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Nintendo strapped two screens to a handheld, added a stylus, and accidentally predicted how everyone would interact with technology a decade later.
When Nintendo announced the DS (Dual Screen) in 2004, critics called it a gimmick. A touchscreen on a gaming device? Two screens? It seemed like a solution looking for a problem. Then Brain Age, Nintendogs, and Phoenix Wright showed that touch input opened entirely new game design possibilities. The DS sold over 154 million units, making it one of the best-selling gaming devices ever. Its touchscreen interface predated the iPhone by three years, and many of the interaction patterns (tapping, swiping, dragging) became second nature to billions of smartphone users later.
Example
Brain Age (2005) targeted adults who never played games, asking them to solve math problems and Sudoku puzzles with the stylus. It sold over 19 million copies and proved that 'non-games' could be massive commercial hits, a philosophy Nintendo would repeat with the Wii.
Why it matters
The DS proved that unconventional hardware design could create entirely new audiences and game genres. It was a precursor to the touchscreen revolution that smartphones would bring, and demonstrated that expanding who plays games matters more than impressing existing gamers.
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