The Story of the Nintendo DS (Complete Series)

the turn of the millennium saw the gaming landscape altered in ways it hadn't been in almost two decades Sony wrote on the momentum of the PlayStation and became the industry leader with the PlayStation 2 Microsoft entered the console wars with their xbox and used their deep coffers to promote their system as the defining device for gamers to own Nintendo however was struggling their fourth home console the Nintendo GameCube couldn't keep up with the PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's entry into the console race sucked up more space than ever before the two corporate giants of Sony and Microsoft already dealt their first blow in 2001 when Sega announced that they would be exiting the console market entirely Nintendo still had a major advantage in the gaming market with their line of handheld Gameboy systems LAN intend to help a portable market in its palm new developments from his competitors and other tech giants could lead to history repeating itself for the creative minds at Nintendo a new type of gaming system would have to be made one that could redefine the entire gaming market and keep Nintendo in the black at one of their lowest points as a video game maker everything has a story this is the story of the Nintendo DS throughout this series we'll be taking a look at the creation life an ultimate end of the Nintendo DS and this part will focus exclusively on the development and release of Nintendo's dual-screen handheld during the mid-2000s in late 2003 Nintendo made a monumental announcement for the first time in the company's 100-year history they posted a quarterly loss tensions were high as the Nintendo GameCube failed to deliver sales on hardware or software the Game Boy Advance while doing well wasn't enough to keep the company afloat in the rapidly changing industry Satoru Iwata still new to his role as president of Nintendo reassured shareholders and the gaming public at large about the company's future while 2003 might've xem Nintendo's first quarterly loss 2004 would introduce something completely brand new a new game system codenamed nitro would be unveiled and released during 2004 while it wasn't new for companies to make better iterations on their systems the most head-scratching detail of the announcement was that this wasn't a successor to either the Nintendo GameCube or the Game Boy Advance instead this new system would coexist with both systems and set up a third pillar for Nintendo's business just a few months later Nintendo would give a new name to nitro the Nintendo DS was announced in early 2004 and confirmed for release by holiday 2004 the DS began development in 2002 just a year after Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance the core idea behind the system was brought forward by former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi Yamaji suggested to developers to work on a new handheld system that would utilize two separate screens during gameplay the idea wasn't foreign to Nintendo during the 1980s the company released mini game and watch systems some of which also featured two separate screens for gameplay but the idea of creating an entire system designed around this idea was uncharted territory for console manufacturers the system's announcement was fairly low-key a wada stated that the system was meant to revolutionize the way players played and made note of the system's unique to screen setup Nintendo gave a few details about the system specifications but did not show off any physical products no new games were announced for the system either for the Nintendo DS its debut would have to wait until III 2004 Nintendo's e3 2004 press conference started with a bang thanks in part to one of the new faces at Nintendo of America Reggie feyza made the first part of the president was spent detailing upcoming releases for the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance around halfway through Nintendo began building up excitement for something new videos of developers talking about the Nintendo DS how unique it was how powerful the system was how excited they were to develop games for this new console regi returned to the stage to reveal the nintendo dsi he slid his hand into the pocket of his blazer and pulled out a silver device he then opened the device to reveal two screens the Nintendo DS was making its worldwide appearance the system sported a clamshell design similar to the Game Boy Advance SP that launched just a year earlier the two screens of the system were the sighs with the bottom screen being a touchscreen the Nintendo DS featured the classic Nintendo d-pad - shoulder buttons start and select button and four face buttons the system housed its own stylus for use with the touchscreen that was conveniently stored within the shell of the handheld Nintendo gave further details on the DSS capabilities including built-in Wi-Fi a rarity at the time and a small microphone the Nintendo DSi was built with two game ports one on the top would house Nintendo DS games while the port of the bottom played gameplay advanced games rhaggy stated that while many people rightfully assumed that the DS stood for dual screen all of these additional features led Nintendo to give it a different title developers system Nintendo showed off a few pieces of software for the Nintendo DS during their press conference first off was a port of Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo