It served a specific purpose.
So, way back in the day, Nintendo wanted to be able to distribute demos for the DS. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until the advent of the DSi that they’d incorporate a shop for their money-printing game device. Which meant that they’d want to create something of a network using the DS’s nascent wireless features.
So they used that to create the DS Download Station, which used cards that were no different from the standard DS game cards. They’d have a few demos on them, maybe some videos. And since each one was basically like a normal card, they couldn’t be updated with new content. Which meant that Nintendo had to keep making and sending new cards to participating locations (McDonald’s and Best Buy were noted for taking part).
This was obviously not a terribly efficient method of doing things. And so, there eventually came a change. The DS Download Station got rebranded as the Nintendo Zone, and the hardware used for it was changed. The cards were swapped for one that could be updated via internet (the servers for this have, sadly, been long dead at this point), and along with it a stripped down unit that only featured one screen.
And that’s where Elliot Coll of The Retro Future comes in. These units have wound up being fairly rare, due to their lack of use, limited production, and unusual construction. It was naturally a good fit for the channel, as he likes collecting such oddities (he once lent his MegaDuck Super Computer to Ashens), and with a sponsorship, he was able to showcase it in a video.
The device has no buttons, only a touch screen, and doesn’t even have speakers. And yet, it will run, aside from those Download Station cards, retail games. Granted, you’d have a tough time playing using only the touch screen, but still. And the reason why is that the guts of the device are a DSi board; they even bypassed the battery, meaning the thing has to be plugged in just to run.
Still, its interesting to see one of these at all. most of them were simply locked up away from sight when they were in service. And it’s not hard to imagine that the majority never made it to the collector’s market. Still, as handheld history goes, it’s definitely something unique.
Source: GameRant
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