Nintendo DS cameras are a retro throwback trend

Some days I still miss the charm of my Nintendo DS or 3DS. The Nintendo DS and 3DS handhelds were great. You can also find out more about. Some games used weird cameras and mics built into the consoles. The DS family has a newfound relevancy. People are taking photos and video with the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo 3DS cameras. The cameras can be used to capture the look and feel of 2010s with a nostalgic touch.

My first real brush with the resurgence of the Nintendo DS camera was when a hip-hop duo called Joey Valence & Brae recorded an entire music video on a Nintendo DS. The two musicians seem to really lean into a classic ’90s vibe sound-wise, and they recorded the entire music video for a song called “Punk Tactics” on a Nintendo DS. This pixelated, crunchy look was a hit with the audience. The teaser video for the music video garnered over 2.1 million hits on TikTok.

Since the release of this video, it’s become trendy to use the Nintendo DSi and 3DS handhelds as cameras. Nintendo’s first DS that had a built-in video camera was the Nintendo DSi. It was released worldwide in 2009. The Nintendo DSi had two cameras with 0.3-megapixel resolution, the first facing inwards while the second was facing outwards. Even though the cameras were rudimentary for their time, for some (especially kids), this was their first camera. Now, fast-forwarding to 2023 and almost a decade after these consoles first came out, the older gen Z generation can look at this time period fondly.

The cameras on modern phones are becoming more sophisticated. Yet, some people still want something that looks stylized or isn’t picture-perfect. Others may use an old camera, but some still keep a Nintendo DS around. These lo-fi cameras produce extra-pixelated, crunchy images that evoke nostalgia.

One viral video shows photos taken by a visitor to Yosemite. They have an almost painting-like appearance. “This is the Gen Z version of Polaroids and I love it,” one user commented.

If you have a Nintendo DSi, 3Ds lying around then try using it to take pictures. I’ve seen people take them to concerts or car shows, but these devices are small enough to bring anywhere. My own device was taken on a walk and I took some beautiful photos of the flowers.