Why Did Nintendo Stop Making The Nintendo DS?

Before the Nintendo Switch became Nintendo's best-selling console, the Nintendo DS occupied that position. Eventually, the company stopped manufacturing DS consoles and moved on to more powerful hardware such as the Nintendo 3DS and New 3DS XL. Oh, and the Switch. The logic behind this move was multi-faceted, but some reasons were exactly what you think they were.

In 2012, prior to the release of the Wii U, then-President of Nintendo Satoru Iwata (RIP) answered several questions regarding that console and the Nintendo 3DS. One of these questions revolved around what these platforms brought to the table and how they differed from the Nintendo Wii and DS, respectively. Iwata stated that the Wii U and 3DS were designed to "realize what's been impossible with the existing systems" and "offer consumers unprecedented experiences, in addition to providing them with improvements from the Nintendo DS and the Wii." So yes, Nintendo stopped making the DS (and the Wii) due to the inevitable march of technological improvement. But again, that was only one component behind the decision. The other one wears the face of Steve Jobs.

In 2007, Apple forever altered the face of the entertainment and communication industries with the iPhone. While the iPhone isn't the best-selling smartphone of all time, Apple demonstrated early on that cellphones could be more than just pocket-sized communication devices. Thanks to iPhones, people started to play games less on the DS and PSP and more on smartphones. Active DS ownership didn't really decrease, but the percentage of owners who actively used those handhelds did. One could argue that Nintendo abandoned the DS and focused on the 3DS to maintain relevancy in the new handheld gaming market.

You can buy Nintendo consoles and products at a variety of stores. Retail chains such as Best Buy and Target are popular choices, and you can also find plenty of worthwhile Switch 2 bundles at Costco. If you ever visit New York City, drop by the official Nintendo store near Rockefeller Center. Amazon often has plenty of Nintendo products in stock, but Nintendo once boycotted the online retailer because of a strange request surrounding the DS.

Earlier this year, the previous President of Nintendo of America, Reggie "My Body is Ready" Fils-Aime, held a Q&A with NYU Game Center. During the lecture, Fils-Aime recalled the time Nintendo pulled all sales from Amazon. This was back when Nintendo was still selling the DS. According to Fils-Aime, Amazon wanted to "have the lowest price out in the marketplace, even lower than Walmart." So, an unnamed executive called him and asked for "an obscene amount of support, financial support" in order to beat Walmart's prices. Fils-Aime didn't go into specifics, but he claimed Amazon was asking Nintendo to do something illegal. The executive's rationale? "But this is what I want." So Nintendo stopped doing business with Amazon.

It's hard to tell if this breakdown in trust hurt Nintendo or Amazon more, but it wasn't the last time the companies came to blows. Several years ago, Nintendo refused to do business with Amazon over a slew of "unauthorized sales" where sellers purchased Nintendo items in bulk over in Southeast Asia and sold them at "a reduced rate" on Amazon. The companies have patched things up, but you could make good money taking bets on how long it'll take for Nintendo to boycott Amazon again.