DS Daily: At launch
by JC Fletcher 
{ Nov 22nd 2008 at 10:30AM }
Yesterday was the four-year anniversary of the US launch of the DS. What was your opinion of the DS back in 2004? None of us knew back then what it would become today; we expected GBA-level popularity at best.Were you totally lined up for a system on the first day? Did you wait until Christmas? Until Kirby? Or were you not drawn into the DS life until the Lite appeared? Whenever you got into the DS, we're glad you did, because we doubt you would be part of our community otherwise.
As for me, what finally sold me on the DS was Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. Luckily, the system got even more awesome after that!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Bowser the Baptist @ Nov 22nd 2008 10:50AM
I was never a handheld junkie. Yeah, I played Pokemon Red back in the day, loved it too, but I was never in love with the old Game Boy.
For me the turning point was seeing some kid play Warioware on the train. Following the failure of the Dreamcast I was pretty much out of the gaming loop, but I saw this kid scratching and prodding away, a real toothy smile. I thought: why not.
Well fuck me. 40-something games later, and that's not including the 20-something GBA games, and the DS is pretty much the best system I've ever brought, renewing my faith in gaming.
Bowser the Baptist @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:19AM
Four more years!
Phil @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:07AM
What sold me on the DS? Zelda.
I actually didn't get mine till last summer. When Zelda PH released it was a forgone conclusion that I was going to get one.
Now, 10 games later, I notice that I am reaching for the DS more than the Wiimote, which makes my wife happy because now she can watch her DVDs of Greys Anatomy.
WalkingCarpet @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:09AM
I got mine a couple months after it came out. I got a bundle thing at Costco that had Mario 64 with it.
CamranChaos @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:17AM
I've always been a huge Nintendo junkie, but I was kind of afraid that the DS would totally fail. I thought that it might go the way of the Gamecube (God bless it) or something. I was, however, willing to rush over to Wal*Mart to pick one up ASAP. Naturally, this fat kid beat me to the last one. My grandparents, as awesome as they are, managed to pick one up for me the next day along with Mario 64. I still wasn't quite sold on the touch screen until Kirby. After seeing what the system can do with games like The World Ends With You, I'm very happy with it four years later.
Zealot @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:40AM
I’ve always had a strange ability to step into a store on a system’s launch day and get one without a preorder or anything. I did it with the GBC, GBA, the Wii, and even the DS. There had been so few preorders at my closest GameStop (reflecting the general mood toward the DS at that time) that I was just able to walk in and get one.
Anyway, I had no idea why I even did it, because I hated the idea of the thing and saw it as a quickly-cobbled-together device solely made to be a thorn in the PSP’s side and defined by a single insane gimmick. It was ugly, and it had a horrible launch line-up.
So why did I go for the DS instead of the PSP? Two reasons: at that time, I was a dutiful rank-and-file Nintendo fanboy, so my own opinion on the system didn’t matter. I had to buy one anyway. Second: the PSP was way too effing expensive at launch. I’m still waiting for what I’d consider a “good deal” on the PSP—even have sealed copies of LocoRoco, Jeanne D’Arc, and Dracula X Chronicles, but no system yet.
I expected it to die a quick death and fall into obscurity like the (unfairly)-maligned Virtual Boy, and so I didn’t invest much in it. Having only SM64DS and having burned out after getting 130+ stars in three days, my DS experience consisted of a few minutes of SM64DS’s minigames every week. I even still used my SP to play GBA games. Things looked pretty bad there for a while, and when I saw that even Nintendo was producing shovelware like Pokemon Dash for the system, I thought it was dead. I’m just glad I didn’t act on my impulse to sell it, or I’d probably just now be re-buying one and I pity any person just now getting into it, as they have a LOT of games to research and tough buying decisions to make.
darksage @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:44AM
I wasnt interested in the DS at launch, partly because I didnt care for the launch titles, and I thought it was a gimmick system. I waited until the MKDS bundle was released and got that, by that time there were more games I was interested in, and Im glad I got one.
Jacksons @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:46AM
I waited until the Lite to get a DS.
I waited until the 2000 series to get a PSP.
