Summary
A fan of theNintendo DShas managed to complete their collection of an extremely rare set of cartridges exclusive to the handheld console. These cartridges are the DS Download Station cartridges, which stemmed from a series of machines that allowedNintendo DSsystems to download content using the built-in Nintendo DS Download Play feature. These were never sold anywhere officially, as they were meant to be used for demo kiosks in stores that demo various games.
The Nintendo DS Download stations were present in physical stores like Target, GameStop, and Walmart, allowing gamers to try out a variety of games in a short demo form. These were available in stores for customers to try throughout the console’s lifespan, running from 2006-2011. These stations included some ofthe Nintendo DS' most popular gamesthat were going to be released at the time, including the likes ofMario Kart DS,Metroid Prime Hunters,Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, and many more. Trailers and videos of Nintendo DS and Wii games were also present, showcasing games likePokemon Battle RevolutionandMario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story. One lucky gamer shows off their complete collection of these cartridges, as well as the demo system used to play them.
This collection of cartridges was posted by Guarden_Gnome on the r/gaming subreddit, where they attached a photo of their handheld console and 21 different cartridges. 19 of these game cartridges contained various demos that were used in stores, while two of them were labeled as “Nintendo DSi XL Demo Video.” These were cartridges that contained demonstration videos that went over the features of the Nintendo DSi XL, along with the games that are playable on it, like theDSi exclusive software, Flipnote Studio.
These cartridges were put in the DS Download Station unit, which is a blue version of the console that was hidden from the customers. This unit was also shown in the photo, complete with a label. The DS cartridges and console all have a “Not for Resale” note on them, meaning these are not meant for public sale. However, with consoles being replaced with brand-new ones, some have gone to great lengths to get thesediscontinued Nintendo systems, either for archival or collecting purposes, with Guarden_Gnome being in the latter camp.
According to Guarden_Gnome, the hardest to obtain cartridges in this collection were volume 7 and volume 8. These two cartridges were used throughout Winter 2007/2008 and Spring of 2008 respectively, having demos of games likeApollo Justice: Ace AttorneyandNinja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Many gamers congratulated Guarden_Gnome on completing their collection of thisrare Nintendo hardware.
