With about 120 million copies sold Game Boy the Japanese game maker Nintendo coined a whole generation of gamers. For the first time it was possible to play today’s cult classics like Donkey Kong, Super Mario, Tetris or Zelda on the way. The era of the Game Boy lasted around 15 years, until Nintendo 2004 with the Nintendo DS presented a worthy successor with current technology. Meanwhile, the handheld console is available in several variants with displays of different sizes and offers a huge range of software that offers captivating gaming experience for children and adults alike.

Entry into handheld gaming with the Nintendo DSi and DSi XL

The entry into the handheld world of Nintendo forms since the end of 2008 sold Nintendo DSi, which has inherited the popular DS Lite. New to the model were two cameras with 0.3 megapixels and a new SD card slot, for which, however, the GBA shaft was sacrificed. On the SD cardSoftware, photos and music can be saved and played back on the DSi if desired. Face recognition and the 17% larger displays also allow new gaming applications. The games for the little handheld range from the classic Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart to game phenomena like Animal Crossing or GTA: China Town Wars.

The desire for larger displays Nintendo came in late 2009 with the DSi XL. The image diagonal grew by 2.18 cm to 10.59 cm now, at the resolution and the rest of the hardware, however, changed nothing. Therefore, some titles on the now larger display can look a little blurred than on the Nintendo DSi. Practical: On the handheld are Dr. med. Kawashima’s brain-jogging in between and the dictionary 6 in 1 with camera function pre-installed.

Three-dimensional gambling with the 3DS, 3DS XL and New 3DS XL

The next gaming revolution ushered the Japanese in 2011 with the Nintendo 3DS, which has a 3D functionality that does not require stereoscopic glasses. For the first time, the 3DS had two different sized displays, one with 3.53 inches with 800 x 240 pixels and one with 3 inches and 320 x 240 pixels. With the 3DS, the upper display is for playing and displaying 3D content, while the lower display is used for navigating and displaying additional game content such as maps and inventory lists. In 2012, the 3DS XL came on the market. The biggest change is that the main screen now extends over 4.88 inches and the bottom touchscreen display measures 4.18 inches. Game highlights for the 3DS and 3DS XL are Mario Kart 7, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Hey! Pikmin.

Since late 2014, the Nintendo New 3DS and the New 3DS XL is a technically improved version of the handheld on the market. New are an NFC chip, an improved 3D presentation and a long-demanded by fans, second analog stick and shoulder buttons, which are beneficial in many games. Except for a slightly larger 3D display, there were no other changes compared to its predecessors. However, the New 3DS and New 3DS XL no longer has its own charging cable. This must be taken from an older device or purchased separately.

Big screen, less weight but without 3D: the 2DS and New 2DS XL

For gamers who want to do without 3D, but not the other features and features of the Nintendo 3DS, there is since 2013 the Nintendo 2DS and since July 2017, the New 2DS XL. Among other things, the two 2DS models differ from each other in that the New 2DS XL folds up, but the 2DS does not. New on the New 2DS XL is also the lower weight and the 3DS XL inherited, large screen at the top. Also available is a C-Stick for moving the game camera and a stylus, which is housed in the housing. New games will power Nintendo handhelds until at least 2018. Currently, game highlights such as Harvest Moon: Village of the Sky Tree, Monster Hunter Stories and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga are available for the handheld.