DS a chance for Nintendo to show the system running 3d graphics next up was a brand new Metroid Prime game utilizing many of the system's unique features finally a new piece of software known as Pictochat was announced Pictochat is a chatroom that would allow to sixteen players to wirelessly communicate with one another the crowd at e3 was impressed by the Nintendo DS and Nintendo followed that with a string of promises the Nintendo DS will be released in late 2004 and early 2005 throughout the world with a new name and an affordable price but Nintendo weren't the only ones showing off a brand new handheld system at e3 that year Sony's entrance into the world of console gaming changed the landscape the PlayStation 1 was incredibly successful beating out both Nintendo and Sega during the late 90s the PlayStation 2 was an even bigger success by 2003 it seemed like no one could top the PlayStation brand in response to this Sony announced that they had started development on a new handheld game system at e3 2003 the system itself wasn't shown but early specifications for the system showed that the new system would be far more powerful than Nintendo's gameplay advance Sony came out swinging at e3 2004 when they officially revealed the PlayStation Portable or PSP the new system featured a larger screen standard PlayStation buttons and a small analog nub the new device utilized Universal Media disc or um DS as opposed to cartridges like its competition PSP wasn't just a gaming handheld but a multimedia unit users were able to access the internet play music and movies and even download titles directly to the system's memory on the show floor III attendees were greeted by demos of upcoming PSP games critics were impressed with the PlayStation Portable with some noting that the graphical power appeared to be closer to the PlayStation 2 than the PlayStation 1 for the first time since the launch of the Game Boy it seemed like Nintendo finally had a competitor in the handheld market that they had long dominated new news on the Nintendo DS arrived in September of 2004 Nintendo officially unveiled the launch price and date that the system would be on store shelves for the first time in Nintendo's history the Nintendo DS was launched first in North America in November 21st 2004 for 149 dollars and 99 cents Nintendo's reasoning for this was to get the DS out right before holiday shopping began in the US Nintendo went on further by announcing that Pictochat would be built into every Nintendo DS's 'dom Nintendo advertised the DS has launched like many of their previous systems Hollywood launch parties full-page magazine ads commercials and more featured the Nintendo DS and its tagline touching is good marketing and early promotions impressed gamers so much so that pre-orders for the new system reached over two million units double what Nintendo anticipated this led to the Nintendo DS being in short supply when it first launched in North America in Japan true to their word the Nintendo DS was released on November 21st 2004 with six games available in North America launch titles included Super Mario 64 DS feel the magic xx XY the herbs Sims in the city Madden NFL 2005 spider-man 2 and asphalt urban GT the DS also came with a packin demo of Metroid Prime Hunter's called Metroid Prime hunters first hunt the demo was also included with power region releases despite the shortages the Nintendo DS was a huge success in North America as it sold over 1 million units by the end of 2004 Japan received the Nintendo DS only a few weeks later on December 2nd 2004 the system retailed for 1500 yen in the region the Japanese launch included some exclusive launch titles that would never be released outside of the region the later launch also gave Japan some new titles like Pokemon - and WarioWare touched much like in North America the Nintendo DS was a success in Japan selling over 1 million units within a month of its release strong sales continued when the DS launched in Australia and New Zealand on February 24 2005 Europe was the final region to receive the system on March 11 2005 by the end of March Nintendo stated that the Nintendo DS had already sold more than 5 million units worldwide despite the hardware shortages strong sales of the DS LED Nintendo's stock price rise but Sony's PSP wasn't far behind in Japan the PSP launched on December 12 2004 only 10 days after Nintendo DS Sony released two variations of the PSP at this time a standard bundle cost nineteen thousand eight hundred yen while a Value Bundle with additional accessories came out to twenty-four thousand eight hundred yen launch titles included metal gear acid and dynasty warriors alongside the additional 19 games within the first month of the system's launch Japanese gamers cleared the shelves of PS PS with Sony stating they sold 200,000 systems on December 12th alone North America saw the PSP launch on March 24th 2005 with 25 launch titles the impressive lineup of games might have caused gamers to hop on the Sony train but Nintendo had one major advantage in the u.s. the PSP released for 240 $9.99 in the region $100 more than its competition the steep price point didn't stop the PSP from selling over half a million units within its first two days on the market but Sony noted that North American sales were below expectations the battle between Sony and Nintendo entered a new front with both of their handheld systems