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System          Quote “Touching is good.”— Slogan     A Nintendo DS   [Edit]   [Talk]

Manufacturer

Nintendo

Release Date

November 21, 2004 December 2, 2004ROC: December 2, 2004 December 29, 2004 February 24, 2005NZ: February 24, 2005 March 11, 2005 March 11, 2005[1]IND: March 11, 2005HK: April 21, 2005 June 15, 2005[2]

Lifespan

2004-2015

Discontinued

2011

Console Generation

Seventh

Dimensions

W: 148.7 mm (5.85 in)H: 84.7 mm (3.33 in)D: 28.9 mm (1.14 in)

Mass

275 g (9.7 oz)

Processor

ARM7 (touch screen)ARM9 (upper screen)

Memory

4MB RAM

Battery

Rechargeable 850 mAh lithium-ion battery

Display

Both screens:3.03 in (77 mm) thin flim transistor (TFT), 256x192 px resolution (105 ppi), 4:3 aspect ratio

Resolution

256 x 192 pixel screen

Media

Nintendo DS Game CardGame Boy Advance Game Pak (DS and DS Lite only)

Online

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Codename

IrisNitro

Price

Initial: USD: $149.95 (packed with Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt demo)

Size

50 x 101 x 17.2 millimeters

Shipped

154.02 million (includes the DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL)

Bestseller

New Super Mario Bros. (2006)

Backwards compatibility

Game Boy Advance(DS and DS Lite only)

Predecessor

Game Boy Advance (2001)

Successor

Nintendo 3DS (2011)

Competitors

PlayStation Portable (2004)Gizmondo (2005) Gallery

The Nintendo DS (ニンテンドーDS Nintendō DS) often shortened to NDS and DS (short for "Developers' System" or a full name as "Dual Screen"), is a handheld video game system released by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Advance. It first released in America on November 21, 2004. The Nintendo DS features a clamshell design, similar to the dual screen Game & Watch games and the Game Boy Advance SP. Throughout its lifetime, the Nintendo DS competed with the PlayStation Portable and the ill-fated Gizmondo. Three later models of the Nintendo DS have been released, including the Nintendo DS Lite, the Nintendo DSi, and the Nintendo DSi XL.

The Nintendo DS and its three later models have sold over 150 million units worldwide combined, making the Nintendo DS the best-selling Nintendo console, the best-selling handheld, and the second best-selling video game system overall, only behind the PlayStation 2. The Nintendo DS has also sold over 943 million units of software.

The Nintendo DS extended its demographic beyond gamers with the Touch Generations series, which catered to the casual market with the release of best-selling titles like Brain Age and Nintendogs.

In 2011, the system received a successor, the Nintendo 3DS, which can produce stereoscopic 3D graphics without the need for glasses and is backward compatible with a majority of Nintendo DS games.

Contents

• 1 Hardware
• 2 History and development
• 3 Interface
• 4 Technical specifications
• 5 Models
  • 5.1 Nintendo DS Lite
  • 5.2 Nintendo DSi
  • 5.3 Nintendo DSi XL
• 6 Top ten best-selling games
• 7 Trivia
• 8 See also
• 9 References
• 10 External links

Hardware[]

The Nintendo DS is a bulky clamshell handheld, similar to the dual-screen Game & Watch games like Donkey Kong and the Game Boy Advance SP. The lower portion of the Nintendo DS features a touch screen that can be used via the stylus, which is inserted into a slot whenever it is not in use. There are four face buttons including A, B, X, and Y, all to the right of the touch screen. The D-Pad is to the left of it. Above the D-Pad is the power button, which is used to turn the system on and off. Above the four face buttons are start and select. When open, the shoulder buttons, L and R, are behind the top portion of the system, but are placed at the top of the bottom half of the clamshell. The button control is very identical to the controller of the SNES. The top portion includes the top screen and two stereo speakers.

The games were released on a cartridge medium known as the Nintendo DS Game Card, which was inserted into a cartridge slot (Slot-1) on the upper back of the system.

The microphone is placed below the touch screen on the Nintendo DS, though its placement on the four different iterations of the Nintendo DS differs depending on the handheld. On the original Nintendo DS, it is at the lower left-hand corner, right below the screen. On the DS Lite, it is at the middle in between the two screens. On the DSi and DSi XL, this position is replaced by the Camera, and the microphone was moved about 2 cm to the right. Its function is to accept audio input. The microphone can detect sounds and blowing. Some game software can recognize certain words that the player says, such as in Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!.

The Nintendo DS is the world's very first handheld video game system to support 3D polygonal graphics, as opposed to only sprites. Its graphical capability is said to be on par with the Nintendo 64, albeit with enhanced 3D modeling, but more pixelated textures due to lack of texture filtering.

It is possible to play Game Boy Advance titles on a Nintendo DS or Nintendo DS Lite by inserting a Game Boy Advance Game Pak into Slot-2 at the bottom of the system. However, multiplayer is not supported, and like the Game Boy Micro, it is not possible to play original Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.

