Modder Turns an Original Nintendo DS Into a Home Console With Touchpad Support

The very first Nintendo DS, released in 2004, has just received one of the most unexpected transformations of its career. A modder going by Kouzex has unveiled the Dual Station, a project that repurposes nothing but the motherboard of an original DS to turn it into a genuine home console, complete with an HDMI output to hook it up to a TV or monitor.

The case keeps both of the original cartridge slots, DS and Game Boy Advance, and offers two display modes: single screen, or the classic DS dual-screen layout, this time reproduced on a large monitor. Kouzex also built in compatibility with modern wireless controllers, including PS4 and PS5 pads, whose touchpad can reproduce the gestures normally reserved for the stylus: tapping, swiping, drawing, just like on the original touchscreen.

Still a prototype, with kits potentially on the way

The project remains at the prototype stage: Kouzex is currently working on kits that would let other DS owners replicate the mod at home, but no files or schematics have been made public yet. One to watch for modding fans looking to give their old blue DS, gathering dust in a drawer, a second life.

Source: Retro Dodo