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Which Nintendo DS to buy?
In 2004, the wonderful Nintendo DS entered the portable console market. Sooner or later, after playing all the new games, you'll want to try the old and good DS games. However, if you haven't been following Nintendo's products closely, you might be surprised to find out that there are 4 different versions of the Nintendo DS.
In this article, we will talk about their differences and try to decide with you which Nintendo DS to choose. And no, the logic of "I'll take the latest model, it must be the best" won't work here!
Please note that the Nintendo 3DS consoles are the next generation, not an upgrade of the Nintendo DS.
Video Review
What you need to know about Nintendo DS in 2022?
In this video, I tried to answer all the questions you might have. I'll show you how these consoles differ. Why they turned out the way they did. What their pros and cons are. Which console to buy. What regional restrictions exist, whether you can change the system language, and much more.
Nintendo DS
This is the very first Nintendo DS, released in 2004. This console is often called the Nintendo DS Fat or the chubby one.
Read more about the development history of the Nintendo DS in the article: «History of Nintendo DS».
This name didn't appear by chance; it is indeed thick and extremely inconvenient, which is its biggest drawback.
It has very large dimensions:
Length: 84.6 mm
Width: 149.00 mm
Thickness: 28.7 mm
Just look, it's almost as thick as a matchbox!
And of course, you can't carry this console in your pocket.
And size is not its only drawback; this version of the Nintendo DS has the worst screen. It has only one brightness mode (backlight on or off, and this is perhaps its minor plus: you can play in the sun) and extremely poor viewing angles:
Moreover, it has the worst battery life.
However, there are also pluses:
It can play not only Nintendo DS games but also Game Boy Advance games. And it plays them not through an emulator but through real hardware. It has an additional old processor that handles old games. It has two physical slots for cartridges. And the Game Boy Advance cartridge fits completely into its slot without sticking out!
It doesn't have an "operating system" as such; you can't flash it to play any games from a memory card. But for both cartridge slots, there are Flash cartridges where you can insert a memory card and play from them. (We are strictly against piracy, but besides pirated games, there are many different "homebrew" projects).
Verdict: It's not worth buying in any case (only for collection).
Nintendo DS ML
Sometime in 2022, the Nintendo DS ML console will hit the market.
This is the original console, but in a custom (Chinese) casing. Essentially, its creators took apart the Nintendo DS Fat, took the motherboard board and screens, and then put it all into a new case.
Read more about this console in the article, «Nintendo DS ML Review».
Nintendo DS Lite
This is the second console in the Nintendo DS series, released in 2006.
Read more about the development history of the Nintendo DS Lite in the article: «History of Nintendo DS Lite».
Read more about the Nintendo DS Lite in the article: «Review of Nintendo DS Lite».
And this is indeed a convenient console. Unlike the first console, it has a normal thickness and good dimensions:
Length: 73.9 mm
Width: 133.00 mm
Thickness: 21.5 mm
In addition, it has normal screen viewing angles, a brighter screen with 4 backlight modes, and improved battery life.
It's noticeably smaller; you can already put it in your pocket and carry it around, but we personally wouldn't recommend doing that, as it might get scratched.
It has only two drawbacks:
1. Its own charger, which is only compatible with this version of the console;
2. The GBA cartridge sticks out of the slot.
Verdict: This is a worthy version of the console for DS games; it has support for Game Boy Advance games and an excellent screen.
Nintendo DSi
This is the third version of the Nintendo DS. This console was released in 2008, and it is fundamentally different from the first two.
Read more about the development history of the Nintendo DSi in the article: «History of Nintendo DSi».
Read more about the Nintendo DSi in the article: «Review of Nintendo DSi».
First of all, it removed support for Game Boy Advance games. However, it added support for DSi games (As of 2021, the DSiWare Shop online store is closed, and only 5 cartridge games were released, so to play anything else, you need to hack it).
The Nintendo DSi added a memory card slot, which means this console can be flashed. Additionally, it has 2 cameras. Front and rear.
Its dimensions are generally similar to the Nintendo DS Lite:
Length: 74.9 mm
Width: 137.00 mm
Thickness: 18.9 mm
It's a bit larger and a bit thinner than the Nintendo DS Lite.
Its screens are 8.26 cm in size, and they are slightly larger than those on the Nintendo DS Lite.
A quite viable option for purchase if you don't need support for Game Boy Advance games and don't want a larger version of the same console.
Nintendo DSi XL
The last version of the console in the Nintendo DS series.
