Even after so many years, Nintendo consoles are still dominating the retro gaming market. This is due to the risk they take by being innovative and proactively planning ahead of time.
The first-ever revelation of the DS’s console at a conference, they faced a lot of criticism. But their hard work did not go in vain. The Nintendo DS became the all-time top console by selling 154.02 million units.
The DS family not only saved the company face value but also set the standard for the upcoming handheld gaming systems. Then why did it discontinue?
To figure out why such a hit console was discontinued, we are going to talk about:
- The Backstory Of The DS Family
- Unique Features And Innovative Design
- Broadening Nintendo’s Audience
- The Peak Leading To Discontinuation
- Worth Of Nintendo Even After Discontinuation
- Get Your Hands On Nintendo DS
- Trade Or Earn Cash From Your Nintendo DS
So let’s dig in.
So, Why Was Nintendo DS Discontinued?
Before we jump into the reasons, we went through the DS inception situation. So without mentioning that, you won’t be able to understand how this giant hit console came to an end. Here are some pieces of the DS family past that are worth noting to understand the discontinuation decision of Nintendo DS:
1. Backstory Of the DS Family
After the successful growth of Gameboy, Nintendo knew that GBA wasn’t going to last long. As it had entered its saturation age. So, the company decided to go for innovation rather than sticking to it.
Nintendo’s innovative idea initially faced a lot of criticism and challenges. Because this type of console idea was too NEW for the gamers at that time. Even after getting an unfavorable response from the market, they kept pursuing this concept. And categorized this project as the third pillar experiment.
In 2004, Nintendo successfully disrupted the handheld gaming industry. With its release of the first DS Original portable gaming console, it rapidly became popular. It set the standard for modern handheld gaming devices. Later, Nintendo made more efforts and targeted more audiences. It made ordinary people buy Nintendo DS and enter the gaming world with this console.
2. Unique Features And Innovative Design
The DS console itself was innovative – dual-screen, touchscreen, stylus, microphone, and 64-bit graphics in a handheld device. While the backward compatibility for GBA games added a huge number of games to play.
Nintendo intelligently used the strategy to add a variety of existing popular GBA games into their DS consoles. It saved their investment for the new game development in the initial stages. At the same time, it created a fanbase by bringing in GBA players to DS consoles. It made people make a smooth transition to DS consoles.
3. Broadening Nintendo’s Audience
Nintendo invested in the game development for not just their popular games. But also targeted ordinary people with games like Brain Age, Nintendos, and others. Adding more people to the Nintendo DS market share. And eventually, they became the best-selling console by 2009.
However, Nintendo did not settle down and waited for the worst. They kept on experimenting and releasing more improved versions of the DS consoles. That includes DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL, and other enhanced versions of the DS family (2D and 3D). So, Nintendo took full advantage of this opportunity for trial and error experiments for their future projects.
4. Peak Leading To Discontinuation
During the peak of GBA, Nintendo’s delay in releasing the new project would have made the company suffer. Since Sony was in the process of releasing the PSP console. And the rise of mobile phones affected the dynamics of handhelds in the gaming industry.
Since Nintendo has been relying on the culture of innovation. They were able to sell around 100 million units of their consoles, even under tough market conditions. Evidently, this practice has saved them from closing down in the market. So, they used the DS’s immense success to invest in their future innovative project and retire the DS family at the right time.
This strategy helped them to close the Nintendo DS console production on a good note. It also helped them to make the console rare with a great variety of games. Adding great value for these consoles as collectible items.
5. Worth Of Nintendo Even After Discontinuation
During the pandemic, people looked forward to at-home entertainment systems. And the sales figure for Nintendo DS games hiked even in 2021. Popular games like Mario Super Bro, Pokemon, and many others are still worth playing.
Because Nintendo developers used the old formula of creating their iconic games with great replay values. So that once you play any Nintendo DS games, you will come back to it again and again.
Nintendo made the smart business moves of using the DS family to earn profit till the end. Because the original DS games are being sold in millions. This time Nintendo’s effort kept them among the top companies, even after facing fierce competition from handheld devices and other dedicated gaming consoles. That includes giant companies like Sony and Microsoft.
Get Your Hands On Nintendo DS
Since the Nintendo has been officially discontinued, you can get them at other places. If you want the original sealed consoles and games, then you can look into places like Heritage Auction and others.
If that’s not affordable, then you can find refurbished consoles and game cartridges in good condition from third parties. Some online retailers collect and sell these consoles at a fair price. If you time it right, you might end up getting great Nintendo games at much cheaper rates and fulfill the nostalgia of playing retro games.
Can’t decide which Nintendo DS to buy? Read here.
Trade Or Earn Cash From Your Nintendo DS
Since the pandemic, retro gaming has been in high demand. This means that if you have any retro console in good condition. Then, you can use this opportunity to either get some cash or trade it with other rare games.
But make sure that your games and their accessories are in good condition to get better prices from retro retailers and others.
You can visit our site to buy, trade, or earn some cash from your retro consoles and games.
FAQs – Why Was Nintendo DS Discontinued?
Want to know more about the Nintendo DS console? Check out some of the frequently asked questions here:
In 2011, the first 3DS model was launched with a 3D-enabled display. This console was a successful one too. If you closely follow the market trend, you’ll notice that when the Nintendo Switch rolled out, the company did not immediately discontinue the 3DS family. But they observed the market condition. And then, made the decision to give up the DS consoles as they don’t sell as much as they used to.
The Nintendo DS became the second top-selling console ever. It arrived shortly before PlayStation 2, although it saved the company during its tough time as we know it. Handheld games were facing fierce competition from the rise of other pocket devices.
The Nintendo developer launched the Big Hero 6: Battle in the Bay as its last official game for the DS console. It was released on October 28, 2014.
Nintendo has shifted its focus to the Switch consoles era. Even if the DS family was a giant hit, it had to happen ultimately. The company has officially stopped the manufacturing of the Nintendo DS years ago. Further, the DS console was replaced by the 3DS and 2DS consoles that are lower in price.
Although Nintendo games have been in the gaming industry for years, the company was suffering financially. In 2016, Nintendo recorded the lowest revenue of around 4.5 billion U.S. dollars. This was due to various factors. Such the rise of pocket devices affected the handheld market.
Final Thoughts
The gaming industry is always evolving and moving at a fast pace. Nintendo understands that even their best-seller products will come to an end. But what’s good is that they made a better ending for the Nintendo DS family. And not only that, it made sure to keep its consoles worth high by experimenting and adding high replay value to its games.
Plus, these consoles and their games have high value in collectible items. Some of the games are being sold in millions at high scales. So, the company discontinued the Nintendo DS consoles for better tomorrow.
