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The Nintendo DS Turns 10

An anonymous reader writes The Nintendo DS has reached a remarkable milestone: it's turned 10 years old. A new retrospective on one of Nintendo's greatest ever smash hits points out that it's now old enough to become a Pokemon trainer, and looks back at some of the greatest (and possibly overlooked) titles on the platform which has sold 154 million copies in a decade.

61 comments

  1. pokemon trainer? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's a pokemon trainer, and how does the hardware turning 10 years old enable that?

  2. TEN? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Christ, it's like it was last week I was reading rumors on the internet about some oddball new Nintendo handheld with two screens, that was supposedly to have a touchscreen.

    This was the obligatory daily reminder that we're getting old. Again.

    1. Re:TEN? by captjc · · Score: 1

      It reminds me of an Onion Radio News episode from 2008, 1998 was 10 Fucking Years Ago" It was almost a wake-up call because at that point as it did seem like almost yesterday.

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  3. Oh man, Red Bull totally knows gaming by PKFC · · Score: 1

    Two Tony Hawk games? THPS2 on GBA was crazy for its time to cram it into a handheld, but still, you wouldn't have ever preferred a portable to a handheld for that series.

    GTA was vaguely neat in the sense that it was on a Nintendo system

    How about Elite Beat Agents (or Ouendan)? Hotel Dusk Room 215? Phoenix Wright? Professor Layton? 999? BRAIN AGE! Gawd. Get a better list. :P

    1. Re:Oh man, Red Bull totally knows gaming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Two Tony Hawk games?"

      TFA is just clickbait. clearly one tony hawk fanatic got a job making fluff news on the internet...

    2. Re:Oh man, Red Bull totally knows gaming by mwvdlee · · Score: 1

      Red Bull's only product is marketing.
      All the "extreme" sports events, websites, media and soft drinks are the means by which they push their marketing into the world.
      This article's primary goal is to push their brand, any information or entertainment contained within it is just collatoral damage.

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    3. Re:Oh man, Red Bull totally knows gaming by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      You make Red Bull sound like Apple.

  4. Copies? by ArcadeMan · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...the platform which has sold 154 million copies in a decade.

    I understand using the word "copies" for things like movies, music, software. But with hardware, shouldn't it be "units"?

    1. Re:Copies? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I actually managed to understand it correctly with the original wording. But this is Slashdot, and engineers are reading it, so there's a requirement to be unnecessarily picky and then reward the people who succeed in being so. Whoever nitpicks the most (without screwing up) earns the most points!

    2. Re:Copies? by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      We can also manage to read "txtspeak" correctly but that doesn't make it proper english either.

    3. Re:Copies? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At some point however, nitpicking can become detrimental. It's all about drawing lines and recognizing that being accommodating also has value. Being accommodating can increase efficiency as well as morale. It can encourage input and make anonymous cowards like me more comfortable sharing my name.

      Both of your comments contain grammatical errors. I'm sure mine do as well. But it doesn't hinder our understanding of each other. And frankly, I'd be less paranoid communicating with you if I didn't worry that you might be analyzing every word I write in hopes of finding a better replacement. Human intelligence is a great thing. Human acceptance is worth far more.

      This is something that engineers are "programmed" to do, and in some ways it can make us have a more difficult time interacting with other people. I picked on your post, and for that I'm sorry. This is commonplace on Slashdot, and it stands out as being one of its community members' most distinguishing features. I think we should keep this in mind and be aware of how it separates our personalities from most other people.

    4. Re:Copies? by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      I'm guessing most of my posts contain grammatical errors as well as strange sentence structures, since english isn't my primary language.

      As for the rest of your comment, I couldn't agree more. There's a lot of engineers, programmers and coders here. Our job is focused on finding solutions to problems, making sure our code compiles, etc. Nitpicking comes with the profession, I guess.

    5. Re:Copies? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't have guessed English wasn't your first language. You do very well with it.

  5. lackluster list by zerocommazero · · Score: 1

    Bowser's Inside Story, Knights in the Nightmare, Dragon Quest IX (or the remakes), DQH: Rocket Slime, World ends with You, so many titles. ... The DS maybe my favorite system of all time.

    1. Re:lackluster list by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wasn't aware that the DS could only play RPGs

  6. The DS, eh? by Nethead · · Score: 2

    Now I feel old, I don't even know what that is.

    --
    -- I have a private email server in my basement.
    1. Re:The DS, eh? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Yeah, me too.

      I'm pretty sure a DS is sort of an updated version of one of these things:

      http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/sli...

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      You are welcome on my lawn.
  7. Frequent Contributor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    1. Re:Frequent Contributor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      wtf is that

    2. Re: Frequent Contributor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod parent up. One of the funniest posts this year.

