How Much Should A Nintendo DS Cost In 2022?

In 2013, Nintendo discontinued its flagship gaming handheld Nintendo DS, leaving nine years of legacy behind. Today, seven years after its discontinuation and an ever-growing fanbase, one thing is clear: the game for Nintendo DS isn’t over yet.

Whether you’re trying to revive years-old memories or be as cool as the retro gamers, buying this Nintendo handheld is excellent. But, of course, it starts with the price. You’re only going to buy as long as you can invest in it.

So, how much does the Nintendo DS cost in 2022? That we’ll find out today.

In this article, we’ll be looking at:

1. Has the Nintendo DS price varied;
2. Nintendo DS price in 2022;
3. Which Nintendo DS to buy;
4. Nintendo DS games prices;
5. Is Nintendo DS still worth it?

Let’s get started.

Has the Nintendo DS Cost Varied?

Naturally, a product is priciest at its launch, and as time goes on, it loses value. As time passes and it becomes a rarity, its value rises again – and sometimes, keeps rising forever.

Yet when we talk about the Nintendo DS, the facts are different. Nintendo has never cut its prices significantly on the DS or any other of its consoles.

Nine years after the launch, in 2013, Nintendo decided to discontinue the handheld console altogether, as Nintendo 3DS XL was already on the market. The Japanese gaming giant released four Nintendo DS variants in this decade-long tenure: DS, DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL. Here’s a price table for these variants:

Release Date	Console Variant	Price (On Release)	Price (After Inflation Adj.)
2004	Nintendo DS	$150	$208
2006	Nintendo DS Lite	$130	$169
2009	Nintendo DSi	$150	$183
2010	Nintendo DSi XL	$170	$204

Nintendo kept these prices pretty much the same till the discontinuation. This console hasn’t yet become an absolute collectible, but still, a new and crisp Nintendo DS is nearly impossible to come by.

Don’t let anyone scam you: the only decent pieces you will come across are used, open-box ones. There’s no such thing as a “sealed Nintendo DS” anymore. 

So, let’s answer another essential question.

Nintendo DS Price in 2022

In 2022, you can find Nintendo DS in the $20-$300 range, which means many different varieties are available. As a rule of thumb, the better the condition, the higher the price.

If the seller includes the original box (packaging), games, and chargers, then the price is likely to be higher than $100-$120. For rarer versions, like Pokémon Editions, the price is above $200, often crossing the $500 price tag too!

However, be sure to check with the claims. For example, some sellers claim to sell original chargers but include replaced ones when they ship them to you. The best way to avoid this is by asking for close-up images of the package contents.

I’ve come around a few delusional sellers too, who have listed their Nintendo’s price ridiculously high on platforms like eBay. You can avoid such offers as a mint-condition, minorly scratchy DS won’t cost you more than $150 at max.

How Much Are Nintendo DS Games Worth?

It depends and depends. DS games, just like DS itself, haven’t really lost their value over time. 

Most Nintendo DS games are available at $25-$50, yet games like Mega Man StarForce Dragon can cost up to $599, and others like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice cost a meager $14.97. If you go with bundles that many sellers offer, you can find decent packages for $200-$250.

Of course, if you end up in a yard sale, then that’s a different story altogether!

With the amount of reproduced games in the market right now, it’s hard to distinguish them from the original ones. You’re likely to get a reproduced piece in your gaming career unless you know how to identify fake DS games.

Is Nintendo DS Worth It?

As an aspiring retro gamer myself, I say, brother, it’s totally worth it. There’s no way of knowing this other than playing it yourself, and I didn’t agree to it at first. Once I’d played it, I was over the moon and under the sun – yes, inexplicable. 

See, Nintendo sold 154.02 million DS consoles, which is second to PlayStation 2, and this wasn’t for nothing. Nintendo DS was far ahead of its time with dual and touchscreen, portability, style, and functionality. Sure, your average android can outpower it now, but we’re talking about the classic retro gaming experience here.

You cannot know the DS’s worth unless you’ve played The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Mario Kart DS, or Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.

According to Greg Howson from The Guardian, here’s why Nintendo DS was so successful:

“… You can credit three main factors: the welcoming interface … the ability to jab at a screen with a stylus … [and] most important of all has been the variety of content …” (Source: The Guardian).

“Variety of content,” fellas. Classics like the ones I just mentioned cannot be remade. The legacy that Nintendo DS has left behind makes you pay the bucks; otherwise, why would it be so pricey?

Conclusion

Sure, Nintendo DS is the way to go if you’re looking for some elite retro gaming experience. While the odds of you finding a brand new piece are close to zero, you can buy a wrecked 2004 original for under $10, or you can relive the ‘new’ Nintendo experience for between $100-$200.

If anything, now you know how much a Nintendo DS cost should.

Remember that some sellers are delusional about the condition of their DS and are selling them as antiques, which isn’t something you’d want. Ask a lot of questions before buying to ensure the piece you buy works perfectly (not very hard to find, some retro games have been very loyal to their possessions).