Nintendo DS

This article is about the handheld video game system. For the Mario Kart DS battle course, see Nintendo DS (battle course).

"DS" redirects here. For the DS-like device Luigi uses in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, see Dual Scream. For the web Flash game, see Dribble Skillz.

Nintendo DS
The first commercial model of the Nintendo DS
Generation	Seventh generation
Release date	Nintendo DS: November 21, 2004 December 2, 2004 December 2, 2004 December 29, 2004 February 24, 2005 March 11, 2005 April 21, 2005 June 15, 2005 Nintendo DS Lite: March 2, 2006 June 1, 2006 June 11, 2006 June 23, 2006 June 26, 2006 January 18, 2007
Discontinued	Nintendo DS: 2009 Nintendo DS Lite: April 22, 2011
Predecessor	Game Boy Advance
Successor	Nintendo 3DS

“Touching is good.”

—United States advertisement slogan for the Nintendo DS

“Pick up and play.”

—European advertisement slogan for the Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS, or simply the DS, is a handheld game system released by Nintendo in 2004. The Nintendo DS is Nintendo's fifth handheld system, being the successor to the Game Boy Advance. It features two three-inch screens. "DS" stands for "Dual Screen" (though, at its conception, it was intended to stand for "Developer's System"). The system introduces many new features to the Nintendo handheld lineup, including a resistive touchscreen, visible operating system GUI (in the form of the main menu), stereo sound output via both the built-in speakers and 3.5mm headphone jack (a first for Nintendo handhelds, which previously sported a single mono speaker despite supporting stereo through the headphone jack), audio input via a pinhole microphone, and wireless connection capabilities. It is also the first Nintendo handheld to natively support 3D polygonal graphics as opposed to only sprites, making it similar to the Nintendo 64 in terms of graphical capacity. The DS also introduces a feature known as sleep mode, where one can close the console and preserve its battery life, and in Super Mario 64 DS and New Super Mario Bros., closing the system is accompanied by Mario saying, "Bye bye!" The DS (and by extension the DS Lite) provides backwards compatibility for Game Boy Advance games (though this does not work with the Nintendo DSi models), although only limited to single-player experiences as the Game Link Cable and Wireless Adapter support are missing. Similar to the Game Boy Micro, the DS and DS Lite cannot play games made for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. In early 2011, the Nintendo DS received a successor, the Nintendo 3DS.

The DS is the first Nintendo system to include wireless functions, allowing it to link up with other DS's without any wires or add-ons. This was also the first system Nintendo made to go online, via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, of which Mario Kart DS was the first to utilize. Since May 20, 2014, online play for many Nintendo DS games has been discontinued due to the closing of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Conversely, the DS is Nintendo's last system to be distributed in South Korea through a third party licensor, specifically Daewon Media (who also handled the South Korean releases of the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube). Starting with the Wii, Nintendo's products would be released in the region through the newly established Nintendo of Korea.

The Nintendo DS retains the , , , , , , and buttons from the Game Boy Advance and also includes the and buttons, so it has all of the same buttons as a Super Nintendo Entertainment System controller.

Models

Nintendo DS Lite

NintendoWiki article: Nintendo DS Lite

A Polar White DS Lite with a stylus

A newer model named the Nintendo DS Lite was released in 2006 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, and 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). 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 and DSi XL

Main article: Nintendo DSi

The Nintendo DSi

A third model, called the Nintendo DSi, was first released in Japan in December 2008. It is thinner, lighter, and brighter than the Nintendo DS Lite, having removed the Game Boy Advance slot. However, this means that the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak, which was used with titles such as Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, alongside other peripherals which used the slot, 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 released in Japan on November 1, 2008, in Australia on April 2, 2009, in Europe on April 3, 2009, and in North America on April 5, 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. In 2009, Nintendo later released the Nintendo DSi XL, with the "XL" standing for "Extra Large". It is also the heaviest of the four models.

Stylus

A Nintendo DS stylus

The stylus is a pencil-like accessory that comes included with the Nintendo DS system. The instrument is often used in conjunction with the Touch Screen. Usually, the stylus is used to make menu selections, which the player can do by bringing the stylus in contact with their selection on the Touch Screen. Additionally, the stylus is often useful for touching precise points on the Touch Screen during gameplay. For example, New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 64 DS, and Wario: Master of Disguise use the stylus for minigames such as Wanted! and Roach Smash. The stylus is also used to control Minis in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!.

On the DS, the stylus slot is located on the back, and is inserted downwards, relatively to the DS itself. On the DS Lite and DSi, however, it was relocated to the right side of the system, and is inserted from right to left, relative to the DS Lite or DSi.

The stylus for the DS is noticeably thinner than the stylus for the DS Lite. A DS generally comes with two styluses when purchased, with extra styluses available for purchase separately. Special styluses were also released, some as promotions for certain games, such as touch pens based on New Super Mario Bros. depicting Mario and Luigi.

See also

• Super Mario-themed styluses

Microphone

The microphone on the Nintendo DS Lite

The microphone is a feature on the Nintendo DS. On the original 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. Its function is to accept audio input. Blowing into it will allow events to happen in the game that the player is playing, including:

• Mario Kart DS: Balloon Battle has the drivers' reserve balloons put into use by blowing into the microphone. The button can also be used, but is slightly slower compared to a full breath.
• Super Princess Peach: In the minigame Toad Jump, blowing into the microphone is needed to make Toad jump over obstacles.
• Mario Party DS: Some minigames specifically use the microphone, such as Big Blowout.
• WarioWare: Touched!: Mike's Mic Rocking level revolve around the microphone.
• WarioWare: Snapped!: One microgame on the Jimmy Coaster requires using the microphone, to blow off a man's scarf.
• Wario: Master of Disguise: Wicked Wario requires blowing into the microphone to make him fly.

