Nintendo DS Comparison - Which Model Do I Buy? (DS vs Lite vs DSi vs DSi XL)

A comparison of every model of the Nintendo DS!

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[sipahi]

I honestly wish the DSI and DSI XL had the GBA slot instead of the useless cameras.

[dhrgkbqxtjr]

Today I learned I actually had a DS Lite instead of the DS. It was the first Nintendo console I owned since the original Gameboy in the 90s. The dual screen really was a revolutionary gimmick.

[CrayonConoisseur]

The DSi XL has IPS screens and retains the pixel density of the original DS. So games look more vibrant and crisp compared to playing it on the 3DS.

[deltadeluxe]

*"Having a battery life from 15 - 19 Hours"*

My DS Battery survived 10 years! 😎😎

[QualbertGaming]

Which model of the DS do I buy?

All of them, of course.

[PokiRet]

The DSi XL also has IPS screens instead of TN displays.

[zwhjcnw]

Honestly the best part of the phat DS is that because it is so big and chunky it actually feels really good in the hands.

[shanez]

My man has an original grey DS whose hinges aren't cracked. I didn't think it was possible

Also, every DS having different power connectors was stupid annoying (even if the DSI and 3DS shared one). Especially when there's no technical reason for it.

[norskibox]

I got a Nindendo DSI XL on my fifth birthday in 2010. I still remember sitting at the table after I got home from school to be presented with this beautiful yellow device. I still have it 12 years later, and it works perfectly.

[mevsvlogs]

Thank you for including the VI Community in this video I am blind and play ds games but not many people think to include us in gaming videos
It means alot

[vdentertaiment]

The one thing to note is that the DSi XL was the only model with dual IPS screens instead of the typical TN screen types found in other DS models and most 3DS systems. This was a fact that was also advertised by Nintendo.

This means the DSi XL has far better viewing angles and better color reproduction. the screens also tend to be more color accurate as well. So if not being able to play GBA games is not a deal-breaker to you, then the DSi XL is the definitive DS from a visual standpoint. I also personally found it way more comfortable to hold than the smaller models.

[ByteSizeThoughts]

Really great DS game collection you have there! Great video with a lot of info (fantastic transitions and other editing as well)

[SoulBreker]

Does anyone else here actually prefer the buttons on the original DS over the others?

[no-man_baugh]

You can pretty easily jailbreak a DSi and I do think that you should keep in the back of your mind when deciding on what to buy, even and ESPECIALLY if you already own a DSi with some DSiWare on it and you want to make backups of the games and saves to play on an emulator or migrate them to another DSi or 3DS

[Alisstta]

Thank you for posting this! I was looking to get my first DS as I want to start playing some of the older games as we used to have a 3ds, but lost it. I was confused on which model to get, and this really helped me understand the difference between all the consoles. Thank you so much!!

[ComeJesusChrist]

The DSi XL is an impressive package, considering that it’s got 90% extra screen but less than 50% extra weight with fairly limited external size increase.

[KamiKitsuneVA]

Am I the only one that loves the original DS design? It looks amazing to me and idk why people hate it :(

[lowkster]

I just got my DS Lite back that I first had 18 years ago. It was passed down to my brother and then another. It’s pretty beat up but surprisingly it still works perfect! I’m currently working on trying to rebuild it into a new shell, new screens etc. I can’t wait until I’m finished. Just wish I had Pokémon platinum and soulsilver for it still. Worth so much now…

[JackStavris]

5:45 THANK YOU for actually mentioning vision impaired people here! As someone with a vision impairment it's always insulting when I hear that the DSi XL was just for old people. Yes that was one of the target markets for it because of Brainage, but there are people under 80 who can't see very well and appreciate it's larger size. I always wanted a DSi XL back in the day, too bad it doesn't have the GBA slot because it's sort of pointless to own now that a 3DS XL can play all DS games on a large screen.

[Floppynoob]

I have the first 3 DS's but I'm missing the DSI XL. Thanks for reminding me!