The catalog of playable games on the Switch 2 keeps growing. Barely a month after the new Virtual Boy was announced, a new patent discovery may hint to what Nintendo has in store. Social media influencer Mike Odyssey posted the discovery on X, showing a patent document with a familiar set of screens. Games from the Nintendo DS may be on their way to the Switch.
What’s in the Document?
The patent application in question was filed in the United States on October 16th. While the document forgoes any mention of the DS specifically, it does show three variations of a dual screen system familiar to the handheld. The first mode refers to both a parent and child screen, displaying both DS windows on one device. There’s also picture in picture I.E. one window will be minimized within the frame. And finally, there’s a switch mode that lets you swap between windows.
With no word from Nintendo yet, it’s possible all or none of these features could appear in potential DS ports. As this is a rumor, there’s no guarantee the Switch will see the arrival of DS games at all. However, Mike reminded readers Nintendo filed Virtual Boy patent applications prior to the September announcement. He also speculated the DS games would be exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online, as is the case with Virtual Boy titles. Rumors of the Virtual Boy’s return began circulating three months ahead of the reveal, so it may not be until after the holidays that we see official news on DS ports.
Sixteen Years of DS Games
The original Nintendo DS released in 2004, succeeding the Gameboy Advance as Nintendo’s next handheld. Variations on the DS such as the Lite and DSi continued to support strong sales, resulting in over 150+ million units sold. During its lifetime, over 3000 games were produced for the DS before being succeeded by the 3DS in 2011. The 3DS itself was backwards compatible with DS games, with over 1800 games in its own library. Sadly for some gamers, the handheld was discontinued in 2020. It’s unlikely that Nintendo will port every single game ever made for both devices, but titles like New Super Mario Bros, and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass will likely appear. Who knows, you might even get the chance to take care of that Nintendog you neglected in middle school.
Sourced from Mike Odyssey. For more coverage, check out our other games section.
