Weird, so the DS is 20 in November. Feels so so weird, it doesn't seem like I was 7 when I got the DS, felt like I had the GBA for years and years before I got my hands on the DS. Time is bizarre
All my siblings and a few cousins had a ds. Those times we were at birthday parties and all played ds together were really some of the greatest gaming memories i have
Good luck playing them, since the eShop is gone and each cartridge runs you 40 bucks at least. I was a loyal Nintendo customer for over a decade. I heard about the eShop going down 3 months after it happened, so I lost all the games I purchased on their store forever. I won't buy another Nintendo game again, but I'll get back what I paid for through modding. The new games suck anyways (Pokemon especially).
Many years ago, I accidentally executed a cheat code whilst fighting the police, and I suddenly found myself shooting down a helicopter with a minigun which came out of thin air 😂 So I accidentally discovered "cheat codes". How's that for a gamer moment?
The DS Lite battery is ABSOLUTELY OUT OF THIS PLANET. I kept my original DS in storage for almost 3 years while I was at university. I remember taking it out and powering it on. It had like full battery! I was blown away! Usually I go through phases of not picking up my DS Lite for months at a time. Whenever I pick it up and power it on, it holds its charge.
Mine were still alive but for some reason all 3 of them had really bad touch screen calibration now. They were fine the last time I used them but suddenly ALL of them suck. Idk what the hell happened
Ngl i think the Dsi's battery life is even better Also it helps that the dsi charger was used for future handhelds which was convenient, while i had to jam a mini usb charger on the ds lite lol
Even the 3DS, that runs more powerful games, has a great battery. I accidentaly left mine on (closed) for 2 days straight, and it hadn't made a dent on the battery. It's kinda bonkers when you compare it to a modern cellphone, that just drains its battery for... existing lol
I doub't you don't have one already but I highly recommend getting a DSi XL. This is so comfortable for big adult hands. I have not made any calculations but it feels even more spacious than even a New 3DS XL. And it's still easy to carry around. Just talking about it makes me want to pick it up again (which I may do right after I finished this comment) Oh and a modern video comparing all DS and 3DS models would be amazing !
Plus there's a program for the DS lite, DSi, and the 3DS out there called Twilight Menu, which lets you run up to 16 different kinds of emulators and mod your games! I used this back then to move my Pokemon saves and I'm glad I did. The Dsi and the 3DS are easier to set up due to them both having a SD card slot. But the DS lite is just as good.
@garburias DS and 3DS can play them natively. And so can the DSi... kinda. Unlike the 3DS, Nintendo never made an official way to play GBA games on the DSi. And it's weird, because the GBA hardware is still in it, AND it would've been perfect for the DSi Shop!! So people had to figure out their own way to play their GBA titles natively. I'm sure you've heard of GBA runner 2 and it utilises the GBA hardware in the system! For reasons I don't know tho, compatibility isn't perfect, and I have no idea why this could be. I'm assuming it's like Nintendont on Wii U, I saw a comment from a developer of the homebrew, saying the devs had to make codes for each GameCube game to make it run properly on the system
I think if you can only have one, the OG3ds has all of the advantages you mentioned the Lite having while also having an additional library of games, not to mention installing games right to console with CFW instead of needing the r4. Lite is sweet though, the screen is crispy for sure
I have it, it’s so fun, albeit prone to hand cramping. But the great part is when I bought a second guitar hero ds game after already having 1, it was dirt cheap because it’s useless without the dongle 😂 literally a dollar But I already had the thingy so I was set
Just found a steal deal from Facebook second hand market place, a full black ds lite near mint condition with a red perfect hardcase for only $13 😅 MY DEAR GOD
Insane deal. I've been buying them up on Ebay for $35-$45 each and even for that price, I can't believe how cheap they are considering they're pretty much a Gameboy Advance AGS-101 with better ergonomics, better battery, 2 screens AND plays the entire DS game library. It's insane how slept on the DS Lite is. They'll definitely be $150 each again 1 day, so we gotta stock up while they're cheap.
Appreciate you putting this video out. I figured out it was a scam when I first started getting ads, but I hate that these and TEMU ads come up in high volume, the subsidy scam more than TEMU.
The DS's screen is only 256x192, so you can't emulate NES and SNES games without vertical cropping/scaling. It's great for GBA, GBC and DS games but the limited RAM and vertical screen space keeps me from recommending it as an"emulation device" 3DS is a much better choice imo, batteries usually last longer, screens are brighter, way more RAM and CPU for homebrew (especially N3DS), and you have enough pixels to play home console games without scaling or cropping
@54356776 he specifically mentions emulation in the video? I was also thinking "why not just get a 3ds" since you can just load the games on the internal SD and not have to keep an extra piece of hardware
@@danimals2000 He's comparing it to retro handhelds and emulation. It scratches that retro itch. DS games are better on an actual DS and it's way easier to just get a flashcard. Each to their own I guess. I have both but I use the 3ds for 3ds and virtual console games and some DS games that play better on 3ds because of the circle pad. Mario 64 mainly.