  8. Funny Timing by RyoShin · · Score: 2

    After a few weeks of thought I just today came to the conclusion that I am completely over the Pokemon series, which I was in love when it first released in 1998 at 13. Black, for the DS, was the last version I purchased. Maybe if they ever give it a huge overhaul or MMO...

    Anyway, more on topic, I would have thought that Nintendo would learn from the DSi. Not that it's a bad system, but the camera features went mostly unused because there was no guarantee that players had a camera-equipped system. Only a few games made heavy use of it, and a few more than that had some incorporation that could be ignored if you weren't on a DSI (or DSi XL).

    So here we are with the 3DS and now Nintendo is releasing their "New 3DS" (what a horrible name) that has some nice features that will also probably not be used. The big selling points are the "nub" (why couldn't we just have a second, if smaller, stick?), two extra shoulder buttons, and, most importantly, added horsepower. They've already announced Xenoblade Chronicles 3DS, which will require the New model as it will need the better specs, and the already-released Smash Bros. 3DS will not allow you to use many system tools you could normally use while running a game because of its requirements on the 3DS, but you can on the New 3DS. This will wind up with the same thing as the DSi, with so much fractioning of the base that developers will have to program with the assumption of the Old model; at best we'll get more games that will use more of the Old processing power, like Smash Bros., but otherwise it will play out the same. Some games will have support for the extra controls, a scant few (likely those that need the New hardware) will require the controls, and most games will ignore them completely.

    And US/EU will get it at some point in the near future... maybe. Nintendo kinda shot themselves in the foot by announcing it, and giving it to only Japan and Australia this year (though it's cool that our kangaroo friends are seeing some love after usually being the last to get stuff). Sales for the existing models of the 3DS in America and Europe are likely going to flatline this holiday season, purchased only by parents for their kids who don't keep up with gaming news (or are too little to do so.) Anyone else who had been considering the system is now going to sit on that cash, because why would you buy the old model now when the new hotness could come in a few months?

    After the poor reception of the Wii U, I'd hoped that Nintendo would look at their failures and learn from them. Instead, it seems like they're only doubling-down...

    1. Re:Funny Timing by Rinikusu · · Score: 1

      Having owned a DS and a few other portable gaming systems.. I have to say my favorite handheld is my Gameboy Advance Micro. Battery life is excellent, portability factor is unmatched, and I much prefer carts over discs (PSP), and even over the DS cards.

      --
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    2. Re:Funny Timing by Dan+East · · Score: 1

      I just fired up an old beat up micro I had laying around last week. At the time it was released, the micro had one of the highest DPI color screens I'd ever seen. Still the SP is my favorite. It was the first Gameboy of any kind with an actual backlit screen, and it was beautiful to behold. Games looked so vibrant and clear compared to the Gameboy Advanced, that they almost didn't event seem like they were the same games. The clamshell design was also new and suited to the device perfectly. When closed it wasn't much larger than the screen, and the cartridge fit flush into the device - it was nice and compact when closed. It was also the first gameboy with an integrated rechargeable battery, and it seemed to last for ages. Really, the SP was the most revolutionary single portable gaming device produced by Nintendo. The one and only thing the SP lacked, which was due to the CPU / cartridge hardware being designed well before the SP came out, was a hibernate / suspend type capability when closed (it still seems to me they could have managed that somehow).

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    3. Re:Funny Timing by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      I never understood the popularity of Pokemon as a video game. Pointless random combats and very little story. Hours and hours of watching animations of attacks happen. The entire idea of the game is enslaving animals and forcing them into pit fighting. Micheal Vick was sentenced to prison and vilified by the entire world for doing the same.

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    4. Re:Funny Timing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe... just maybe... your falling out of love with Pokemon has something to do with not being 13 anymore.

    5. Re:Funny Timing by damnbunni · · Score: 1

      The GBA did support a Suspend feature, but the games had to deliberately support it also, and few did.

      I prefer the Micro to the GBA SP for one simple reason: The micro is wider. The SP is so narrow that I wind up with finger cramps from using the shoulder buttons. The Micro's easier to hold.

    6. Re:Funny Timing by aliquis · · Score: 1

      I think the Atari Lynx is my favourite.

      I played it in stores a few times and it was massive, good looking, back-lit color screen!

      The games may have been bad what do I know and it was big but .. It's such a cute device.

      Such beauty:
      http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi...
      Not this one:
      http://www.studio42.info/Lynx/...
      http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi...
      The Sega game gear I never felt the attraction for:
      http://www.studio42.info/GameG...

    7. Re:Funny Timing by aliquis · · Score: 1

      I don't get it for Zelda on the DS either really.