having strong launches but the real battle was just getting both Sony and Nintendo planned to control the handheld market and the war was just getting started the launch windows for the Nintendo DS helped the Game Boy Advance remain more relevant during late 2004 and 2005 new software continued to be released for the system including titles from heavy hitting series like The Legend of Zelda and Pokemon developers at Nintendo continued to experiment with the system despite more powerful Hardware being available one of these titles wirework twisted first launched in Japan in October 2004 almost two months before the Nintendo DS launched title wouldn't come to Western markets until the following spring far after North American and PAL regions receives a new system after strong show at e3 2004 Nintendo hope to achieve similar success at e3 2005 most of the press conference was devoted to the Nintendo Revolution the Game Boy Advance wasn't forgotten however much like he did the year before regi Fiza may appeared on stage to announce a new iteration of the game black vans he pulled a small console out of his blazer and revealed the Gameboy Advance micro the system was the smallest Gameboy to date measuring 4 inches wide and 2 inches long the micro wasn't meant to be a replacement for the Gameboy Advance SP or the Nintendo - yes Nintendo stated that the handheld would be an alternative to these other systems a few months later Nintendo revealed the launch date and price of the Game Boy Advance micro the new system came out in North America on September 17 2005 for $99.99 the small system was similar to the Gameboy Advance SP having a backlit screen and a rechargeable battery however the micro was unable to play original Gameboy or gameboy color games similar to the DSS limitations the system ended up selling poorly overall with Nintendo noting that sales were below their expectations the Game Boy Advance micro might have been a bigger success if the Nintendo DS wasn't selling so well in the end it was the last major release for the Gameboy line as new software releases would begin to slow down after 2005 one of the biggest games Nintendo showed off at e3 2005 was a pet simulator for the Nintendo DS Nintendo X was a new IP under the watchful eye of legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto early concepts for the pet simulator go back to the late 90s when Miyamoto and other Bella purrs at Nintendo we're creating software for the failed nintendo 64dd the title was known as cabbage and was a pet raising simulator well the concepts for the project were ambitious the game never got off the ground during development perhaps in part due to the commercial failure of the 64dd in Japan Miyamoto continues to toy with the idea of a pet simulator after cabbage was cancelled inspired in part after his family received a puppy Miyamoto began producing a new pet simulator title for the Nintendo GameCube as a technical demo as ideas for the game came together Hideki Konno took over development of the title at Nintendo as its producer the title shifted development away from the GameCube and on to the DS which was still in development at the time and interviews before the game's release coño has stated that the shift and development came about due to the additional features the Nintendo DS had including its touchscreen and microphone Nintendogs was developed with non gamers and casual consumers in mind with this in mind nintendo president Satoru Iwata suggested that Nintendogs receive up to 15 different versions one for each breed of dog the idea was for players to pick out a version of the game like a family picking a dog breed at the kennel debugging processes would cause Nintendo's developers to tricycle e reduce the amount of titles available three versions of Nintendogs were developed instead with each version housing different puppy breeds for the player to adopt gameplay across all versions of Nintendogs remained the same similar in concept to Nintendo's Pokemon series on April 21st 2005 Nintendo's dachshund Chihuahua and Shiba were released in Japan to strong critical reception and massive commercial success titles sold over a hundred and fifty thousand copies combined during their first week on the Japanese market and helped boost it into DS sales in the region a North American launch followed on August 22nd 2005 the launch of Nintendogs was accompanied by a price cut for the Nintendo DS system bringing it down to one hundred and twenty $9.99 three versions of the game were released in North America although Shiba and Franz was replaced by lab in France due to the breeds popularity in North America North American outlets praised the game and it sold over 250,000 copies during its launch week our regions receive the title a few months later during the fall of 2005 Nintendogs mania continued into the holiday season with the release of a special edition intended es bundle titled best friends this North American exclusive version of Nintendogs featured many of the same dogs as the previous released versions one final release of Nintendogs came in 2006 Dalmatian and Friends for the North American and PAL markets combined Nintendogs is one of the most successful Nintendo DS games of all time selling nearly 24 million units across all versions of the game to date it is the second best-selling title for the Nintendo DS Nintendo wasn't the only big release Nintendo had for 2005 in November 