I already own the cinder block Game Boy, a light-less GBA and a black and white iPod (which now spends its days as a lame 10GB IEEE 1394 drive.) I don't buy first-edition portable electronics anymore.
Eric @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:47AM
I bought mine four years ago, one of the first shipment the local Wal Mart got in stock.
KeegdnaB @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:59AM
being the poor high school student I was (now a poor college student) I couldn't afford to get one at launch so I had to wait till Christmas to get it and Mario64. I've been happy ever since. When I got my lite I gave my original one to my sister after I had unwillingly caused her addiction to animal crossing.
Monodi @ Nov 22nd 2008 12:03PM
I waited until i ould afford one. I was anticipating it since the announcement, I got my black DS lite until May 2007.
elsng @ Nov 22nd 2008 12:31PM
Pre-ordered and bought a DS on launch day. I still don't know why. It WAS pretty fugly and phat and my siblings kept telling me how obsolete its 'gimmick' was. How wrong they were.
That and I knew eventually Nintendo would pick itself back up and release some kind of Zelda, Pokemon and Kirby for it.
aj @ Nov 23rd 2008 4:43AM
No love for The Minnish Cap?
Puddles @ Nov 22nd 2008 12:42PM
I just got a DS Lite this year. I waited until there was a solid library of games to choose from. When the DS was first released, I had no idea how many great games there would be.
chispito @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:29PM
Unfortunately, while it's true there is a better selection of games now than there has ever been for the system, there are also some stellar titles no longer available. So, you win some, you lose some.
Jacksons @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:16PM
That also brings up the one aspect I absolutely hate about Nintendo. Any other game system you buy late, you can buy all the best first (and third) party games for a fraction of the original cost. Mario Kart DS, a game over three years old? Still $35.
It stinks of greed.
chispito @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:58PM
Some of the earlier titles are discounted. They re-released Clubhouse Games at $20, and Square eventually dropped the price of FFII (mainly due to FFIV's release) to $20. I suspect part of the issue is the inherently higher cost of producing cartridges than discs. Discontinuing Tetris is unforgivable, in my opinion. If there's any game that should be available for $20, that's it.
I mean, what's a Nintendo handheld without Tetris?
Nadril @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:14PM
I thought the DS was rubbish on launch. The phat was ugly, huge and I was just not a fan of the games "launch" titles.
However about a year or so back my roomate decided that, yeah, he'd get a DS Lite. I tried it out a bit, loved the thing, and got one the next day.
Then got my R4 card a month later and hadn't looked back since :)
TheFireStorm @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:21PM
I waited till The Electric Blue DS came out and idi not get a lite until the Zelda Gold DS lite bundle :)
RasenganFury @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:21PM
Holy crap, 4 years already? I got my DS on launch day, but sold it to get a DSlite at launch. The DS may have started slow but its speeding now.
a.a. @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:33PM
When I first knew of the DS, I thought it was too gimmicky.
What sold me was the launch of the DS Lite (pre-ordered it) + Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow + Super Princess Peach.
hijinx @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:38PM
About a month before the lite was announced, I commented to a friend that I'd buy one if they made them smaller. Woohoo. I put it off until I found out about DSFrotz. I still wouldn't have one if it weren't for homebrew (and I'd be missing out on the great Castlevanias, too. I *still* want a SotN port.)
Mr Khan @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:40PM
I walked in on Black Friday after launch and picked it right up. Despite the fact that i paid for it, i wasn't able to use it until Christmas, since the only game i got with it (sans the MPH demo) was bought as a present
But as I said before, the DS was merely a diversion, it wasn't justified until the following summer, which i whiled away playing the first DS Bomberman game (the one that wasn't online) and Kirby Canvas Curse
Kitsunexus @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:52PM
I got a DS just a couple of days ago for the KORG DS-10. I thought the DS would not be much, but I was pleasantly surprised, though I still like my PSP better. I also have Bangai-O Spirits and Sonic Rush, and will be getting Kirby and Contra IV soon.
