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Tech · Nintendo · 2006

Nintendo DS Lite

Two libraries in one slim body, with a Game Boy Advance slot. Inspect its hinge before anything else.

Retro handhelds: the five worth buying used — #3

Overall

7.8

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Value (8.6), weakest on Durability (6.6), a 2.0-point spread. The 7.8 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Nintendo DS Lite — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Nintendo DS Lite: Performance 7.8, Value 8.6, Durability 6.6, Ease of use 8.2, Design 8.0.PerformanceNintendo DS Lite — Performance 7.8 out of 107.8ValueNintendo DS Lite — Value 8.6 out of 108.6DurabilityNintendo DS Lite — Durability 6.6 out of 106.6Ease of useNintendo DS Lite — Ease of use 8.2 out of 108.2DesignNintendo DS Lite — Design 8.0 out of 108.0Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Screens
Two 3 in LCDs, 256×192, bottom resistive touch
Plays
DS cartridges, Game Boy Advance cartridges (Slot-2)
Brightness
Four levels
Battery life
15 to 19 hours at lowest brightness (Nintendo)
Audio
Stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • You want the DS library and GBA cartridges on one device with a headphone jack
  • Battery life matters more than screen size
  • You want the lowest cost of entry on this page for a large library

Skip it if

  • The hinge photos are missing or show any white stress lines at the corners
  • You only play Game Boy and Game Boy Color, which the DS Lite cannot run

The DS Lite’s known failure is the hinge. Hairline cracks start at the top screen’s corners where the hinge pins sit, and once they appear they grow with every open and close. Repair guides cover a shell swap, which is a fiddly job because the top screen’s ribbon runs through the hinge.

The Slot-2 bay along the bottom edge runs Game Boy Advance cartridges natively, which makes this a GBA with a second screen and a headphone jack. Later models dropped the slot. Original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges won’t run on it, so a GB collection needs an SP instead.

Screen brightness varies between units, and a yellow tint on one screen is common. A listing photo with both screens lit at the same brightness shows any mismatch.

The DS Lite also has the busiest reshell market after the SP. A shell in a color Nintendo never sold, or hinge corners with no wear at all, points to a rebuild. That is fine if the listing says so and the replacement hinge was fitted carefully.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.