2005 mario kart DS released a strong reviews and stellar sales the title became the first on the Nintendo DS to utilize Nintendo's Wi-Fi services giving players their first opportunity to play against each other online for the Nintendo DS and in the Mario Kart series 2005 saw some other big releases as well the Mario and Luigi series saw its first release on the DS with partners in time Animal Crossing made the jump to handhelds with Animal Crossing wild world advanced Wars dual strike Metroid Prime pinball Kirby in the canvas curse and super Princess Peach rather than at a fantastic lineup from Nintendo that put its competitors to shame Nintendo even released the first entry in their incredibly successful brain Age series during 2005 third parties jumped on board with quality titles to konami released castlevania dawn of sorrow Capcom released Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Square Enix launched Final Fantasy 3 a remake of the famous calm classic and Sega released Sonic Rush all of these series would see multiple successful installments across the Nintendo DS over the years the only massive disappointment to come to the DSD in 2005 was Pokemon - the lackluster racing game was just the first of many Pokemon spin-offs that would call the Nintendo DS home all in all the software library for the Nintendo DS grew exponentially during 2005 and helped push the Nintendo DS sales further and further Nintendo started 2006 off with a major announcement a new version of the Nintendo DS was on its way in January Satoru Iwata revealed that the Nintendo DS Lite would be released in Japan in March of that year with a release in other regions to follow shortly after the redesign of the Nintendo DS was slightly smaller and utilized better lighting to give brighter screens Nintendo moves the stylus from the back of the system to the right hand side for ease of access the revised model would cost the same as the current Nintendo DS putting it at 120 $9.99 in the United States the Nintendo DS Lite launched there at the world in 2006 however due to the system's increasing popularity stock shortages occurred for the Nintendo DS Lite throughout 2006 in our early 2007 in early 2006 many of the biggest games first shown off for the Nintendo DS were already in player's hands one notable exception was metroid prime hunters one of the first games ever shown for the system hunters was developed by Nintendo's software technologies an internal development studio for Nintendo based in Redmond Washington at the time the studio was best known for creating titles like wave race for the Nintendo 64 and GameCube as they largely focused on designing games with the Western market in mind NST took on the task of developing Metroid Prime hunters after retro studios the developer behind the Metroid Prime reboot were unable to commit to the project Metroid Prime hunters was originally given a 2005 release date but the title would miss its deadline after early criticisms despite the title being made with multiplayer in mind Metroid Prime hunters did not feature any sort of online play options the delay gave designers time to improve other aspects of the game notably in increasing the framerate and cleaning up designs Metroid Prime hunters launched on the Nintendo DS in March of 2006 in North America with other regions receiving the game in late spring and early summer of that same year Hunter's was praised for its unique first-person shooter gameplay the title yu-san intended es touchscreen first shooting combat and puzzle solving in a way to mirror its console counterparts without using analog sticks the game received favorable reviews and managed to even when a few end of the Year awards sales were less than stellar with the title seeing most of its success in North America unfortunately Metroid Prime hunters would be the last Metroid game to release on a handheld Tendo console until Metroid Prime Federation force was released on the Nintendo 3ds over a decade later one final game showing off for the Nintendo DS DS reveal at e3 2004 was finally released in May of 2006 new use Super Mario Brothers was a hotly anticipated title at the time not only was it Mario's first original outing on the Nintendo DS but it was the first original 2d platformer to star the Plumber since 1992 Super Mario Land 2 new super mario brothers combine the classic 2d gameplay of the mario series with sleek 3d graphics leading to a 2.5 d style of play the game was released in North America and Japan first before power regions received a game a month later the game was a huge hit with critics receiving positive reviews and multiple awards before the end of 2006 New Super Mario Bros was an even bigger hit with gamers the game went on to become the best-selling title for the Nintendo DS with over 30 million copies sold worldwide and spawning the very popular new super mario brothers spin-off series by the end of 2006 everyone wanted a Nintendo yes this included a young preteen who spent the last few years racking up countless hours on their Game Boy Advance on December 25th 2006 I woke up to a brand new Nintendo DS Lite under the Christmas tree alongside it were copies of Pokemon Ranger and pokemon mystery dungeon accompanied by a starter set that included some gang cases headphones and a carrying case the popular handheld had just joined another gamer and its influence which shaped me for years to come the D s was on top of