@@54356776 that's fair enough, I have a non-xl n3DS and it's perfect for playing DS games through Twilightmenu++, feels the exact same as doing it on a lite. Playing on real hardware is definitely 1000x better than a pc emulator though
But doesn’t the 3Ds give DS games a weird fuzzy effect? I know it’s barely noticeable but still I’d rather play ds games on a ds or dsi and they look better.
I own 4 ds lites. I love them, they’re not only great consoles but 4 of them means that my siblings and I can do some of the great multiplayer games that the ds has to offer.
One of the best highlights about the DS that people rarely mention, is the download play. With just one copy of something like Mario Kart DS or Mario Party DS, you could play those with multiple DS systems even if they don't have a copy.
There are several games that have been translated into English if you have a R4. A great example is Tales Of Innocence and it's what I have been playing on the DS lately. There are some games that are focused on using the touchscreen that you can't get the same experience on emulators, such as Summon Night Twin Age. For those who don't have a Nintendo Switch but like the Megaman spinoffs, they have several collections on a single cartridge (like the Megaman Zero and Battle Network series). I plan on keeping my DS Lite and New 3DS XL as it is difficult to replace it.
I've been telling people for years that one of the best on-the-go combos is a DS Lite with an R4 card and an EZFlash Omega, which comes with a shell that fits perfectly flush into the bottom slot.
I picked one of these up for $18 on Ebay. I had to replace the shoulder buttons with new switches which required some soldering, but it was beginner-level soldering at best and was not a big deal at all. Now it works great and it even has the original battery which still holds a decent charge all these years later. There are listings for these things in the $20-30 range all the time. I'd encourage anyone to pick one up before those prices start going up. They're easy to service and replacement parts for them aren't expensive at all. New screens are like $15 a piece, so you could probably find a DS Lite with bad screens for dirt cheap and then drop another $30 on a new set of screens that just slot right in like normal. Same goes for buttons, membranes and shells.
I agree, I was a PC gamer for a long time, and the first console I got was a DS Lite in 2022, it's an amazing console and it sparked a love for handhelds in me. 2 years later, I rarely leave my home for an extended period of time without my Switch!
I used to have an r4 ds cartridge as a kid, my brother used to tell me it would ruin the full gaming experience for me, but it only got me even more into gaming
The battery is so amazing like you guys said. I got a DS back in 2021 because I've never had one and everyone said they had one as a kid =(( and how fun it was. I never had one. BUT WHEN I GOT MINE, IT WAS SO AMAZING!!!! I LOVE IT!! I have so many charms on it and stickers!!! The library of games is probably more massive than any I've seen, and you can bring it anywhere and play. I don't like how the switch is huge and obnoxious, I like the small and simple! I have a custom made pink and white one! =333
I had one, then my brother put a Thomas the Tank Engine sicker on it; I didn't like it, so I tried washing it off in the sink. 💀 Learned a lesson that day
Yep, it was the time when i used the hardware to overwork that poor console until my R4 stopped working and i didn't had any games to backup, from that moment i started buying everything original, but using the DS as a multimedia player + videogame console was amazing at the time.
Being my first gaming system, the DS is my favorite system by a long shot. The memories of grinding through Pokémon diamond, pearl, heart gold, and soul silver, black and white, and black and white 2 just can’t ever be beat. No system can ever beat the memories I made on that thing
The DS Lite is legit one of my all time favourite pieces of tech, it’s such a gorgeous design, supports two of Nintendo’s most imposing game libraries, and does not need any kind of modding or tinkering. It’s ALREADY as good as that generation of handheld could have possibly been. Love my DS Lite so much man, I don’t play that thing nearly enough
Got a DSi XL, I never had the XL when I was a kid, and never played a ton of the DS library, but for a pretty reasonable price and a bit of hacking (a very easy job) I got the whole library at my fingertips, my childhood favorite franchises, Kirby and Pokemon, plus games I never played but are great like Castlevania.
