The Handheld Console of our Generation: The Nintendo DS
On March 2, 2006, arguably the greatest handheld console of our generation was released in Japan: The Nintendo DS Lite. I’m sure many of us owned this nostalgic handheld console when we were kids. It retailed for $99.99 and was small, portable, and light -- it was in every way an improvement to the last generation of DS which was big and bulky. Its main defining feature was of course, its two screens with one touch screen, but still improved upon the previous generation by slimming down and featured a brighter screen and longer battery life. In addition, of course the DS Lite was compatible with original DS games, but it could now also play Gameboy Advance games through the slot on the bottom. Such backwards compatibility was not unlike other consoles Nintendo would eventually release such as the Wii, which was actually capable of playing Gamecube games. Future handheld consoles in the DS lineup such as the DSi and 3DS would also be capable of playing previous generation games.
Arguably, one of the reasons the DS Lite was such a success was due to former Director Satoru Iwata’s quality control. For such a small device, the DS Lite was extremely durable and was capable of withstanding a lot of abuse. My DS Lite for one, “might” have dropped into the toilet at some point in its lifespan and incredibly, it still works to this day. Mr. Iwata had designed the DS Lite with this sort of abuse in mind. In fact, the original DS was designed to handle multiple drops from 1.5 meters, or the typical height of an adult’s breast pocket.
Finally, it’s time to talk about the fun stuff. The Nintendo DS Lite influenced the development of many iconic video games titles. I hope many of us have played at least one of the following titles during our childhoods: Mario Kart DS, Super Mario Bros DS, Pokemon Diamond, Platinum, and Pearl, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Nintendogs, and Rhythm Heaven. I’m sorry to say that I have not fed or bathed my dog in probably around 10 years. Jokes aside, these iconic games still evoke countless nostalgic memories of playing games late at night and to that, we have to thank Satoru Iwata.
Unfortunately, Mr. Satoru Iwata passed away in 2015, but whether you’re trading Pokemon with your friends, talking to them over PictoChat, or trying to pay off Tom Nook’s crippling mortgage, we should all thank Mr. Iwata for leaving our generation with a lifetime of beautiful memories.
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