the world throughout 2005 and 2006 with best-selling titles and a remodel of the system out on store shelves many wondered how much longer Nintendo would support the Game Boy Advance the failure of the Gameboy micro was the beginning of the end for Nintendo's long dominant handheld line a few big series would headline the system's lineup in 2005 with the Legend of Zelda diminished cap and Pokemon emerald version being critical and commercial successes 2006 on the other hand would see few notable titles outside of licensed games and ports mini developers were setting their sights on the Nintendo DS in Sony's PSP 2007 saw an even smaller amount of Game Boy Advance titles released samurai deeper kayo released on February 12 2008 in North America this marked the final title released for the Game Boy Advance in North America although Nintendo would not officially discontinued the system until 2010 with the Game Boy withering in late 2005 Nintendo began to focus much of their marketing towards their upcoming home console the Nintendo revolution the revolution like the Nintendo DS did not feature cutting-edge graphical power he relied on motion controls similar to the Nintendo DS's touchscreen and two screen capabilities the revolution later titled the weed would become a bastion for the casual gaming market but Nintendo tapped into this market months before the Wii with released in mid 2006 Nintendo introduced a new branding for many of their more casual gamer focused titles touched generations was launched thanks in part to the success of titles like Brain Age to bring more consumers on board with a Nintendo DS games under the touched generation spanner focused less on action or heavy plot with many of them fitting neatly into the genre of puzzle games touched generations launched alongside Big Brain Academy and magnetic ax on June 5th 2006 touched generations became a big success with Nintendo using the marketing moniker for some Wii titles like endless ocean reprints of older titles like Brain Age were updated with the branding as well while the titles attached to the touch generation branding were huge successes Nintendo decided against using them beyond the Nintendo DS and Wii era of games with the branding ending in 2011 before the launch of the Nintendo 3ds there was still plenty of great games coming to the Nintendo DS in late 2006 in early 2007 Castlevania received a new entry with portrait of ruin in December of 2006 Kirby made his platforming debut with Kirby squeeze squad and the main Pokemon series came to the handheld with Pokemon Diamond and Pearl another Nintendo DS series launched in February 2007 with Professor Layton in the curious village but one major Nintendo series had yet to come to the handheld in 2007 was going to change that at the Game Developers Conference in 2006 Nintendo revealed the next entry in their famous Legend of Zelda series for the Nintendo DS The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass featuring cel-shaded graphics and an overhead view phantom hourglass as developers had one goal in mind using the DSS capabilities to their fullest extent the game would use everything from drawing a path for your boomerang on the touch screen to targeting the course of your ship with the stylist to using the microphone and top screen for various puzzles fans wouldn't have to wait long The Legend of Zelda painting hourglass was slated for release later that year like with mini Zelda games great ambition takes time Nintendo later delayed the title out of 2006 and into 2007 for all territories Japan received the game first when it released in May of 2007 with other territories seeing a release in October of that year Nintendo heavily promoted the game upon launch even releasing a special edition Nintendo DS Lite alongside the game critical reception was positive for the title taking place after the events of The Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker link is tasked with rescuing tetra who went missing after entering a ghost ship on the high seas the entire game is controlled through the touchscreen with the player moving their stylist across the screen to dictate the direction link will move in combat is handled by tapping on enemies for link to strike with his sword Phantom Hourglass walked away with multiple awards by the end of 2007 including Nintendo DS game of the year from multiple let's gamers were excited for the title as well I said well on to sell more than 4 million copies worldwide it was the best-selling Legend of Zelda game for a handheld into the release of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3d in 2011 new iterations of multiple series hit the BS in 2007 and early 2008 including Castlevania Kirby advance wars Pokemon Fire Emblem and more new ideas and series were still coming to the system Square Enix released The World Ends With You on the Nintendo DS in July of 2007 the unique RPG won over many fans with its alternative art style and dual screen gameplay Square Enix supported the DS further with updated ports and remakes of some of their most beloved classic games including Chrono Trigger in 2008 and a full 3d remake of Final Fantasy 4 in 2007 one of the most unique games to come out during this time period was Guitar Hero on tour the Guitar Hero series was riding high in the late 2000s thanks to their unique guitar shaped controllers for the Nintendo DS the developers at Vicarious Visions created