Roto13 @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:58PM
I got mine the following March with Mario 64, but I didn't really appreciate it until a few months later. The next games I bought were Kirby's Canvas Curse and Meteos on the same day. They were amazing. :P
timmy @ Nov 23rd 2008 2:09PM
I was sold on the ds the spring before the thing came out. The idea of playing mario 64 everywhere I went was too cool to pass up. Also, talking to my nieghbor across the street with pictochat was the icing on the cake :)
Matt G. @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:16PM
I didn't go crazy when the DS launched. I didn't run out right away to get my hands on one. I patiently waited for Christmas to come and go and then I dropped down the $400 or w/e it was for my younger brother and I to each get one, along with a copy of SM64DS. I just cared for the portable SM64. I wasn't thinking about what would come next. Because I'd never been a hardcore handheld gamer. My GBC collection can be counted with one hand, and my GBA collection is primarily remakes. It seemed I was going that way with the DS already. But after SM64DS, I saw nothing but a whole lot of 2D and uninteresting games. This worried me. I thought I'd bought a GBA 2.5 or something. Was it a portable N64 or a super suped up SNES? I couldn't tell. But then MKDS came out - the second game I bought - and all was well from then on. I've got 28 games now, love every one to death, and have no doubts about that initial purchase.
KaBob799 @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:22PM
I didn't get mine on launch day but I did get it a few days after. I got it easily cause we went and visited family in Indiana and they weren't out of school for thanksgiving yet, Best Buy was almost empty =p
Austin @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:23PM
Well to me the 2 screens looked REALLY stupid.
Then i ended up buying it about 3 months after launch since lots of games were coming out.
chispito @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:31PM
I bought my DSL probably a few months after they were released. I don't remember what the killer app was that sold me on it, it might have been Mario Kart. There has been a lot of awesome since them, and my poor Lite really needs to be replaced, since it's hard to play the DS-10 properly with a permanently misaligned touch screen.
SephFinale @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:01PM
I bought Super Mario 64 DS before I got a DS, and then I bought a DS exactly a month after their release.
MidnightScott @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:17PM
The system sold me on it's own. I only got one game with it, Asphalt Urban GT.
Now I own a DS original, DS Lite, and 56 DS games (3 import: Ouendan, Ouendan 2, Slide Adventure Mag Kid)
I love DS!!!
Touching is good!
Mistah @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:41PM
I got one for Christmas that year, with Super Mario 64 DS. Played it a little every now and then, but really didn't get into it until my friend got one with WarioWare, and borrowed it for about a month. Then that summer, I bought Kirby, then Nintendogs, then Mario Kart DS, and by Christmas 2005, it seemed like everybody had DS. Got a DS Lite in the summer of 2006, and haven't looked back since.
BlueS @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:00PM
For me, Bleach DS (import) and Kirby Canvas Curse were the titles, that I wanted first, when I finally decided to purchase a DS Lite, which came out a little before that. As I was searching for cheap places to import from, I found the now defunct Lik-Sang, and made a very good bargain(Lik-Sang "died" 2 weeks later, may it rest in peace). I still use the same Navy Blue DS Lite, and although a lot of good-looking ones came out since then, I wouldn't give it up for anything (even for a DSi).
Also, I'm just getting into homebrew business, so the full world of possibilities on the DS hasn't even opened yet for me, but I already love it more than any other consoles or handhelds before.
And an other thing! I would like to ask, if anyone knows some games tha I should definitely try out for FrotzDS, and if there's anyone who would like to part with his or her Kirby Canvas Curse, I would buy it (for a reasonable price(say: $50)), if they're willing to send it to Central Europe (I'm not familiar with Ebay, but I guess that's the easiest way, if anyone's would be so crazy to sell the game).
chibi_wings @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:17PM
I've always been a handheld gamer, but i never buy a new system at launch, mainly because the older system still has decent support. So I held onto the GBA until 2006 and then got a Lite. By then the Lite already had a pretty good library and more games were on the horizon; I thought it was a good time to up on the DS bandwagon =P
Robert @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:11PM
I bought the original DS the week it came out for an inflated price because it sold out so quickly (I think $195 if I remember correctly). I HATED it. When the PSP came out, I decide to scrap my DS and buy some games for the PSP. At launch I guess I didn't really dig the DS and didn't think it was going anywhere
Then, a friend introduced me to Warioware Touched. I really liked it and also wanted to try out Meteos. So, I bought a blue DS phat and those two games. I now have about 25 games and a white DS lite to boot.
