Nintendo DS
- Manufacturer
- Nintendo
- Production
- 2004–2014
- Generation
- Gen 7
- Type
- Handheld
- Launch price
- $149
- Media
- Flash
- Units sold
- 154.0M
About Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS is a foldable handheld game console developed by Nintendo and 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.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Lifetime sales
Official manufacturer-reported figures.
154.0Munits
948.8Mgames
6.2games / console
Worldwide Nintendo DS family (incl. DS Lite, DSi).
Source: Nintendo Co., Ltd. IR — Dedicated Video Game Sales Units, as of June 30, 2026.
Library & collector facts
1,879licensed games
- North America: 1,014
- Japan: 1,100
- PAL: 1,080
Lineage
Release timeline
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- December 2, 2004
- 🇺🇸 North America
- November 21, 2004
- 🇪🇺 Europe / PAL
- March 11, 2005
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- February 24, 2005
- Lifespan
- 10 years on market
Pricing
Launch price (2004)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $149
- 🇬🇧 GBP
- £99
Launch titles & exclusives
Super Mario 64 DS · Madden NFL 2005 · Asphalt: Urban GT · Feel the Magic: XY/XX · Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits · Ping Pals · Polarium · The Urbz: Sims in the City · Spider-Man 2
None standard; some bundles included Nintendogs (DS Lite era)
Mario Kart DS · New Super Mario Bros. · Nintendogs · Brain Age · Animal Crossing: Wild World · Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum/HeartGold/SoulSilver/Black/White · The World Ends With You · Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow / Portrait of Ruin / Order of Ecclesia · Advance Wars: Dual Strike / Days of Ruin · Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time / Bowser's Inside Story · Phoenix Wright series · Professor Layton series · Ghost Trick · Dragon Quest IX · Etrian Odyssey series · 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Big Hero 6: Battle in the Bay (2014, NA) was among the very last releases
Solatorobo: Red the Hunter (~$200+ CIB); Commando: Steel Disaster sealed; Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver with Pokewalker CIB (~$200+); Nintendo World Championships demo carts
Variants of Nintendo DS
Hardware specs
- Cpu
- 67 MHz ARM946E-S, 33 MHz ARM7TDMI
- Ram
- 4 MB RAM
- Weight
- 275 g
- Dimensions
- 148.7 × 84.7 × 28.9 mm
- Display Output
- Two 3" TFT LCDs, 256 × 192 pixels
- Storage Internal
- Cartridge save, 256 MB flash memory
Hardware revisions
- Original DS NTR-001(2004)
the 'phat' DS, GBA slot, lower-quality screens, removable stylus
- DS Lite USG-001(2006)
brighter screens, smaller form factor, retained GBA slot — the platform's mainstream best-seller
- DSi TWL-001(2008)
cameras, SD slot, DSi Shop, GBA slot removed, region-locked (DSi-enhanced and DSi-exclusive titles)
- DSi XL UTL-001(2009)
larger 4.2" screens, marketed at older audiences
Launch colorways & special editions
- Pokemon Center JP variants
- Mario Kart Edition
- Pokemon Diamond/Pearl Limited
- Final Fantasy III Edition
- Zelda Phantom Hourglass Gold (JP)
- Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver Limited
- Crimson/Black Mario 25th Anniversary DSi XL
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- soft-mod
- Custom firmware
- R4 / Acekard / SuperCard DSTwo (flashcards); Unlaunch (DSi softmod)
Reception & legacy
Phenomenal — launched alongside PSP and surprised analysts with massive sales despite the PSP's more powerful hardware
R4 flashcard piracy spawned lawsuits worldwide (R4 banned in JP, UK courts); DSi region lock annoyed enthusiasts after DS/DS Lite were region-free
Second best-selling video game console of all time (~154M); dual-screen + touch + microphone created entirely new game-design vocabularies; pulled Nintendo back into handheld dominance during a generation where Sony's PSP threatened seriously
References
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Nintendo DS in the news
Recent coverage mentioning the Nintendo DS, gathered from 80+ gaming-news sources.
After 16 Years, Forgotten Nintendo DS Game Officially Getting New Release on Steam
Nearly 16 years after its original release, an underrated Nintendo DS game is getting new life with a Steam port coming later this month.
Review: Retroid Pocket Duo Lite - a Nintendo DS Clone That Doesn't Play DS Games Very Well
All the polish, none of the power. I’ve tested dozens of emulation handhelds, and the Retroid Pocket Duo Lite ($149) was by far the hardest to review. It’s been a frustrating ride over the past few weeks — not because it’s bad, but because the hardware is actually good. Until it isn’t. I will admit...
Nintendo DS Survival Horror Sequel ‘Dementium II’ Gets New PC Remaster From Atooi Releasing This Month
Atooi has launched the Steam page for its PC remaster of Dementium II, bringing the 2010 Nintendo DS survival horror sequel back with support for modern displays, revised controls, and options based on the original handheld presentation. The game will launch on PC via Steam, it’s currently set to...
The Simpsons Game Unofficial PC Port Released
The Simpsons Game is an action-comedy platformer that was never released on PC. Instead, it came out on a lot of consoles in 2007, including the Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable. And now, almost two decades later, we have an unofficial PC version of...
10 Nintendo DS JRPGs Where Companions Can Derail the Entire Story
With a single action or word, there are moments in these Nintendo DS JRPGs Where Companions Can Derail the Entire Story.
Review: Anbernic RG DS Plus - My New Favourite Way To Play Nintendo DS Games
And for under $100, too. I know there's a running gag about emulation handhelds dropping almost weekly, but the Anbernic RG DS Plus ($95) feels like it's launching uncomfortably close the its predecessor, the RG DS, which only arrived in December of last year. Nonetheless, this dual-screen device...