gremlin.neocities

The DS Legacy

The Nintendo DS was and still is a relatively cheap way to get into handheld gaming. It's main selling points compared to it's contemporaries was it's game library, backwards compatibility, online multiplayer, DS Download play, and two screens on one device. One of the screens were touchscreen which helped pave the way to mobile gaming as it is today. It might not have been as powerful as the PSP but it could still present 3D visuals at acceptable speeds. Originally the DS was going to be released along side new gameboy releases but instead it became the Gameboy's successor. According to Wikipedia between all the DS models 154 million units were sold (as of 2016), for comparison the Nintendo Switch has sold 141 million units (as of 2024).

Hardware Specifications

Original "Fat" DS:

Backwards Compatible
Display: Dual 3 in. TFT LCD Screens
256 x 192 Resolution
Lower Screen is a Resistive touchscreen
CPU: 2 32 bit ARM Processers
ARM946E-S Main Processor 67 MHz
ARM7TDMI Co-processor 33 MHz
Ram: 4 MB PSRAM
Storage: 256 KB NAND Flash Memory
Battery: 850 mAH lithium-ion
Wireless: 802.11b (WEP and Unencrypted)
Misc: Microphone (it sounds awful)

DS Lite

Backwards Compatible
Display: Dual 3 in. TFT LCD Screens
256 x 192 Resolution
Lower Screen is a Resistive Touchscreen
CPU: 2 32 bit ARM Processers
ARM946E-S Main Processor 67 MHz
ARM7TDMI Co-processor 33 MHz
Ram: 4 MB PSRAM
Storage: 256 KB NAND Flash Memory
Battery: 1000 mAH lithium-ion
Wireless: 802.11b (WEP and Unencrypted)
Misc: Microphone (it sounds awful)

DSi and DSi XL

Display: Dual 3.25 in. TFT LCD Screens or improved 4.2 in. LCD Screens
256 x 192 Resolution
Lower Screen is a Resistive Touchscreen
CPU: 2 32 bit ARM Processers
ARM946E-S Main Processor 133 MHz (downclocked to 66mhz in compatibility mode)
ARM7TDMI Co-processor 33 MHz
Ram: 16 MB PSRAM
Storage: 256 MB NAND Flash Memory
Battery: 840 or 1050 mAH lithium-ion
Wireless: 802.11b/g
Misc: Microphone
Two 0.3 MP Cameras
SD Card Slot

Modding

The Original DS and DS Lite only have one option when it comes to viable mods and luckily it's a very soft mod. All you need is a flashcart, a PC, and your DS. There are a ton of different flashcarts and you should do your research on them before and after buying one. I am unable to (nor do I want to) try to track all of them down and buy them for testing, this would be a monumental task and most of the work has already been done over at https://www.reddit.com/r/flashcarts/. Please do not contact me regarding flashcarts unless there is some important info regarding the digital time bombs in the software on some of the preloaded SD Cards sold with flashcarts.

What is a Flashcart?

A DS Flashcart is a third party cartridge that allows the user to do even more then what was originally intended. A flash cart allows you to run game backups, have easy access to your saves, and use homebrew applications (games, utilities, and more). It allows you to treat your DS like a PDA.

Homebrew

While the homebrew scene on the DS is not as lively as the Wii's, there is still plenty have fun to have and utilities to utilize.

Gremlin's Recommendations

MoonShell
Multimedia player. Allows you to view DPG videos, listen to music, and view images. Supports lots of formats (only DPG video playback)

Cave Story DS
A port of Cave Story

DS Doom
A port of Doom. Does not come with game files, you need to provide them. Doom wads are not hard to find just look it up. For best performance you should set the 'screen mode' to single.

DScraft
Minecraft creative mode recreated on the DS

SpelunkyDS
A port of Spelunky

GameYob DS
A Gameboy and GBC Emulator

NesDS
A Nintendo Entertainment System Emulator

S8DS
A SEGA Master System/Game Gear/SG-1000 Emulator. It can also emulate Coleco, MSX 1, and Sord M5.

The Nintendo DS

The DS Legacy

Hardware Specifications

Modding

Homebrew

Image Credits