For me, the game library is what makes a system great. What I like most about the DS is that the library is diverse and the games aren't console rehashes. The DS offers a much different experience than you get on any of the consoles. Not to mention it is also an import friendly system - I have imported EBA 2 and Taiko Drum Master.
The growth in the DS over the last two year is particular is the main reason I decided to scrap my PSP a few months ago. I will definitely be adding a 3rd DS to my gaming stash when the DSI hits the states.
ExternalFireInt @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:49PM
If I remember correctly, I got my DS immediately following the Christmas the year it came out. I had gotten SM64 from my parents for Christmas, and had watched a friend play it for the month before I got it. Purchasing it seemed like the right thing to do, what with owning a game for it.
I now have something like 70 games, a Black and red DSLite, an empty wallet, and eager hands to play the next FE, as well as all of those great looking RPGs coming out sooner. Because of me, (and WarioWare Touched) 5 of my cousins bought a DS for themselves, and we have weekly bouts of online gaming (mostly Mario Kart and Bleach DS)
ecco6t9 @ Nov 24th 2008 8:55PM
I bought at launch and was the first one to buy one from that EB Games.
Dig @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:54PM
I didn't get my DS until 2007. What really got me to purchase a system were super-unique games like the lawyer simulator Phoenix Wright and the surgery simulator Trauma Center. I haven't seen either of those games in action at the time of purchase, but the off-the-wall ideas and possibilities of this system intrigued me. Also, this was the system with Kirby on it.
ChaosJay @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:03PM
I ordered the very first DS the second gamestop.com allowed it. As soon as it was announced I wanted one, since I loved my GameBoys so much, and to me back then, Nintendo could do no wrong.
Pill @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:29PM
I got the DS the day it was released. I purchased Mario 64 DS along with it and when I got home I remember being blown away (I had always wanted Mario 64 for the Nintendo64 but for some reason never bought it).
Then I realized how terrible the control scheme in the game is, and I maybe played it twice after that. My love for the DS never really took off again until Mario Kart DS was released and I understood its online capabilities, and after that the love affair began.
NitztheBloody @ Nov 22nd 2008 10:13PM
Technically I had the old Platnium Phat model at launch with Mario 64 DS and Spider-Man 2 ( the latter of which I soon would discover to be crap ), but the system didn't really take off for me until Winter 2005 with the release of Mario Kart DS. After largely half-assing their first-party support for the Game Boy Advance, to see a new Mario Kart with 32 tracks ( 16 new ), mission mode, and Wi-Fi was awesome.
aj @ Nov 22nd 2008 9:38PM
I thought the DS was the dumbest thing I had ever heard of.
Fifa 06 sold me on it, because it was just FUN, and games haven't been about FUN for quite some time. Pokemon made me fall in love. The ridiculous amount and variety of RPGs (the DS even has several roguelikes, for Christ's sake!) certainly helped as well.
shinneri @ Nov 23rd 2008 12:25AM
I was admittedly not sold on the DS concept when it launched. I was a HUGE, HUGE GBA fan, but I figured that the much more impressive on paper PSP would beat it resoundingly. And Nintendo's PATHETIC early game offerings did not help (Gimmicky re-release of a N64 launch title... really?).
I finally bit the summer after it launched because I really wanted to play Feel the Magic (still one of the best games for the system). I managed to get one of the early models that included First Hunt, which was cool.
I've since grown to love the DS (and the Lite). It's not the GBA yet, but it still has time. And it's much better than my PSP, which seriously, seriously disappoints me with its sad library of games.
TJF588 @ Nov 23rd 2008 2:32AM
*sees pic* Heh, I totally bought that (and a Prime/Fusion lanyard) some months ago. The "box" wasn't as nice as I'd liked (it kinda settled over/around the cart), and for some reason I can't get that damn movie to open up, even though I'd beaten the Training mode just a couple days ago. Bung, bung, bung.
thisjustanother @ Nov 23rd 2008 5:49AM
I still have the launch ds phat and am loving it more and more. i will only upgrade it when it is absolutely necessary, which is when it breaks, which i doubt it will in my care.
i got the ds phat because i knew whatever nintendo made would be big. so before christmas i headed over to a frys electronics and looked everywhere for one. upon searching up and down, i thought they would be sold out. being bummed out that there was no ds in the store i started headed out, and behold there was a ds phat box hiding behind other items, and i quickly grabbed it and held it against my chest thinking no one will take it away from me.
and from that day on i have taken care of it and enjoyed every single minute i have played on it.