i turned 18 today, i’ve had this console for the longest i can remember and i grew up with it. I still play it almost daily to this day and it works like a charm ! (i gotta replace the L trigger tho)
The DSL is great, but it's the DSI XL that takes the cake for me, still by miles the best handheld available, thanks to those nearly 5 inch dual 4:3 IPS displays, really nice audio quality from the speakers, but most importantly, immaculate audio from the HP jack, thanks to the decent DAC & AMP, the best D-Pad on a handheld ever good buttons and triggers, very accurate touch screen on the bottom, and of course the game library, probably the biggest and most expansive on any handheld, add in a flashcard, and you have GBA, GBC & GB game compatibility natively with beautiful enhanced chiptune audio, and you also have some great DSiWare games, plus some fantastic homebrew games and ports of Amiga, DOS, MAC computer games such as the best point & click games ever made, and did I mention it also has amazing MIDI & Chiptune hardware built in too so you can make some really nice beats, there is even an official Korg Synth track music make software cartridge available. My fave DS game has to be Retro Game Challenge, ad its sequel is even better, and now has an English translated version available, also love Sonic Colours, a totally different game to the Wii game of the same name, both are fantastic games, but the DS game is the better game imo.
My mom got me something like this when i was a kid. Had a ton of games, and then cheats installed on the cartridge for all of the games. I played Pokémon Diamond on that soooo much 😂
Its sad how the Nintendo DSi always gets overlooked sure it doesn't have the gba cartridge slot but it can hold a SD card and you can install CFW on it and load your fav games from the SD card without any R4 Cards. I really love the DSi
It's a cute little package but I wish it had enough vertical pixels for SNES/NES emulation. I hacked mine last year but immediately went back to my 3DS
@@54356776 last time i checked it out was a couple of years ago, and back then it had some pretty severe layering issues. mightve been fixed by now though
I wish retro gaming companies would make ds style handheld or even psp go type handheld I would definitely love to see red magic or rog make there own surface duo devices
Having all the Nintendo systems since the SNES. I have to say the DS lite is the best original DS. I love my gold Zelda DS lite. Playing Pokemon platinum at the moment which is crazy that you’re bringing this up now. 😂.
I had a DS Lite, a 3DS XL and an old school 2DS. I sold all but the 2DS. It's more comfortable. Better resolution than the DS Lite and still runs the R4.
My parents got me a white DS Lite that I protected like my life depended on it. When I took it to my parents after my sister accidently broke it, they shared a look of "OH Shit 😳" and took me to the store the next day. I got the Pink one next ❤
I got a ds lite yesterday after looking for one for months and found it at a little store in my town for 9usd, it was dirty, but barely had any scratches, and the biggest problem was some black lines on the bottom screen, so it was a perfect time to do a deep clean since I was gonna open it up anyways
Was that the one that you had purchase as a cart? I remember seeing that advertised. Although the DS was personally a pain to get online anyway, because of the outdated WEP protocol.
as far as I remember I had an R4 card and got a browser from an external source (not THE Nintendo Browser, didn't know it exist Back then). As you said it didn't work properly because of compatibility issues. Even google wouldn't want to display correctly. It was so fascinating to have Internet on the go, Lol. Now Look today..
Have no background as well with owning a Nintendo handheld (other than using friends consols) but that reaction on 18... Want to say you get used to it ...but am born in 1983, and am still mind boogled that some of the newer retro/vintage is from my childhood (and yes, I am tempted to dive in to the world of emulating so thanks for sharing!)
Finally someone gives the ds lite the credit it deserves. However, he missed the biggest upside to owning a ds lite: the gameboy advance slot It was my first DS and I'm so glad I still have it
My sister destroyed my OG DS and I bought a lite because they were super cheap and I wanted to still play animal crossing. So I have a mint onyx DS Lite still working perfect to this day.
Aside from price, I just don't see why you'd ever choose a DS over a 3DS. The 3DS has the same library, plus more, and also works with the R4 card. Not to mention you can also fully homebrew it, unlocking even more options through emulation like SNES and earlier, as well as fun stuff like free community made themes. So as far as I can tell, the DS is the objectively worse option. It simply offers less.
My 1 memory i have is from middle school...we were playing the 4 swords anniversary edition...we played that shit all lunch and we got to vati the final boss and we were just throwing each other into him yelling " SACRIFICE TO THE WIND GOD"...god and playing pokemon diamond with my friend who had pearl in my science class was so fun
I got a ds lite with the Susan b komen pink ribbon on it and it looks nice and is a super unique little thing to have, definitely one of the highlights of my collection even if it isn’t the most valuable.
The ds lite was always my favorite... until I found out you can use the dsi and put all your games on an sd card. If I didn't use it for modding I'd say the ds lite is the best ds. Gameboy advance sp is the best handheld though.
I'm completely in the opposite position. Because I don't have nostalgia for the DS I find it's not even the best way to play its own games any longer, let alone the systems it is capable of emulating. The little perks of emulation, such have save states, have really made me stick to it rather than original hardware.
i actually have a 2ds xl. turned it in to get fixed, the top screen was broken for over a year maybe even two. hoping that the screen they get isn't broken again so i can play with it again.
