@beardalaxy I had one of the original models. It was that exact "electric blue" color too. The hinges on the thing were terrible and it was easy for them to break lose, and the stylus holder wasn't secure at all. It was easy for the stylus to fall out. Terrible build quality, but I did share that thing with my siblings who abused the hell out of it, so it was to be expected. I later got a DSi XL, but that was at the tail end of the original DS's life and the beginning of the time where playing video games in public was no longer socially acceptable behavior. The only DSiWare game I ever downloaded was Zelda Four Swords only because it was free.

Nobody really cared about the DS until the Lite came out. The GBA was out for only three years, so not many people were eager to upgrade. The launch line-up wasn't really that special. You had Nintendogs and a subpar SM64 remake. There were other games, but they aren't worth talking about. Things really didn't pick up until Mario Kart DS and New Super Mario Bros came out.

But I think the original DS provided the most memorable gaming experiences of my childhood. It was my first handheld that was backlit and the first system I got a decent amount of games for (I mostly played hand-me-down GB and GBC games on my GBA). It also provided the most social gaming experience I ever had thanks to the wireless connectivity. You could be anywhere and there will always be someone willing to play multiplayer or PictoChat, and of course there was Nintendo Wi-Fi for online multiplayer (even though it was full of ActionReplay cheaters). I don't feel like there will be a system like that ever again. Maybe the 3DS was like that, but I missed out on that one.

My only gripe with the DS is that I don't think many of the games have aged particularly well. There are too many 3D games that rely on the D-pad or had stylus gimmicks up the ass. Also, major franchises like Zelda, Metroid, and StarFox hit their low points on that system and that is rarely brought up.

@xianc78 pictochat was fucking awesome

@beardalaxy Except it was kind of pointless given that it was not online. You might as well be talking face to face. It only made sense in a crowded area where you are in a considerable distance.