In other games, the player must say words into the microphone. In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, the player must clap into the mic to gain inspiration from the crowd in Long Jump and Triple Jump. Also, in the game Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the player needs to use the microphone at certain points, such as breathing out fire as Giant Bowser.

Rumble Pak

NintendoWiki article: Rumble (feature) § Nintendo DS

This accessory is shaped like a Game Boy Advance Game Pak, which it inserts into the GBA slot of the Nintendo DS or Nintendo DS Lite. It is incompatible with the Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL, or any Nintendo 3DS because they lack the required GBA slot. Super Mario games that support the Rumble Pak are Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Diddy Kong Racing DS, Super Princess Peach, and Wario: Master of Disguise.

Appearances in the Super Mario franchise

WarioWare series

The plot of WarioWare: Touched! revolves around Wario obtaining a gaming console resembling a Nintendo DS and using it to market new microgames.

A Nintendo DS appears in some of the microgames. In WarioWare: Touched!, it can be seen in the Pushing Buttons microgame. In WarioWare: Smooth Moves, a Nintendo DS appears in the microgames Brain Age, and Wario Hunting as one of the possible baits. In WarioWare: Get It Together!, a Nintendo DS appears in the second level difficulty of the WarioWare microgame.

In WarioWare: Smooth Moves, a Nintendo DS also appears as a sound effect icon in the Sound Studio.

A Nintendo DS is one of the unlockable souvenirs in WarioWare Gold.

Mario Kart DS

One of the battle courses in Mario Kart DS is the Nintendo DS. It is a nod to the Nintendo GameCube battle course from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, as it is based on the GameCube. A picture of the original DS can be seen on some of the billboards in Mario Circuit.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

A Shroob holding a silver, flip-top communicator

In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Shroobs call saucers by using a silver, flip-top communicator. Because the Nintendo DS has the capability to send verbal messages to friends, this may be a reference to the Nintendo DS. Additionally, Professor Elvin Gadd is shown to own a Nintendo DS with an apparent time radar he used to locate Princess Peach at the beginning of the game; he later uses the DS to operate the Hydrogush 4000.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the Emoglobins that run the Gauntlet and Cholesteroad are shaped similarly to the DS systems. Additionally, Dark Fawful uses a device that resembles a Nintendo DS to track down the Dark Star.

Super Paper Mario

Super Paper Mario includes a computer console called the Dining Specializer, which is modeled after the Nintendo DS Lite (and can also be abbreviated "DS"). There is also a two-screened handheld that resembles a Nintendo DS known as a Training Machine, which the fortune teller Merluvlee wanted to use to train her brain (which, in turn, is a reference to the popular DS title, Brain Age, known in British English as "Brain Training").

Mario Strikers Charged

In Mario Strikers Charged, Strikers' Times are shown on the Touch Screen of a Nintendo DS Lite.

Mario Party DS

In Mario Party DS, when the player defeats Bowser at the end of the story mode, the five Sky Crystals join and form something like a crystal Nintendo DS, unlocking Triangle Twisters.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, one of the names that can appear upon pressing the random button when naming a custom stage is "DS". There is also a stage called PictoChat, based on the Nintendo DS's pre-installed communication application of the same name; the emblem used for this stage is derived from the two squares that replace the letter "O" in the Nintendo DS logo. A music track used in the stage, also titled "PictoChat", uses the emblem as well and features sound effects from the Nintendo DS and Wii menus as well as the PictoChat application. Additionally, in the Trophy Hoard, a black Nintendo DS Lite can be seen in the background with the presents.

Donkey Kong Country Returns

In Donkey Kong Country Returns, if left idle for long enough, Donkey Kong will pull out a Nintendo DS Lite to play a game.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

In Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Luigi uses a device called the Dual Scream to communicate with Professor E. Gadd. The Dual Scream is based on the Nintendo DS, being the equivalent of the Game Boy Horror (based on the Game Boy Color) that Luigi uses in Luigi's Mansion.

Galleries

System gallery

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  Nintendo DS Lite logo

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  Prototype model shown at E3 2004

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  Nintendo DS backwards compatibility with the Game Boy Advance

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  An electric Blue Nintendo DS

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  A black Nintendo DS Lite

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  A pink Nintendo DS Lite

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  A turquoise Nintendo DS Lite

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  A regular North American charger for the Nintendo DS Lite

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  The home menu (Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite models)

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  A hard, white DS case

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  A soft, novelty DS case in the form of Mario's Cap

Game gallery

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  Diddy Kong Racing DS

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  DK: Jungle Climber

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  Game & Watch Collection

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  Itadaki Street DS

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  Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

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  Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

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  Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

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  Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

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  Mario Hoops 3-on-3

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  Mario Kart DS

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  Mario Party DS

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  Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

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  Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!

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  Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!

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  New Super Mario Bros.

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  Super Mario 64 DS

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  Super Princess Peach

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  Tetris DS

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  Wario: Master of Disguise

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  WarioWare: D.I.Y.

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  WarioWare: Touched!

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  Wi-Fi Taiou Yakuman DS

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  Yakuman DS

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  Yoshi Touch & Go

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  Yoshi's Island DS

Miscellaneous

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  Image macro from the official NintendoAUNZ Facebook page showing three Nintendo DS systems alongside several compatible Super Mario games