The Nintendo DS was the first system by Nintendo to allow for wireless communication between devices, not counting the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter accessory for the previous console. Furthermore, it is the first system to use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, an online service that allowed people to play with others from around the world and register them as a friend via the Friend Code system. Several games made use of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, including the fourth and fifth generation Pokémon games, Mario Kart DS and Animal Crossing: Wild World. On May 20, 2014, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was discontinued, meaning that the Nintendo DS can no longer be used for online play.[3]

History and development[]

The concept behind the Nintendo DS was first conceived in mid-2002, when Hiroshi Yamauchi wanted Nintendo to work on designing a system with two screens.[4]

On January 20, 2004, Nintendo announced the Nintendo DS, originally a codename at a time. They only revealed a few things, namely how it has two screens, and some more niche technical specifications like the ability to display up to 128MB of memory. In March, further technical specifications were revealed, namely its touch-sensitive screen and wireless specifications, as well as the development name "Nitro."[5]

A prototype of the Nintendo DS was unveiled at E3 2004, dropping the "Nitro" codename. On July 28, 2004, Nintendo revealed that "Nintendo DS" would be the final title and also showcased the finalized design of the system, maintaining their confidence that the console's innovative features would change the future of handheld gaming.[6] "Nitro" (abbreviated "NTR") was still used as the identification code for the Nintendo DS, its accessories, and software, with "NTR-001" being the codename of the Nintendo DS.

On September 20, 2004, it was revealed that the Nintendo DS would first release in North America on November 21,[7] being Nintendo's first console to release in the region before Japan. Furthermore, it was revealed that the system would launch in both Europe and Australia in early 2005.[7]

There was very high demand for the Nintendo DS before its launch. On November 12, 2004, Nintendo revealed that the Nintendo DS received around 2 million pre-orders, doubling their original expectations, so they had a million more units produced in a third factory.[8] When the system was released, retailers quickly sold out of units.

In 2005, the Nintendo DS was also released in China by Nintendo's subsidiary iQue and was titled "iQue DS". It was promoted at the ChinaJoy 2005 weeks prior to release.[9]

Interface[]

The menu on the Nintendo DS is the first Nintendo handheld to have a menu, but the Nintendo DS menu is very basic. The top screen contains an analog clock and calendar along with a bar at the top. The bar contains your username, a 24-hour digital clock and calendar, and how charged the battery is (green for charged, red for running out of charged, and blinking red for about to die). On the bottom screen, there are several icons. These icons are the programs on the Nintendo DS. The top icon starts the Nintendo DS game inserted (attempting to switch the game out while the Nintendo DS is on will cause the Nintendo DS to freeze), the icon on the left is for PictoChat, on the right is for DS Download Play, and the one on the bottom starts the Game Boy Advance game inserted. There is also three other icons on the bottom; the sun icon toggles the backlight (on the DS Lite, this changes how bright the screen is). The second icon with the picture of a Nintendo DS is the system settings. The third icon is a picture of an alarm clock. It opens the alarm clock.

Technical specifications[]

Size (closed)	5.85" wide (14.625 cm)/3.33" (8.325 cm) long/1.13" (2.825 cm) high.
Upper screen	Backlit, 3-inch (7.5 centimeter), semi-transparent reflective TFT color LCD with 256x192 pixel resolution and 0.24mm dot pitch, capable of displaying 260,000 colors.
Touch screen	Same as the top screen, but with touch sensors.
Palette	18-bit RGB (262,144 colors)
Wireless communication	IEEE 802.11 and Nintendo's proprietary format wireless range is 30 to 100 feet (9.15 to 30.5 meters), depending on circumstances; multiple users can play multiplayer games using just one Nintendo DS game card (select games only).
Controls	Touch screen, built-in microphone for voice use, A/B/X/Y face buttons, plus control pad(d-pad), L/R shoulder buttons, Start and Select buttons.
Input/Output	Ports for both Nintendo DS game cards and Game Boy Advance Game Paks, slots for stereo headphones and microphone.
Other features	Built-in PictoChat software that allows up to 16 users to chat at once through wireless connection; built-in real-time clock date, time and alarm; touch-screen calibration.
CPUs	One ARM9 and one ARM7.
Sound	Stereo speakers providing virtual surround sound, depending on the software you're using.
Battery	Lithium ion battery delivering 6 to 10 hours of play on a four-hour charge, depending on use power-saving sleep mode; AC adapter included with system for charging.
Languages	English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, and Italian.

