Release Dates

• The original Nintendo DS launched in North America on November 21, 2004, followed by a December 2, 2004 release in Japan and a March 11, 2005 release in Europe.
  
  

Other Features

• The Nintendo DS also supports voice recognition via a microphone and backwards compatibility through an included Game Boy Advance (GBA) slot. However, it cannot play original Game Boy or Game Boy Color titles.
  
  

DS Versions

• In 2006, Nintendo released the DS Lite, a redesigned Nintendo DS that was lightweight and featured brighter display screens. A third version of the hardware, called the DSi, which eliminates the GBA cartridge slot but adds a pair of cameras and the ability to download games and applications, was announced in October 2008.
  
  

Sales

• On March 11, 2009, Nintendo announced that they had sold a combined 100 million Nintendo DS, DS Lite and DSi units worldwide.
  
  

Popular Software

• Popular software includes Animal Crossing: Wild World; Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day; Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day; Mario Kart DS; New Super Mario Bros; Pokemon Diamond/Pearl; and Nintendogs.