Metayoshi @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:10AM
Wow... The DS's launch was so long ago, I had to do some research before I could remember my reactions back then. What I do remember vividly, was that Nintendo had the best E3 ever back then thanks to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXrsK8ICp8E
In any case, I was honestly sold when they revealed the first gameplay footage of Super Mario 64x4 (now, Super Mario 64 DS) and Metroid Prime Hunters. Touching the screen in order to shoot at something was an amazing concept back then to me... Too bad it didn't work out too well, and instead went with a traditional, and much more improved, FPS scheme with the touch screen.
I saw so much potential with it. Due to the dual screen-touch screen combination, I saw that it was very versatile. It could be used as two screens to show two different bits of information like in Mario Kart. It could be used where the touch screen basically acts like a touch pad like in Metroid Prime Hunters and Super Mario 64 DS, where you really didn't need to look at the second screen too much and just used its touch functionality to control the upper screen. It could be used simply be used as a single screen with a touch screen such as certain minigames in Feel the Magic or Mario 64 DS. It could be used as a traditional system like in Final Fantasy III. Had the DS been either a dual screen system with no touch screen, or a single screen system with a touch screen, I really wouldn't have bought into the system's philosophy, but together, I see why they call this the "developer's system".
I knew that I had to get this system at launch. After Gamecube, I was seriously considering leaving my passion for video games behind. Everything was really becoming "the same games with updated graphics" for me (I mean, it's not necessarily a bad thing since I bought FF IV for DS, but that's an exception). Then when the DS was announced, I was very happy Nintendo went this route. And look at where we're at now. The DS is truly one amazing handheld, and I can't imagine how the industry would have been today without it.
Now the Wii has to step up its game, but I am definitely looking forward to the Conduit. Hopefully, that game turns out to be what it's hyped up to be. There is only one Wii game I honestly thoroughly enjoyed so far, and that is Super Mario Galaxy.
Metayoshi @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:24AM
Wow... My post is ridiculously long. In any case, I forgot to add that I bought the DS phat at launch. I did end up buying the DS Lite, though, about a month after its release. I was sold, after trying one out, that its design was superior to the phat. I kept my phat, however, and it had some use a few weeks ago since I finally sent in my lite to Nintendo to get its touch screen fixed due to Elite Beat Agents and my intense spinning. Believe me, it was hard playing The World Ends With You with a messed up touch screen. So yeah... Kudos to Nintendo for thinking up one of the greatest systems ever, and kudos to developers who have pushed this system's capabilities both in terms of power and creativity.
Victor @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:42AM
I got it on launch day and there was no line
RootiePatootie @ Nov 23rd 2008 11:15AM
The only other hand held I had was the original Gameboy, I mean the bigger monochrome one! I loved it because I was traveling a lot then and it went everywhere. When the DS launched I was sort of meh about it. None of the games REALLY interested me enough. Then the Mario Kart bundle came out and that was it for me! And I fell in love with the platform too.
A year ago I bought Zelda:PH and the black and crimson Lite. That for supposed to be for the hubby and although he does play it occasionally it's me that uses it the most. I keep Animal Crossing:WW, yes I still play it, in my phat all the time and use the Lite for everything else. The R4 REALLY opened up my world though. I love the homebrew scene!
It's been a fun ride so far and I play on one of the DSes here almost every day, even if just for a short bit of time.
My biggest gripe is that I wait on a game and then BAM! it's nowhere to be found. Or if you CAN find it, even used, it costs a FORTUNE! I too am not keen on how they keep the price up on the older successful games. Sure they've rereleased a few, and even at a lower price (saw Clubhouse Games on Friday for $20) but all in all I'm annoyed too often that I didn't or couldn't buy something right away and now can't find it or won't pay some stupidly high price for it. I'd like to have the Scrabble game but I can't seem to find it anywhere!