Models[]

Nintendo DS Lite[]

Main article: Nintendo DS Lite

A newer model named the Nintendo DS Lite was announced in January 2006, released in March of the same year, and contains all the features of the original Nintendo DS with some new features such as a significantly brighter screen (with four adjustment options), a lighter weight, a smaller overall size (having the negative side effect of a regular Game Boy Advance cartridge protruding out from the bottom, similar to playing a Game Boy or Game Boy Color cartridge in the Game Boy Advance), and the power button being replaced with a power slider and moved from above the D-Pad to the right edge of the lower screen to prevent players from accidentally turning on/off the system. The Nintendo DS Lite sold 89.19 million units as of 2010. It was also the final handheld system to have backwards compatibility with Game Boy Advance games.

Nintendo DSi[]

Main article: Nintendo DSi

A third model, called the Nintendo DSi, was announced on October 2, 2008 (with development beginning in end of 2006). It is thinner, lighter, brighter, and half an inch bigger than the DS Lite, having removed the Game Boy Advance slot, which caused a lot of disappointment when it came out. However, this also means that the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak, which was used with titles such as Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, cannot be used. Two cameras, music playback functions, Wi-Fi, internet browser, larger screens, and a Wii-like channel interface were added. Additionally, the console supports WPA encrypted networks.

The DSi is also able to download games from the Nintendo DSi Shop, which are then stored on an SD Card or in internal memory. It was initially released in Japan in late 2008 and worldwide starting early 2009. The DSi's front has a camera lens, and another, smaller lens is located where the mic was positioned on the Lite, allowing for photos to be taken with the DSi.

Nintendo DSi XL[]

Main article: Nintendo DSi XL

In 2009, Nintendo later released the Nintendo DSi XL (called Nintendo DSi LL in Japan), with the "XL" standing for "Extra Large."[10] It was initially released in Japan in late 2009 and worldwide starting early 2010. As the name suggests, it is a larger version of the regular DSi. This is the fourth and final model and also does not support GBA games.

Top ten best-selling games[]

• New Super Mario Bros. (2006) - 30.75m
• Nintendogs (2005) - 23.96m
• Mario Kart DS (2005) - 23.56m
• Brain Age (2005) - 19.01m
• Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (2006) - 17.63m
• Pokémon Black and White (2010) - 15.58m
• Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day (2005) - 4.03m
• Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver (2009) - 12.72m
• Animal Crossing: Wild World (2005) - 11.73m
• Super Mario 64 DS (2004) - 11.03m

Trivia[]

• It should be noted that, since the Nintendo DS, all of Nintendo's systems have featured a way to play with more than 4 local players.
• The Nintendo DS and the Nintendo 3DS allow up to 16 players, the Wii allows 8 players with 4 Wii Remotes and 4 GameCube controllers (though only few games went up to 5), and the Wii U allows 5 players with 4 Wii Remotes and a GamePad. The Wii U also supports up to 8 players using combinations of the GamePad, GameCube controller (via adapter), Wii Remote and Wii U Pro controllers but only one game supports 8 players.
• The Nintendo DS was the first video game console to be played on Mount Everest in June 2005. In fact, it was one of the only pieces of electrical equipment that did not fail once during the climb. The game played was Madden DS.
• The Nintendo DS was the first system to have a game from the now popular Cooking Mama franchise.
• If the Nintendo DS or DS Lite is turned on on the date that the user has set as their birthday, a high pitched chime will play. However, the DSi and DSi XL will not do this.
• One of the possible names for the DS was City Boy. This name made it possible for Nintendo to continue the Game Boy brand (seen as a child's toy) while trying to appeal to an urban young adult crowd.
• The Nintendo DS is the only handheld system to have neither a Player's Choice or Nintendo Selects label on select video games.

See also[]

• Nintendo DS Accessories
• Game Boy Advance (Predecessor)
• Nintendo DS Lite (Redesign)
• Nintendo DSi (Redesign)
• Nintendo DSi XL (Redesign)
• Nintendo 3DS (Successor)
• List of Nintendo DS games
• Interactive Multi-Game Demo Discs

References[]

1. ↑ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03/16/nintendo_ds_uk_sales/
2. ↑ https://www.neogaf.com/threads/ique-ds-to-hit-china-on-june-15th.50251/
3. ↑ http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/vyWpoM6CBIe6FjW8NIY7bvzOrgBURhzw
4. ↑ "(February 13, 2004). "ニンテンドー・ディーエスは山内溥相談役が考案 - インタビュー". gameonline (Wayback Machine). Retrieved December 31, 2025.
5. ↑ "More Nintendo DS (or Nitro?) specs leaked". I.T. Vibe (archived).
6. ↑ "Nintendo DS Redesigned". Nintendo Gamers First (archive.is). Retrieved December 31, 2025.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Official Nintendo DS Launch Details". IGN. Retrieved December 31, 2004.
8. ↑ "Nintendo reacts to DS demand; orders, share price on the rise". GameSpot. Retrieved December 31, 2005.
9. ↑ "History of Nintendo in China - iQue Company". GBASP.ru. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
10. ↑ http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/Q5D4ti_bPqJO_I0Oup0AMFudaUOLz6C7

External links[]

• Nintendo DS at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Nintendo DS Wiki

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