      Though I appreciated my time in the first game for some reason. Guess it's because it was the first Zelda game I actually experienced & played through (I had played Zelda on NES but wasn't good enough on it to have any clue where I was going, also tried Link but had even less of a clue there.)

      Half of the game is spent transporting yourself from some point to another point with repetitive game play, many of the puzzles are similar and repetitive too and the flute playing part in the second one was frustrating because it was hard to get it to play as intended and I didn't knew what sort of "errors" it accepted which made it easier to get a pass.

      Anyway, to me it's played part for the story and mostly for interesting puzzles but the transportation just seem like a filler.

      It's not much of an open world either, some "quests" may be unlocked as you go in older places but it all bring you further in the story and I guess you may have to do it all to get there (or maybe some is of collecting swag to be able to upgrade your train in the later case.)

      So it give you this world where you can move to any place you want in it (well, after they are opened up) but there's no reason to because only one or some points will allow you to travel further in the game. So you're just wasting time in dull game-play for the sake of it.

    8. Re:Funny Timing by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      The Gameboy Advance SP is my preferred Pokemon platform. It can run Red or Blue or any of the old carts, and it's the perfect host for the best Pokemon version, Emerald.

    9. Re:Funny Timing by Daniel+Hoffmann · · Score: 1

      Well there is the circle pad pro for the old models, that at least allows the new controls on the old models. I hope some more games start using it because since I finishing metal gear solid 3 I only use mine because of the better grip.

    10. Re:Funny Timing by VGPowerlord · · Score: 1

      Though I appreciated my time in the first game for some reason. Guess it's because it was the first Zelda game I actually experienced & played through (I had played Zelda on NES but wasn't good enough on it to have any clue where I was going, also tried Link but had even less of a clue there.)

      By "Link", I'm assuming you mean The Adventure of Link for NES?

      Honestly, if I had to introduce people to the Zelda series, I'd introduce them to the SNES/GBA A Link to the Past.

      A Link to the Past may be 20+ years old now, but it's the first 2D Zelda game that gives you hints as to what you're supposed to be doing.

      It's not truly open world (unlike its 2013 direct sequel A Link Between Worlds for 3DS), but unlike most games in the series, you have some idea of where you're supposed to be going at any given time. This is because key characters in the game helpfully mark locations on the world map for you. That isn't to say it's completely straightforward as sometimes you have to figure out how to get into the dungeons...

      Incidentally, Nintendo chose to make A Link Between Worlds, a new sequel to A Link to the Past, instead of doing a remake like they did for Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.

      --
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  9. EA DICE by tepples · · Score: 1

    GayWAD is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by DICE.COM.

    But is it affiliated with or endorsed by EA Digital Illusions CE? I just checked and was surprised that DICE never developed a DS or 3DS game.

  10. Nintendo DS by tepples · · Score: 1

    Nintendo DS is a handheld video game system using software stored on proprietary Game Cards. These links might help (sound warning): DS Irae | White Lite

    1. Re:Nintendo DS by wed128 · · Score: 1

      Is there a *successful* handheld gaming platform that isn't proprietary and closed source? Do we have an option?

    2. Re:Nintendo DS by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      You can probably run a limited port of Tux Racer on your cracked Palm III. Or maybe on one of the WinCE PDAs that can run NetBSD (without display or touch-screen support. but YOU CAN LOG ON a TERMINAL session!)

    3. Re:Nintendo DS by parkinglot777 · · Score: 1

      You can probably run a limited port of Tux Racer on your cracked Palm III

      I never knew that they equate "cracked" as "not proprietary" nowadays???

    4. Re:Nintendo DS by baka_toroi · · Score: 0

      I enjoy that kind of shit, because it provides value you fucking open sauce faggots won't ever deliver in millenia.

  11. Re: Gay Wigger Association of DICE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LOL!!!!!

  12. Re:Gay Wigger Association of DICE by AbRASiON · · Score: 1

    These fucking trolls kill me sometimes, jesus christ I laughed out loud
    "[ ] I have used SLASHDOT BETA to find a sex partner"
    ahahahah
    Klerck, you're out there in spirit little buddy

  13. Lets celebrate the frequent contributors Birthday! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    YAAY!

  14. I am the last one .. by savuporo · · Score: 1

    What you are looking at is quite possibly the last of the species. There likely wont be a mainstream successful handheld console that is made for gaming.

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  15. Re:Gay Wigger Association of DICE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Klerck is smiling down on this thread from troll heaven. I wish I could widen the page in his honor.

