The Nintendo DS was one of history's most successful game consoles. It is, after all, the second-highest selling gaming system of all time behind the equally iconic PlayStation 2. As such, it would be understandable if somebody wanted to own one for nostalgia's sake.
The new Nintendo DS portable gaming device, with a stylus on the touchpad screen, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, a trade show for the video game industry, in Los Angeles, May 13, 2004. The Nintendo DS, available late 2004 in the United States, offers Wi-Fi compatibility along with touch-screen input. Many companies will be introduced new hardware and software titles for fans of video games. (
But no one could've predicted that this Reddit user, one MikeDubbz, would literally make his own version of the classic handheld. According to a report by DualShockers, they used a pair of Joy-Cons from a Nintendo Switch, a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, and a 3D-printed casing to put the two devices together.
Here is the original post on the subreddit r/gaming, which has earned over 2,400 upvotes and 99 comments at the time of this writing:
Aside from posting photos of the DIY Nintendo DS, however, MikeDubbz didn't exactly explain how the project was built. What's obvious is that the 3D-printed adapter they used had attachable rails for the Switch Joy-Cons. However, the controllers weren't attached to any connector-instead, MikeDubbz revealed they "naturally paired" to the phone via Bluetooth.
The end result is a handheld gaming device that more or less functions like a real Nintendo DS. It's complete with the side grip buttons and the iconic two screens, which helped separate the tiny handheld console from others at the time.
It looks like the project was more of a personal one for MikeDubbz. It's not like he couldn't find an old, mint-condition DS on the secondary market, so he decided to make his own. A quick eBay search would give you results for used consoles worth between $40-60 US, complete with chargers and an assortment of colors.
As for the Switch Joy-Cons, they're likely using the ones that their own Nintendo Switch has. All in all, the project might've not cost them as much: it can be safe to assume that they own the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip as their personal phone alongside the Switch, and they perhaps only spent money 3D-printing the holder.
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How Was This Homemade Nintendo DS Possible?
For the unaware, Samsung's Galaxy Z FLIP is actually great at running Nintendo emulators for old school games. As such, there's probably not a lot of super-technical tinkering required to make MikeDubbz' DIY DS.
There are numerous videos on YouTube detailing the excellent emulation capabilities of the foldable smartphone. Here's one from the channel The Nostalgic Future, which tackles the Galaxy Z Flip 3 model:
In the video, the phone was shown running a 3DS emulator app called Citra. With that, it was able to run "Ocarina Of Time 3D" while having a similar experience to that of a GameBoy Advance SP, as per the YouTuber.
They also showed how easy it is to pair a wireless controller with the phone. This is pretty much in line with what MikeDubbz said about connecting the Joy-Cons to the phone via Bluetooth. As they said in their original Reddit post, the Joy-Cons were seamlessly recognized as two halves of an entire controller, with the emulator they used automatically mapping the controls.
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Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