Read more about the development history of the Nintendo DSi XL in the article: «History of Nintendo DSi XL».
Read more about the Nintendo DSi XL in the article: «Review of Nintendo DSi XL».
It differs from the previous Nintendo DSi console in size:
Length: 91.4 mm
Width: 161.00 mm
Thickness: 21.2 mm
The screen size has also been increased to 10.67 cm. The only drawback (for me personally) is that the pixels themselves are enlarged and they slightly strain the eyes.
Moreover, this console has IPS screens!
And as the cherry on top, this console came with an enlarged stylus ;)
Verdict: If you have poor eyesight (or just want to play on a big screen) and you carry a bag or a jacket with large pockets, then this console is for you.
What is Nintendo DS LL?
It's just the Japanese name for Nintendo DS XL; in Japan, all XL-sized consoles come with the LL abbreviation (New Nintendo 2DS LL, Nintendo 3DS LL, and New Nintendo 3DS LL).
Buttons
Special attention should be paid to the console's buttons.
I'm used to paying attention to buttons only if they don't press well or if there's some other problem with them. So I would never have noticed the difference if I hadn't read about it in reviews of the console.
The Nintendo DS family of consoles uses two different types of buttons.
For general understanding: a button consists of three parts: the plastic overlay that you press directly, the rubber underneath that compresses and pushes the button back, and at the very bottom, there's the contact pad.
So, in Nintendo DS consoles, this contact pad is implemented differently. There are two options: in the first, when you press the button, the conductive rubber clamps the contacts on the pad, and the console understands that the button is pressed, while in the second, the contact pad is a ready-made button, and when you press the rubber, it presses the button.
Compare how the D-pad is implemented on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite consoles.
You can see that small buttons are installed on the left, while on the right, it's just a contact pad.
The main difference between these options lies in the difference in the feel when pressing the button. In the case where the button is a contact pad, you don't feel anything. You just press the button, the rubber clamps the contacts, and that's it (this type of button is used in the Game Boy Advance and Old Nintendo 2DS consoles). But in the case where the button is an actual button, you feel a click when pressing it (this type of button is used in the GBA SP and all Nintendo 3DS family consoles, except for the Old 2DS). The difference isn't very big, but in terms of feel, the option with the button and click feels more pleasant and clear.
If we take all the consoles in the Nintendo DS family, in the Nintendo DS Lite, the button is implemented as a contact pad, and it doesn't have a click, while in all other versions, the button is an actual button with a clear click.
And one more important point. The Nintendo DS Lite has a long button travel, while all other consoles have short button travel. Compare how high the buttons stick out in the NDS Lite (white console in the photo) and how low the buttons protrude in the NDSi (black console in the photo).
Regional restrictions and language settings
All Nintendo DS games (not NDSi games) are region-free!
The Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite consoles themselves are also region-free.
However, the Nintendo DSi has region locking for DSi games. Please note, only for DSi games.
Moreover, the region locking for DSi games will also apply if you run them on a Nintendo 3DS.
Another point, iQue DS (iQue DS Lite, iQue DSi and iQue DSi XL) – these are also original consoles, only released for the Chinese market, and they have Chinese language built-in.
In iQue DSi and iQue DSi XL (iQue did not release an iQue DSi XL version), there is no way to switch the system language, but in iQue DS and iQue DS Lite, you can do this - they definitely have English.
In the end, what to buy?
To understand what to buy, you need to answer a few questions.
1. Do you need support for Game Boy Advance cartridges?
2. Do you need support for DSi games?
3. What to buy if you want maximum capabilities?
1. If you need support for Game Boy Advance cartridges, then the best choice is to buy a Nintendo DS Lite. It's convenient, small, and the only downside is that the Game Boy Advance cartridge will stick out of the slot, but that's not critical.
2. If you need support for DSi games (and you're not interested in Game Boy Advance games), then I recommend you buy a Nintendo DSi XL (or if you want a more portable console, then buy a Nintendo DSi).
3. And if you need maximum capabilities, then you might want to consider the Nintendo 3DS.
For example, you can buy a very beautiful Japanese Nintendo 3DS:
And get everything that the Nintendo DSi has, but with the addition of 3DS games. However, there are some downsides here: black bars on the sides (DS games are smaller in width) and slightly blurrier images (I even prefer it when the pixels aren't visible). The only downside is that if you buy a Japanese version, you'll have to flash it because the language on the Japanese 3DS cannot be changed.
Moreover, in our VK group, there was a vote for the best Nintendo DS, and here are the results:
