4 Reasons why you absolutely need a Nintendo DS in 2023

The Nintendo DS was Nintendo’s most successful handheld. It was Nintendo’s first foray into mainstream online multiplayer and it was a pioneer for touch screen gaming.

But now that the Nintendo DS is almost twenty years old, it has been cast aside into the used bin of retro stores. The young boys and girls who had one have all grown up and purchased Nintendo Switches. You might even be tempted to think the dual screen beast is irrelevant now that we have the powerful Nintendo Switch dominating the portable scene. While no one is going to the DS for cutting edge technology, the newest games, or superior internet connectivity there are some very good reasons to play it today.

1. Dirt Cheap

Go to any retro game store and look for a PSP, PSP Vita, Gameboy Advance, or Gameboy Color and you will be forking out at least $100 bucks. The Nintendo DS, on the other hand, has always been around $50-$100. Its supply and demand has brought the price much lower. If you go online you might find one for $20 in the Facebook Marketplace. The Nintendo DS is dirt cheap and the games are surprisingly affordable. I was able to purchase a $50 DS Lite, 4 DS games, and a GBA game for less than $150. The Nintendo DS came out with over 1000 games plus the Gameboy Advance library so it is not hard to get a beefy collection under a budget.

2. No Region Lock

Japan and Europe has always been a mystery to us American gamers. We hear about them making unique and rare games and we have never had a chance to play them. That ends with the Nintendo DS. It has no region lock so any DS game around the world is fair game. If I can’t find a U.S. copy for a price I like I can pick up the Japanese version for a bit cheaper. I ordered One Piece: Gigant Battle 1 and 2 for $8. I can get the Japan exclusive Dragon Ball Z: Kai Ultimate Butoden and not have to worry about compatibility issues. The same goes for the Gameboy Advanced library.