a new peripheral for the Nintendo DS that hooked up via the Gameboy feints port at the bottom of the system it featured the Guitar Hero series iconic button layout and at players strum on a digital guitar on the bottom screen while playing with a solid library of titles and continually high sales the DS was on top of the world for years nintendo dominated the mobile gaming market after knocking out its biggest competitors in the late 80s and early 90s no one seemed to be able to stop Nintendo even Sony whoo and into the console market in 1994 and beat back Nintendo's GameCube and Nintendo 64 couldn't compete with the Nintendo DS but things were about to change in June 2007 Apple revealed a new device of the world that would change more than just handheld gaming the iPhone a smartphone developed by Apple would be the catalyst of change for technology and entertainment the new cell phone offered a touchscreen similar to that with the Nintendo DS but required no stylus the phone was small and sleek it came with cellular services including calling and texting but the Trojan horse of the iPhone was the AppStore released along the first I phone the iOS App Store quickly changed the way many casual consumers played their games no longer were you required to bring an entirely separate system to entertain yourself on a commute to work or a quick restroom break well the app store housed many different programs games quickly caught fire on the service early hits like Angry Birds cut the rope and fruit ninja took the world by storm titles were simple quick and most importantly cheap usually only costing a few dollars games on the App Store were downloaded hundreds upon thousands of times compared to the typical 30 to 40 dollar release of a Nintendo DS game the App Store was an all-you-can-eat buffet big-name developers quickly jumped on board with EA Ubisoft Konami and more developing titles from their popular game series for the platform the mobile gaming way didn't start there as new smartphones quickly into the market alongside new products like Apple's iPad and iPod Touch these all-in-one devices cut into the handheld gaming market and left a big impact on the development of Nintendo's next iteration of the Nintendo DS in October of 2008 Nintendo unveiled their next version of the Nintendo DS known as the Nintendo DSi the DSi began development in late 2006 after the DS Lite was released Nintendo wanted to fix many of the complaints that people had about the original Nintendo DS while also including features that would become popular on other electronic devices in the coming years one early idea for the system was to include two separate card slots for Nintendo DS games so players wouldn't have to change their cartridges as often another idea was to release two different models of the handheld the other being a larger variation of the DSi while these features would be available on the standard DSi the new system did come with many new features the DSi included an SD card slot for storage this SD card could hold pictures taken by the DSi two cameras one on top of the system and the other being hidden within the clamshell hinges downloadable games are another huge addition by accessing the DSi where shop players had access to original games and downloadable content for existing software the DSi included various software applications as well including an Internet browser and DSi sound sound creation tool the DSi did come with one major omission from previous Nintendo DS systems Game Boy Advance games would no longer be a playable on the system as Nintendo omitted a separate slot for these titles the DSi launched in Japan in late 2008 before being released throughout the rest of the world in April of 2009 in North America the system retailed for a hundred and sixty $9.99 and came out the same day as the Nintendo published game Rhythm Heaven the improvements that the DSi brought to the table were praised by fans but many missed the Game Boy Advance cart slot as it affected many already released Nintendo DS titles like Guitar Hero in Pokemon Nintendo continued to pump out new games for the system throughout 2008 and 2009 with follow ups in the Legend of Zelda series and Mario and Luigi in March of 2009 Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto chinatown Wars one of the highest rated titles ever released for the Nintendo DS despite heavy competition from the PSP and mobile phones excellent titles we're still hitting Nintendo's dual-screen handheld in late 2006 Square Enix made a monumental announcement for RPG and Nintendo DS fans everywhere the next installment in the long-running Dragon Quest series would be coming exclusively to the Nintendo DS in 2007 historically the Dragon Quest series was released on Nintendo platforms before jumping ship to the PlayStation in the early 2000s the flagship RPG series was incredibly popular in Japan but always struggled to gain traction in the United States Dragon Quest 8 the previous entry in the series was the first to use the Dragon Quest title in North America with previous games using Dragon Warrior when many Western gamers may not have been too excited for a new Dragon Quest Japanese players celebrated the release of each new one with a lot of fanfare development for the title was rough despite being less powerful hardware than a previous entry in mid-2007 Square Enix announced that the title would be delayed into 2008 Dragon Quest 9 