Why Don‘t They Sell DS Anymore?

The Nintendo DS product line, comprised of the original 2004 DS, the slick 2006 DS Lite revision, 2008‘s DSi, and the beginner-friendly 2DS in 2013, has been discontinued worldwide as of 2020 with over 154 million systems sold. Nintendo has ceased production on their once monumentally successful dual-screen handheld to focus efforts on the Nintendo Switch hybrid device instead.

Considering the DS family‘s positive commercial reception and the affection gamers still hold for it, why would Nintendo ever stop selling it? As with any piece of gaming hardware, the DS had a product life cycle that inevitably came to an end. We‘ll analyze the changing mobile gaming landscape that made the DS obsolete, how the Switch met handheld players‘ needs going forward, and the legacy left by one of the most pivotal consoles ever released.

The Unstoppable Juggernaut Brought Low by Mobile Gaming

Upon launch in 2004/2005, the Nintendo DS family of systems became an instant sales phenomenon thanks to its innovative dual LCD screens – one touchable bottom screen, and a standard top display. By featuring two display surfaces that supported novel gameplay concepts, the DS felt decisively next-generation. Nintendo‘s gambit paid off; shoppers turned up in droves excited by the fresh form factor and experiences never before seen on Game Boy.

But the seeds were also sown for the DS line‘s discontinuation at its birth – it turned handheld gaming into a mainstream cultural force. Smartphones capable of running inexpensive games were emerging simultaneously with the DS‘s rise to ubiquity.

Prior to the DS, mobile gaming was a crude compromise compared to dedicated devices. The DS proved customers did want premium on-the-go gameplay. Its wild success undoubtedly influenced Apple and Google to vigorously pursue games for early iOS and Android phones.

While the DS line continued strongly with each hardware revision over its lifespan, seeing over 50+ million systems sold for both the DS original and DS Lite, the threat to its dominance grew steadily in the form of ever-improving iOS and Android titles.

Consider key turning points:

• 2007: iOS platform with games launches
• 2008: Google Play Store enabled distributions for Android games
• 2011: Nintendo 3DS launched to soft initial sales due to $250 starting price point

The 3DS struggled at launch for affordability reasons, yes. But Nintendo likely expected their brand cachet and 3D display tech to overcome sticker shock the way DS had for $149 in 2004. Unfortunately mobile gaming quality had scaled up massively since then. Combined with economic sluggishness from 2008‘s financial crisis, the 3DS‘s early days were its worst.

But in the big picture view? The 3DS represented the DS line‘s last hurrah before Nintendo surrendered portable gaming hardware to smartphones. iOS and Android titles were incrementally matching or exceeding the depth, polish, and visuals of historic handheld franchises thanks to relentless hardware advancements. Customer expectations and buying power shifted towards mobile games reaching near-console quality by 2013.

Once the 3DS gained momentum on price cuts and quality content, the DS family enjoyed a few more solid years before Nintendo bowed out of the dedicated handheld market in 2014. Still, the lineup‘s best times were past as the public gravitated to gaming on phones instead.

The Switch Lights the Way Forward

Ultimately, Nintendo recognized their future didn‘t lie with portable-only hardware but converged home and mobile gaming devices. Enter the Nintendo Switch in 2017 – a literal game-changer. The Switch provided seamless gameplay at home or on-the-go thanks to its docking tablet design. This unified platform approach was where Nintendo regained footing in the marketplace, not chasing Apple and Google‘s phone specs anymore.

It‘s unexpected yet logical in hindsight that the company which pioneered mainstream handhelds via Game Boy and DS would next revolutionize gaming‘s future with a hybrid switch-hitting console. DS laid the commercial groundwork of players embracing premium portable games that the Switch built upon.

The Switch performed the final rites for DS as it represented the best of both worlds – big-screen living room gaming and immediate anywhere mobility in a single affordable package with no compromises. Everything about the Switch was forward-thinking unity compared to the fractured mobile/console divide DS languished in as phones got better.

So the Switch essentially cannibalized the separate portable business. By 2017, there was minimal reason to sustain the DS line when the Switch delivered its obvious strengths plus big-screen home console quality.

The Subsequent Impact of the Fantastic DS

The Nintendo DS product line‘s tremendous global success fundamentally changed how the games industry approached portability in ways that still echo. The original DS took a daring chance on dual screens in 2004 that catalyzed momentum which still hasn‘t stopped. Yes, mobile gaming has been altered permanently thanks to seeds planted by DS too.

Over 154 million systems sold yielded these watershed accomplishments:

• Mainstreaming portable gaming beyond niche Game Boy fans
• Opening demographic pipelines beyond young boys such as older and female players
• Establishing the validity of touch controls and stylus input
• Proving customers craved innovative features like a second screen, cameras, and connectivity
• Pioneering local wireless multiplayer capabilities well before smartphones
• Inspiring publishers to invest seriously in dedicated mobile development

Breakout first-party franchises propelled several to span decades since their DS inception:

• Nintendogs
• Mario Kart DS
• New Super Mario Bros
• Brain Age games

The DS hardware even knee-capped Sony‘s competing PlayStation Portable by decisively winning that generation. And DS‘s industrial design and interface advances clearly influenced Apple‘s early iPhone models between both firms‘ successes.

Ultimately the DS‘s real legacy is validating mobile games as a blockbuster market through excellent games and fresh mechanics ahead of its time. The DS line made portable play exciting again for millons when Game Boy‘s relevance was fading. After the DS family‘s incredible streak, no one sees mobile titles as lesser anymore.

Fondly Remembering My Favorite DS Moments

On a personal note, some all-time favorite gaming moments of my life happened on DS. It felt magical using the stylus to direct puppies in Nintendogs everywhere I went. Mario Kart DS exemplified the benefits of local wireless multiplayer – I‘ll never forget fierce schoolyard player-versus-player races. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars displayed Rockstar‘s immense effort tailoring their adult flagship franchise expertly for Nintendo‘s quirky handheld. And Advance Wars: Days Of Ruin kept me glued to my DS Lite for dozens of hours perfecting turn-based strategies on commutes, all thanks to the tactile second screen.

I could reminisce for ages about standout DS games I invested so much time enjoying. That itch is somewhat scratched today when Nintendo ports DS classics like Mario Party DS or Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass to Switch Online. But direct ports lack the two-display magic I remember. I sincerely hope Nintendo explores programming an authentic DS emulator someday for the Switch to let these games shine again natively.

My three babies are stored safely for that day – both my launch-edition DS and special Kingdom Hearts-branded DS Lite, plus a Flame Red New 2DS XL. All early pitstops along Nintendo‘s winding portable journey to their hybrid horizon. The Nintendo DS line marked when handheld play became cool rather than kid stuff, living on through fans‘ collections and memories.