sony's PlayStation 2.[3][11] The Nintendo DS was succeeded by the Nintendo 3DS in February 2011.

  1. ^ "The Real Cost of Gaming: Inflation, Time, and Purchasing Power". October 15, 2024. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  2. ^ "COJP” Discontinued""ニンテンドーDS：DSシリーズ本体" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Consolidated Sales Transition by Region" (PDF). Nintendo. April 27, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  4. ^ "BKENTR001 Exhibits". Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "Nintendo DS Specifications". Nintendo UK & Ireland. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  6. ^ "Sales Data — Top Selling Software Sales Units — Nintendo DS Software". Nintendo. March 31, 2015. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  7. ^ "Nintendo DS Frequently Asked Questions". Nintendo. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  8. ^ Darkain (January 21, 2005). "Nintendo DS – WI-FI vs NI-FI". Archived from the original on February 17, 2005. Retrieved April 2, 2006.
  9. ^ "A Pillar Too Many". February 23, 2011. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  10. ^ As of March 31, 2016
  11. ^ "Nintendo DS Line Outsells PlayStation 2, Nintendo Says". WIRED. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2018.


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