Nintendo DS

Development began in mid-2002, when Hiroshi Yamauchi stepped down as Nintendo president and proposed exploring a two-screen system. His successor, Satoru Iwata, backed a handheld that would offer new ways to play, reach people who did not play games and be easier for developers. Nintendo announced it on January 20, 2004 as an experimental "third pillar" alongside the Game Boy Advance and GameCube, not a replacement. Internally it was called Nitro, and the prototype shown at E3 2004 was redesigned before launch.

It launched first in North America, on November 21, 2004, for US$149.99, then in Japan on December 2 and in Europe on March 11, 2005. It was Nintendo's first hardware launch to start in North America. It has two 3-inch screens, the lower one a touchscreen used with a stylus, plus a microphone, Wi-Fi for local multiplayer and a slot for Game Boy Advance cartridges. Pre-orders far exceeded planned production and Nintendo had to expand it.

Touch controls drew in a new audience: in 2006 Nintendo reported that 44% of DS owners were women. Its games include Nintendogs, Brain Age and New Super Mario Bros., its best seller. The free Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service for online play arrived in November 2005, while DS Download Play and PictoChat used local wireless. The 2006 DS Lite became the best-selling model of the whole family.

The DSi followed in 2008 with cameras and a digital store but no Game Boy Advance slot, and the DSi XL in 2009. The line gave way to the Nintendo 3DS in 2011, and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection shut down on May 20, 2014. It was Nintendo's best-selling console until the Switch overtook it in 2025. Outlets such as Polygon and Nintendo Life describe it as many people's first experience of touchscreens, before the iPhone reshaped the portable market.