The is a dual-screen handheld game console released by Nintendo. The console launched in Japan on November 1, 2008, and worldwide beginning in April 2009. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival is Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP). The fourth iteration, entitled Nintendo DSi XL, is a larger model that launched in Japan on November 21, 2009, and worldwide beginning in March 2010. Development of the DSi began in late 2006, and the handheld was unveiled during an October 2008 Nintendo conference in Tokyo. Consumer demand convinced Nintendo to produce a slimmer handheld with larger screens than the DS Lite. Consequently, Nintendo removed the Game Boy Advance (GBA) cartridge slot to improve portability without sacrificing durability.

Nintendo DS and 3DS storage devices are used to store a licensed developer's work-in-progress images, homebrew video games, and downloaded commercial games (since the Nintendo DS is not sold with a rewritable storage medium). Licensed developers, however, can use a blue Intelligent Systems Nitro Emulator box to flash cards. These devices are also known as "flashcarts" or "flashcards". There are two main classes of flashcarts: older devices which fit in Slot-2 (the Game Boy Advance Game Pak slot) and newer devices that fit in Slot-1 (the DS Game Card slot). Slot-2 (or first-generation) devices have been historically cheaper due to economies of scale (inherited from their use with Game Boy Advance), but require a booting tool in Slot-1 in order to use the touch screen and other DS features. Second-generation devices (those which only use Slot-1) do not work with GBA homebrew, but became less expensive and easier to use, rivaling many Slot-2 devices in price.