Mountain Surfing

When Nintendo first introduced the Nintendo DS to the public, it was unlike anything the industry had ever seen. In terms of portables, game developers and consumers alike were used to using a portable with one screen, and your typical button layout - usually consisting of an a and b button, topped with your traditional d-pad, and a few other standard buttons. The DS was different though. When it was first shown to the industry, the most striking or unusual feature that stood out was it's dual-screen layout.

Naturally, there was a lot of criticism that followed this announcement - people weren't sure what to think of this new system with two screens. Of course, that wasn't the only unusual feature - the bottom screen was also a touch screen. There was a built-in microphone and the addition of the stylus. Right now, none of these things seem like a big deal. Back then though, the introduction of the Nintendo DS caused shock waves within the industry. Opinions across the industry varied, but unfortunately, most of those opinions didn't seem to be in the portables favor.

It didn't matter what those opinions were though, because the true test would come in the form of November of 2004 - the official release of the Nintendo DS. How would it fare? Would people like the system, or hate the system? Would they even care? At the time, Nintendo's Game Boy was still doing really well, so that begged the question: Was there even a need to release this new portable system? Those questions would be answered come the official release date of the portable console. Surprisingly to many, the answer was a resounding yes! Finding the system at your local video game retailer was hard enough, let alone trying to purchase one for yourself.

People were "devouring" the system in droves. It was an amazing sight to see, considering that the DS was an unconventional system, in almost every sense of the word - yet, it was selling like crazy. Naturally, that begged another question: Is this just a novelty that will soon wear off? Or is the DS for real? Will it carry itself through the next year or two and beyond? Fast-forward to December of 2007, and that question, once again, is clearly answered. Even today, after being on the market for just over three years, it is still one of the hottest video game sellers around. So as you can see, the DS thus far has been doing extremely well.

In terms of software, there are so many different types of games available, that almost anyone of any age can find something that they might be interested in. Were talking about people that range from your typical "hardcore gamer", all the way to people that have never played games before. Soon, you will be able to connect the DS with it's "brother", the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo has stated that you will be able to download demos from your Wii straight to your DS. In many ways, as the DS gets older, it also seems to get better. I'd venture to say that we haven't seen the last of the DS, and if your at all interested in video games, I'd suggest giving the DS a try - You just may end up enjoying it.

Andre Garcia enjoys playing games and has been involved with the video game industry for a very long time. Anyone that loves playing video games can learn if it's actually possible to get a job as a video game tester and be paid for it. For all your gaming news, reviews, and more, visit: Gaming Resource

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