was shown in full at the Tokyo Game Show in 2008 although once again the title would be delayed the new release date was March 2009 but it wouldn't release until July 11th the launch of the ninth installment of the Dragon Quest series would see a spike in intended D s sales in Japan with over 2 million people pre-ordering the game by March of 2010 Dragon Quest 9 sold more than 4 million copies before being released in any other regions North America received the game in July of 2010 a year after Japan Dragon Quest 9 was released in PAL territories a few weeks later critical reception was high for the title and it managed to sell well outside its native country with around 1 million units shipped Dragon Quest 9 is the best-selling third-party release for the Nintendo DS and the 14 best-selling game on the system overall by the end of the 2000s the Nintendo DS was the most prominent gaming console on the market but it was beginning to show its age Nintendo's competitors wouldn't hold back for long and luckily a successor was already in the works it would only take Nintendo a year after the release of the DSi to launch their next iteration of the system the Nintendo DSi XL was revealed in October of 2009 with a Japanese launch following in November the DSi XL was originally planned to release alongside the regular DSi but time constraints caused the system to be delayed internally the DSi featured the same hardware as the regular DSi the posted larger screen for both the top and bottom of the handheld the DSi XL marked a turning point for Nintendo handhelds since the game was first introduced Nintendo's handheld consoles would receive revisions that made the system smaller and more compact this even carried over to their home consoles back in the 1990s Nintendo of America waited until the spring of 2010 before releasing the DSi XL the system retailed for 189 dollars and 99 cents the highest price point a Nintendo DS console would ever be sold for outside of special bundles well the larger screens were appreciated many critics and fans seem to agree that the system seemed unnecessary especially since the DS would soon be 6 years old for players who already had a DSi they were given the unfortunate news any of their downloaded games from DSiWare would have to be rebar on the DSi XL unenthusiastic support for the DSi XL and low sales led Nintendo to give a price cut to the DSi line of systems both the DSi and the DSi XL would receive a $20 price cut before the holidays in 2010 bringing the systems to a hundred and forty nine ninety nine and one hundred and sixty nine ninety nine respectively while the DSi XL saw stunted launched part of that could have been attributed to a major announcement Nintendo made just weeks before its launch announced via a press release on March 23rd 2010 Nintendo told the world of the true successor to the Nintendo DS the Nintendo 3ds was the company's next handheld and they would have more to say about it at e3 2010 while few details were available in the press release two major factors stood out one the Nintendo 3ds would be completely backwards compatible with Nintendo DS software two the system would offer glasses-free 3d 2010 saw fewer major Nintendo titles released for the DS as developers began to shift support to the upcoming 3ds however this didn't stop Big D's Titans from coming to the system pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver saw their North American release in early 2010 bringing into the franchise's fourth generation Nintendo published sequels in the Golden Sun and fossil fighters franchises graced the system as well as Fire Emblem new mystery of the emblem new mystery of the emblem is a remake of the third installment of the Fire Emblem franchise that originally released on the Super Famicom unlike previous firing room titles this one was only released in Japan third-party releases included shantae risky's revenge a DSiWare sequel to the Game Boy Color original demint gm2 and Ghost Trick phantom detective III 2010 would see the Nintendo DS being put on the backburner as its successor the 3ds was brought up for full display Nintendo made shirt has showcased the glasses-free 3d to as many people as possible during the conference while also highlighting the expanded power the 3ds offered much like the DSi and DSi XL the 3ds did not offer Game Boy Advance slot limiting certain games and accessories from the Nintendo DS library many features of the DS line of games would be available on the 3ds the system still featured two screens with the bottom screen being a touchscreen the microphone was still in place as well as the cameras from the DSi systems the button layout remained the same although the 3ds would include a circle pad for game movement it wouldn't take long for the 3ds to hit store shelves the 3ds released throughout quarter 1 of 2011 the North American launch of the 3ds came on March 27 2011 at a retail price of two hundred and forty nine dollars and ninety nine cents sales for the 3ds fell below expectations causing Nintendo to post another quarterly loss in June of 2011 in response there's three DS received a massive price cut of $70 bring the retail price of the new system to a hundred and sixty $9.99 within just six months after its launch with the 3ds be Nintendo's primary focus new games for the DS were few and far between in 2011 most of the notable games launched in early 2011 with many of them being