I bought a 3DS XL sometimes last year. It was under $200.
After seeing the surge in demand, I feel lucky that I bought it when I did. I also decided to take it out and play some animal crossing new leaf for the first time and I’m really enjoying it.
I sometimes wonder if I should have bought the “new” variant back then, but they were much more expensive and I’m still not sure if the performance improvements would have been worth it.
I’m basically just using not for ds and 3ds games, so, I’m guessing the power difference would not really matter.


2DS had one single screen, that motherfucker was a goddamn joke!
You think I’m shitting you, go ahead and disassemble one, it only had one single screen!
Does that really matter, though? It was designed to be cheap and rugged for kids. It still functioned as two screens.
Both fit in the toilet equally well.
You think I enjoyed wasting my time attempting to fix that shit?
Hey, at least it wasn’t infested with roaches.
You act like it wasn’t…
Hey, at least I was paid by the hour to waste my time attempting to fix it. Company dime, company time, and customer paid for the replacement screen even.
Sucks that I wasn’t successful, but damn, when the whole thing is literally rusted out, even the boss should have realized it was a hopeless cause. 🤷
What matters is like literally I asked a question…
HOW MANY VERSIONS OF THE DS DID THEY MAKE?
I asked a number, nobody has answered that.
And why so many versions?
Are you asking the total number across all generations, revisions, colors, sizes, limited editions, variants, and regional models?
The answer is somewhere around 202+ individual SKUs last I checked. Only Nintendo knows for sure.
I found a couple sources attempting to catalog them all, but even they probably don’t have 100% coverage as I’ve found others pointing out a handful of specific versions that weren’t listed.
https://altarofgaming.com/nintendo-ds-models-color-variations-limited-editions/
https://www.torsive.com/2024/10/nintendo-ds-consoles-all-model.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_DS
https://consolevariations.com/database/nintendo-ds
Happy? Because I don’t think anyone else is ever going to give you more satisfying of an answer. Now calm down and go to bed. People here aren’t your enemy just because they don’t quite know the exact answer. Just be appreciative they’re providing what they can, that’s all anyone can expect of anyone else.
If you’re still unhappy, ask Nintendo.
16 years, 4 generations, global audience, capitalism….
I didn’t ask years, I didn’t ask generations.
I simply asked for an overall count of how many versions, altogether. All years, all revisions, all models, simply count and give me a number, how many?
You folks know way more about the things than I do, to me they might as well all be e-waste at this point. Are there really that many versions that nobody can give me a simple fucking number?
I gave you that, cited my sources, explained why the number given wasn’t more accurate, and what you should do about it if it still isn’t up to your standards.
What more do you want???
And yes, there are that many versions. That’s why it’s so difficult to give you a simple number. The DS was in production for almost 20 years. A fuckton of versions were released. That’s why your best bet at a 100% correct number is probably Nintendo themselves, because when you consider it was also a global device with region-specific models the actual count gets even more difficult for any one person on the Internet to find.
As evidenced by my many sources of people attempting to find this answer, it’s hard as hell to do. If you’re still unsatisfied, go to the people that made them and quit raging at anons who are just trying to help.
When my kid was young, the 2DS was perfect because it would survive being shaken without issues. Try shaking a 3DS when the screen is open.
Who cares that they cost-optimized both screens into one? It was cheaper and more robust. It was perfect for smaller kids.
They both fit in the toilet…
I totally wasted my time that day, so please for the love of the flying spaghetti monster, stop giving toddlers electronics!
Stop posting drunk.
Probably reasonable advice. 👍