Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS is a handheld game console manufactured by Nintendo released worldwide in 2004 and 2005. DS, short for Developer System or Dual Screen, brings a distinctive new feature to handheld gaming: two LCD screens working in tandem. (bottom - touch screen), built-in microphone and wireless support. Both screens are made in the form of a clamshell, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP. The Nintendo DS also allows multiple DS consoles to communicate directly with each other via Wi-Fi over a short distance without the need to connect to an existing wireless network. Alternatively, they could interact online using the now-defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Sony was its main competitor.
Prior to its release, the Nintendo DS was positioned as an experimental "third pillar" in the Nintendo console line, meant to complement the Game Boy Advance and GameCube family. However, backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance games and strong sales eventually made it the successor to the Game Boy series. On March 2, 2006, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Lite, a thinner and lighter modification of the original Nintendo DS with brighter screens and a longer battery life. On November 1, 2008, Nintendo released the Nintendo DSi, another redesign with several hardware improvements and new features, although it lost backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance games and several DS games that used the GBA slot. On November 21, 2009, Nintendo released the Nintendo DSi XL, a larger version of the DSi.
The Nintendo DS sold 154.02 million units in total, making it the best-selling Nintendo system, the best-selling handheld game console to date, and the second best-selling game console of all time behind the Sony PlayStation 2. In February 2011, the Nintendo DS was replaced by the Nintendo 3ds.