Since late 2004, the Nintendo DS family of handhelds has been entertaining gamers worldwide. The DS and its various iterations have sold over 130 million units since launch, making it the world’s best-selling handheld game console and the second best-selling system of all time (behind the PlayStation 2).

As impressive as the handheld’s sales history is, the system’s software lineup is even more remarkable. As of late 2010, the DS boasts nearly 1500 titles, plus an additional 200+ downloadable entries for the DSi and DSi XL. Moreover, the world’s best studios develop for the DS, so the handheld is known for having incredible portable gaming experiences in its software library.

The Nintendo DS is currently sold in three variations with a fourth, called the Nintendo 3DS (widely considered a separate, next generation of Nintendo handheld), on its way to market in the first quarter 2011. All DS models feature dual screens (from which the handhelds derive their names). The bottom screen is tactile, allowing players to interact with games in very unique ways.

The Nintendo DS Lite

The Nintendo DS Lite was launched in 2006 and replaced the original DS model, which was lauded for its capabilities but derided for its cheap-toy look. The sleek redesign of the DS Lite was universally praised. Not only is it more attractive than its predecessor, but it is also slimmer, lighter and features slightly larger, more vibrant screens.

The DS Lite has two backlit LCD screens measuring 3.12 inches. Screen resolutions are 256x192 pixels, displaying up to 264,144 colors. The bottom screen also boasts analog touch recognition capabilities. The DS Lite is powered by two CPUs (ARM9 and ARM7 for graphics and sound, respectively) running on a rechargeable lithium ion battery that lasts anywhere from 15-20 hours on one three-hour charge.

Like its predecessor, the DS Lite has a GameBoy Advance cartridge slot (compatible with all GBA titles), in addition to a DS-specific software reader and wireless communication that allows players to play games through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or directly with friends in close proximity. The DS Lite is controlled via stylus, D-pad, shoulder buttons, and microphone.

The Nintendo DSi

The Nintendo DSi began its development cycle in 2006 and was released to the world in late 2008 and early 2009. In most respects, the DSi is identical to the DS Lite. However, a handful of new features distinguish the system from the previous model.

For starters, the DSi has dual 3.25 inch TFT-LCD screens, four times more RAM (16 MB) and a much faster ARM9 CPU (running at 133 MHz). This increased processing power allows the DSi to support many more secondary functions other than just game playback.

Additionally, the DSi has far better sound output both in terms of volume and fidelity. Furthermore, the DSi has improved wireless communications (supporting not only “B” but also “G” wireless signals), giving consumers access to the Nintendo DSi Shop where inexpensive, downloadable games and applications can be purchased.

The DSi also has 256 MB of internal flash memory with an expandable SD memory card slot (up to 2 GB with standard SD and up to 32 GB with high capacity SD cards), which allow consumers to store game data as well as video, audio, and image files. The DSi also incorporates two cameras (inside and out) that let owners take pictures, edit them, and send them to Facebook or other DSi systems.

The DSi is regarded as the ultimate DS handheld, but it is missing one important feature: no GBA slot. As such, the DSi cannot play GameBoy Advance software, nor can it accept peripherals such as the Guitar Hero Guitar Grip by Activision or the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak, which utilize the GBA slot to communicate with the device.

The Nintendo DSi XL

Just a year after the release of the DSi, Nintendo decided to launch a new version of the handheld. The Nintendo DSi XL is identical to the DSi except for its much larger size. The bigger dimensions give the DSi XL much greater screen sizes; 4.2 inches as opposed to 3.25. The massive screens are brilliant, taking the DSi software to new heights visually. Best of all, the system has a much-improved viewing angle in an attempt to promote multiple users joining together and playing with the games and applications on one system.

The big downside of the DSi XL is that it is much heavier and bulkier than its relatively light, slim predecessors. This makes the system less portable for travel and playing games while reclined becomes somewhat uncomfortable after awhile; the DSi XL experience is best when using the device in an upright seated position, either in your lap or on top of a table.

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