  16. Korg DS-10 synth cartridge for the Nintendo DS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you like musical equipment fun, pick up a used Korg DS-10 or D-10plus cartridge for your old DS.
    http://www.korgds10synthesizer.com/

    Apparently the 3DS has it's own Korg software too. Haven't played with that, though.
    http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/EsVE_ldkt5IaTlJYN7iqans9kQaKZgAx

  17. NDS != NDS by mwvdlee · · Score: 1

    The DS turned 10 in the same way that the Playstation turned 20.

    Current DS is a completely different device from the first DS.

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    1. Re:NDS != NDS by dbIII · · Score: 1

      However there are still original DS's out there in use. Tough little things, seems it's main mode of failure is theft.

    2. Re:NDS != NDS by wed128 · · Score: 1

      Yea, Mine still works, got it at launch.

    3. Re:NDS != NDS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mine still work too, runs Inferno DS (based on Plan 9) though. ;)

    4. Re:NDS != NDS by butalearner · · Score: 1

      Both of my original DS's have a cracked hinge (rough handling from the kids), but both of them still work. Our family still uses them occasionally to play multiplayer games like Mario Kart and New Super Mario Bros DS with our two 3DS XLs.

      That's a pretty awesome feature. Several months ago I picked up three used copies of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time for cheap, and the 3DS XLs my wife and I got last Christmas can play multiplayer with the systems we had even before we had kids.

    5. Re:NDS != NDS by VGPowerlord · · Score: 1

      Both of my original DS's have a cracked hinge (rough handling from the kids), but both of them still work,

      Cracked hinges were a common problem with the original DS and DS Lite. A design defect, if you will.

      I kept using my DS Lite with cracked hinge until the R button stopped working and replaced it with a DSi XL... and replaced that with a 3DS XL once decent games started arriving for it.

      I still have my DSi around here somewhere...

      --
      GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
    6. Re:NDS != NDS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I kept using my DS Lite with cracked hinge until the R button stopped working and replaced it

      You bought a new DS because one of the button contacts got a little dirty? "Oh brave new world that has such wonders in it!" "Ending is better than mending!" I'm not criticizing your actions, but the engineers who design these things to be impossible to maintain.

    7. Re:NDS != NDS by dbIII · · Score: 1

      Cool - would mod up that infernoDS post if I could. I ran DS Linux for a while but a lack of an external keyboard meant I didn't play with it much. Now there's an external keyboard.

    8. Re:NDS != NDS by dbIII · · Score: 1

      Also I'm assuming because the replacement was a lot bigger - the XL has a much larger screen than the DSi.
      I think you are being too critical of the product since the poster above didn't bother to try to maintain it so didn't get as far as finding if it was impossible to maintain. My DS is still in good shape, probably never used it enough to give it a hammering, so I've never done any repairs on it and only opened up the back to flash the firmware, but it doesn't look all that difficult to work on:
      http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nintendo+DS+Lite+Buttons+Replacement/4787

  18. HeY by PlayGag · · Score: 0

    Play cooooooll games on http://furg.net/, guys :)

  19. Considering the success Nintendo has had. . . by Mr_Wisenheimer · · Score: 1

    . . . making handheld games, I strongly suspect you are in error. People want to play games on the go. Smartphones are not exactly good gaming devices as they exist out of the box. Unless that changes, there is likely going to be a market for handheld gaming consoles for the foreseeable future.

    People were making similar claims about the 3DS, that it was selling poorly because of smartphones, but it is currently the best-selling game console of this generation.

    1. Re:Considering the success Nintendo has had. . . by hjf · · Score: 1

      You don't talk to kids, do you?

      Remember when ALL YOU WANTED was your own computer?
      Kids are over that.
      They're also over the ALL I WANT IS A LAPTOP
      and ALL I WANT IS A NETBOOK

      Now, all they want is a tablet. Kids don't want PCs anymore. It's unbelievable.

      And even worse: many don't even want a tablet. they want just a smartphone.

  20. That reasoning makes no sense by Mr_Wisenheimer · · Score: 1

    If people are really following Nintendo so closely as to know about the impending release (and I am not sure how many really are) and they intend to wait and buy it, then Nintendo only loses a sale if they don't actually complete the purchase of the upgraded 3DS. The new 3DS very possibly has higher margins (while the old 3DS will be discounted to deplete stock) anyway, so Nintendo might end up making MORE money if people hold-out.

    It is nothing like the Wii U. The Wii U's problem is that after the initial two million people who bought one the first month, very few people purchased it for the first year. The Wii U's problem was not that people were holding out for a future upgrade.

  21. Re:Gay Wigger Association of DICE by AbRASiON · · Score: 1

    Truly an American icon.

  22. Firia love by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/junto-zouruno-single/id879030831

    Firia nice!