Video: A look at the Nintendo Zone distribution hardware, a DSi made with one screen

During the DS and 3DS eras, you may have heard of something called Nintendo Zone. It was more widely used during the DS days, but the main idea was that you could connect to the service at certain places like Best Buy and access content such as demos and trailers, services, and more. Nintendo originally sent DS cartridges to these locations which would hold all of the Nintendo Zone data. Later on, there was a more efficient process once the DSi was created.

Nintendo eventually stripped back the original DSi hardware, leaving a single touch screen, two LEDs, and a charging port. Locations that had these systems were also given a new cartridge that could connect to a server for all of the latest content. That way Nintendo wouldn’t need to continually send out new DS cards.

Here’s a look at the device from The Retro Future:

Obviously this isn’t the most ideal way to play DS games, though it’s still fully functional. Titles that need buttons won’t work too well, but if it uses the touch screen, you should be all good to go. It’s a neat piece of Nintendo history if nothing else.