Jubenhimer
Member
The Nintendo DS is now 18 years old. Nintendo. Co. Ltd.'s Odd twin-screened handheld was far ahead of its time when it released back in 2004. Featuring full 3D graphics, touch input, built-in mic, local wireless, and online multiplayer through built-in wi-fi. Though it had a rocky start, the DS eventually sold over 154 million units worldwide, making it the second best selling game system of all time. The console completely changed the industry by appealing to a then undeserved "non-gamer" audience with games like Nintendogs, Brain Age, and others that even your grandma can enjoy. In many ways, the DS was the tablet, before the tablet, on top of being a really strong gamer's machine as well with hits like Mario Kart DS, Ace Attorney, Pokemon, and The World Ends With You.
But for as forward-thinking and innovative as the DS was, the platform also had a very distinct "retro" appeal as well. That can be chalked up to its abundance of low-poly 3D and sprite-based games, strengths in genres like platformers and RPGs, or its cheaper development costs allowing studios to create AAA games, without the sheer costs of home console AAA development. But I think where this is most apparent, was in the DS's sound capabilities.
While plenty of DS games used fairly compressed digital music (such as the Guitar Hero games), there were also plenty of games that programed midi music onto its speakers. In an era where home consoles were well into HD, theater quality sound and music, the DS was one of the last consoles to keep that chip-tune spirit alive with its very simple sound tech, while also having improvements such as increased storage space allowing for things like voice acting, audio samples, or the aforementioned compression. Many of the console's games boasted melodies that feel distinctly nostalgic, yet at home in its era as well, like something between the SNES' sound and what modern home consoles were delivering.
Here's some samples:
And unlike the Game Boy Advance's scratchy, muffled sound, the DS' music always sounded crisp and clean. I feel this combination of retro sound design and modern enhancements gave DS games a sound entirely their own. It's hard to explain, but you can almost instantly tell when a game's music sounds like a DS game, it's very much unlike any other console.
The Nintendo DS was a console that represented the future, but in a lot of ways, it was also a product of its era. A time when completely custom hardware with quirks was common in game systems, and I feel that the sound of DS games best represents that.
But for as forward-thinking and innovative as the DS was, the platform also had a very distinct "retro" appeal as well. That can be chalked up to its abundance of low-poly 3D and sprite-based games, strengths in genres like platformers and RPGs, or its cheaper development costs allowing studios to create AAA games, without the sheer costs of home console AAA development. But I think where this is most apparent, was in the DS's sound capabilities.
While plenty of DS games used fairly compressed digital music (such as the Guitar Hero games), there were also plenty of games that programed midi music onto its speakers. In an era where home consoles were well into HD, theater quality sound and music, the DS was one of the last consoles to keep that chip-tune spirit alive with its very simple sound tech, while also having improvements such as increased storage space allowing for things like voice acting, audio samples, or the aforementioned compression. Many of the console's games boasted melodies that feel distinctly nostalgic, yet at home in its era as well, like something between the SNES' sound and what modern home consoles were delivering.
Here's some samples:
And unlike the Game Boy Advance's scratchy, muffled sound, the DS' music always sounded crisp and clean. I feel this combination of retro sound design and modern enhancements gave DS games a sound entirely their own. It's hard to explain, but you can almost instantly tell when a game's music sounds like a DS game, it's very much unlike any other console.
The Nintendo DS was a console that represented the future, but in a lot of ways, it was also a product of its era. A time when completely custom hardware with quirks was common in game systems, and I feel that the sound of DS games best represents that.
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