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The DS is a 3.0 x2 inch 4:3 Proprietary handheld that plays everything up to DS well, made by Nintendo. It came out in November 2004 at $40. Inside is the Custom SoC with 4 MB of RAM.
DS videos
What it plays
Plays up to: DS. Chip: Custom SoC.
Scores out of 100. 100 means the system runs at full speed with no known issues on this device. 80 or more plays well (green), 50 to 79 plays partly (yellow).
What the specs mean
Same chip as 4 other handhelds
The Custom SoC also powers the DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL, PlayStation Vita. The same chip means similar speed, though memory and cooling can differ.
Based on: Our handheld database (chip field)
Rating
Original consoles get no RETROPULSE score: it rates handhelds made for emulation.
Good
- Plays everything up to DS well
- Low price
Not so good
- No analog sticks
- PS1 games do not run reliably
- LCD screen, not IPS or OLED
- No video out
Specs
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Chip | Custom SoC |
| CPU | ARM946E-S |
| Cores | Single |
| Clock speed | 67.028 MHz |
| GPU | 2D Graphics Engine |
| RAM | 4 MB SRAM |
| Cooling | No |
| Screen | |
| Size | 3.0 x2" |
| Type | LCD |
| Resolution | 256 × 192 |
| Pixel density | 106 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 |
| Touch screen | Yes |
| Dual screen | Yes |
| Controls | |
| D-pad | Cross, Upper placement |
| Analog sticks | No |
| Stick layout | No Thumbsticks |
| Shoulder buttons | No L2/R2 |
| Rumble | No |
| Gyroscope | No |
| Connectivity | |
| Storage | 256 KB serial flash memory |
| SD card | No |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (?) |
| Bluetooth | No |
| USB-C | No |
| Video out | No |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
| Build | |
| Form factor | Clamshell |
| Dimensions | 148.7 x 84.7 x 28.9 mm |
| Weight | 275 g |
| Battery | 850 mAh |
| Shell | Plastic |
| Speakers | Front |
| Software | |
| Operating system | Proprietary |
Questions
Can the DS play PS2 games?
Not well. PS2 scores 0 out of 100. It plays everything up to DS well.
Does it have a headphone jack?
Yes.
How big is the battery?
850 mAh. The middle Linux and other handheld in our database has 3,000 mAh.
Can it connect to a TV?
No, it has no video out.
How much does the DS cost?
It launched at about $40 in Nov 2004. Prices on the used market change, so check current listings.
Price and newer models
$40 at launch
Similar handhelds
Specs and emulation scores from the retrocatalog.com handheld database. The score out of 10 is our own.