When you think of “handheld platforms” in today’s gaming age, the Nintendo Switch is the one you likely think about. After all, it’s been the only true handheld in the last seven years, outside of certain smaller attempts by Microsoft and Sony. Oh, and we’ll not count the Steam Deck, as that’s honestly something a bit different in nature and appeal. Anyway, before the Switch’s time, Nintendo consistently put out a handheld to go along with its console offerings, and today, the Nintendo DS celebrates its 20th anniversary in the US. This is indeed special as the DS is the best-selling true handheld platform ever, and it remains, for now, The Big N’s best-selling hardware ever.
There’s a bit of irony to that, though. You see when the Nintendo DS was announced at an E3, it wasn’t exactly “wowing” the crowds at first. In fact, the DS was its “prototype name,” and Reggie Fils-Aime himself said that the name would change eventually. Just as important was that its initial design was a bit…bulky. Over time, the DS would undergo several transformations, including better battery life, bigger screens, a “lite” version, and even a “DSi” version, though most don’t care about that one.
Another key thing about this is that the DS came out during the period of the Nintendo GameCube. The reason that’s significant is that the GameCube may have had all-time great games, but it wasn’t selling well compared to the PS2 and the Xbox. As such, Nintendo put heavy stress on the DS to not just get great games on it but sell like no one’s business. The Big N’s president at the time said that the DS would determine the “rise or fall” of Nintendo. Thankfully, the platform rose to the occasion and sold over 155 million units, all told.
The touch screen set the DS apart from everything that came before it. It gave players unique ways to interact with the games they played and allowed for unique gameplay elements that consoles couldn’t truly provide.
When you look at some of the best games on the DS, you see the use of the dual-screen to great effect. We’re talking about games like The World Ends With You, Mario Kart DS, Professor Layton, Kirby and the Canvas Curse, Elite Beat Agents, and many, many more.
And while its successor, the 3DS, did have success, it didn’t sell half of what the DS did, showing just how great this legendary platform was during its time.