localizations of titles already released in Japan radiant historia of Kama den pokemon black and white and many more managed to come out for the system despite more powerful hardware being available although they wouldn't see the same success as earlier released Nintendo DS titles Nintendo had one final game for the Nintendo DS with pokemon black and white 2 a sequel to the previous entries in the series black and white 2 launched only a year and a half later Japan received the games in June of 2012 with other territories getting it in the fall of 2012 it was the final first party release on the Nintendo DS new releases for the Nintendo DS slowed to a crawl by 2012 only 27 titles released for the system that year 2013 would be even worse as the system saw 11 new games mostly licensed titles and ports of already existing 3ds titles despite previous Nintendo systems receiving support from the company long after the release of their successors Nintendo ended their official support of the system in 2013 only two years after the launch of the 3d 2014 was the final year of new Nintendo DS games releasing with four new titles big hero six battle in the bay released on the Nintendo DS and 3ds on November 28th 2014 bringing an end to the DSS life almost 10 years after it released in North America while Nintendo ended support for the DS in 2013 the company quickly took the system's popularity to a new level in 2014 announced in late January of that year Nintendo DS games would be coming to the Wii U as part of the system's virtual console Nintendo DS titles wouldn't come out for a few more months on the Wii U with the first title brain age releasing in Japan in June of 2014 in total thirty-one Nintendo DS games came to the Wii U all of which were Nintendo published titles the Nintendo DS was more than just a successful game console Nintendo completely changed their marketing strategies with the release of the DS which led to the most successful period in the company's history the D s not only outsold its direct competitor the PSP but also held its own in a growing market of cheap downloadable titles for phones and other mobile devices over a hundred and fifty four million Nintendo DS's were sold during its reign atop the console market on the software side the Nintendo DS moved an astounding 948 million games with no digital distribution platform in place for much of the system's life all told the Nintendo DS is the best-selling handheld game console of all time and the second best-selling game system ever only being barely beaten by the PlayStation 2 it isn't hard to see why the Nintendo DS was an incredibly influential game console during my teenage years I currently own 6 Nintendo DS systems two of which came from my childhood I've walked thousands of hours across the various games released for the system one of my fondest memories was traveling with my mother to a game stop in April of 2007 where I purchased copies of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl before the Sunday morning church service four years later I returned to that same game stop to purchase pokemon black and white with my girlfriend who I would marry just a few years later the Nintendo DS was the ultimate companion for a young dumb kid long car trips were simply a chance to dive into whatever games the system had on offer I played by Diaz so much that the hinges on my first one broke requiring a replacement desperate to play more pokemon i used scotch tape and an attempt to play my system it didn't work I wasn't the only one in the house with the DS as my sister and brother both received the system after I did we had a lot of fun playing Mario Kart DS and Mario Party DS together over the years the DS was the only system that we were all able to truly bond together with as my siblings generally preferred more casual gaming experiences while I still lived at home even in high school when gaming wasn't exactly cool I continued playing my DS countless RPGs graced my cartridge slot in the late 2000s in early 2010 it's the system that I first played Chrono Trigger on my favorite game of all time I packed my DS on any trip I had to make I even snuck it into my pocket for my first high school dance I never played it there but it was just nice to have the system with me eventually it came time to retire my PS on Christmas morning 2011 I opened the box to a brand new Nintendo 3ds much like I did five years earlier with my D s light while a system itself was retired I continued to play Nintendo DS games on my 3ds to this day I've bought more DS games as an adult with my collection nearing a hundred different titles to say the least the Nintendo DS was one of the most impactful game systems I've ever had and I look forward to making new memories with the countless classics I still haven't played thank you for watching if you enjoyed the video be sure to leave a like and subscribe to this channel to catch the next video as soon as it releases in the comments let me know what game game console or gaming event you would like for me to cover on this channel and once again thank you for watching [Music]

Channel: Double Dog

Views: 66,598

Rating: 4.9289775 out of 5

Keywords: Nintendo, DS, 3DS, Wii, Pokemon, Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing, Sony, PSP, Apple, Iphone, retrospective, documentary

Id: kJhyowrWXB8

Length: 44min 2sec (2642 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 28 2020