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If there’s anything that I love, it’s handheld consoles. Growing up, we didn’t have an NES or an SNES in the house; those were designated for Grandma’s house. What we did have were our Game Boys, and I can’t tell you how many hours I wiled away playing games like Super Mario Land 2, Kirby’s Dream Land, and others. As Nintendo continued to innovate in the mobile space, it was with both curiosity and even a little trepidation that I took the news of the company’s upcoming, so-called third-pillar console. Nintendo DS was a handheld not unlike Game Boy Advance, but it was larger, bulkier, contained two screens, and one of them was even touch-capacitive.
Nintendo DS was also facing some stiff competition in Sony’s PlayStation Portable. That company’s first stab at handheld gaming was simultaneously sleeker, more powerful, and frankly, sexier than DS in virtually every way. Yet, despite these seeming disadvantages, what DS lacked in relative power and aesthetics, it more than made up for with innovation. The dual screens and the inclusion of touch-based gameplay opened the door for all sorts of new game experiences, making DS a powerhouse in a way that PSP never could hope to match. Games like Cooking Mama, Brain Age, Kirby Canvas Curse, Trauma Center, The World Ends With You… the list goes on and on. And what’s more, besides the outside-of-the-box games that DS pioneered, it also did well with more traditional fair, too. DS went from being a third-pillar to second in short order.
The Nintendo DS launched in North America 20 years ago today! What were some of your favorite Nintendo DS games? pic.twitter.com/TAH5tBRDdT
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) November 21, 2024
For me, it was like being a kid in a candy shop. Each new type of game captured my imagination more than the last, and I continually found myself in awe of all the new things I was experiencing from video games. It played a really powerful role in shaping who I am as a video game player, and as I discovered new types of games on DS, it made me look for other new types of games on other consoles, as well. Look, some people experiment with drugs and alcohol when they go to college; for me, it was all about discovering new games. And at the forefront of those explorations I had my trust Nintendo DS in hand.
I can’t believe that DS is 20 years old, but then, I can’t believe a lot of things in my life can now be counted in decades and not just years. While Nintendo’s handheld business has always been strong, DS took things to a new level. Selling in excess of 120 million units, the console was a mainstay of the industry and did the sort of sales numbers that many hardware makers can only dream of. The library of incredible games that call Nintendo DS home is also similarly enviable, but more importantly, was a source of incredibly joy and inspiration for so many players around the world.
So happy birthday, Nintendo DS. You’ll always be my favorite.
