"It's no surprise then, that some of the most popular Nintendo consoles have secret.."
Nintendo consoles are some of the most beloved and successful gaming systems in the history of the industry, with fans spending thousands of hours playing on these devices. It’s no surprise then, that some of the most popular Nintendo consoles have secret, hidden features that diehard fans have been able to discover. Read on to discover the secret Nintendo DS lite feature.
From the well-known Gamecube start-up sound easter eggs to some lesser-known details, Nintendo consoles contain some of the quirkiest and surprisingly useful secrets of them all. Today, we’re taking a closer look at a long-hidden feature of the Nintendo DS Lite that lets you game on the big screen. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at this massive hidden feature of the Nintendo DS!
"Both kits come packaged with all the appropriate ribbon cables, custom boards, and a nice shell.."
How to Output Video from Your Secret Nintendo DS Lite Feature
If you’ve ever played a Nintendo DS, you’re probably familiar with the small but satisfactory touch-screen that displays the action. While this smaller screen works well for gaming on the go, there are plenty of Nintendo DS fans who strive for something larger. A group of programmers and Nintendo enthusiasts known as “Lost Nintendo History” have recently discovered a game-changing feature on the Nintendo DS Lite, allowing players to output the console’s video to traditional televisions and screens. Along with other fun Nintendo DS programs and mods, Lost Nintendo History has developed an easy solution to get your DS gameplay on the TV of your choice. Better yet, Lost Nintendo History has crafted this as an open-source solution, choosing to release it to the public rather than commercialize the potential success.
Enabling this video output mod for the Nintendo DS Lite requires a bit of effort, but it’s well worth it in the end. To get started, you’ll need a custom printed circuit board (the designs of which can be found on Lost Nintendo History’s website), a flex cable to connect the PCB to the console, and a Nintendo DS console with custom software. If you don’t already have a flashed Nintendo DS, you can accomplish this by using one of the many after-market flashcards available online.
To install the custom PCB and get your Nintendo DS Lite gameplay display on a bigger screen, you’ll first need to remove the top portion of the console. To do this, you must first remove the battery and the screws attached to the back of the console, allowing you to free the back shell. From here, remove the left and right trigger buttons along with a few screws and antennas, freeing the top LCD screen and the motherboard. You can then remove the face plate from the lower screen, freeing up the connection cables. Reassemble the face plate and attach the flex cable to the motherboard, then line everything up with the front shell. You’ll need to make a small opening on the front shell so the flex tape doesn’t get snagged, so carefully do this with a craft knife or precision cutting tools. You can now reassemble the entire system, leaving the top screen off. From here, all you need to do is connect the flex cable to the custom PCB board, and you should be all set!
Tutorial Video
WATCH: This is the full review and installation tutorial of the NDS-TV-OUT mod.
For more information and details check out the Lost Nintendo History Github
"In addition to being great for casual gaming, this mod also makes capturing Nintendo DS footage much easier than before..."
The Pros and Cons of the Nintendo DS TV-Out Mod
Generally speaking, this display mod for the Nintendo DS Lite is a godsend. Not only does it display your Nintendo DS gameplay in crystal clear quality, but the PCB has a few extra features that make it even more enjoyable. There are several picture options that can be toggled by pressing small buttons on the PCB, allowing you to swap the displayed screen, overlay them on each other, and switch between several picture-in-picture modes.
Apart from the actual modding process itself, there aren’t many negatives to this TV display mod for the Nintendo DS Lite. In addition to being great for casual gaming, this mod also makes capturing Nintendo DS footage much easier than before. When combined with other mods, this fantastic feature opens the proverbial can of worms for homebrew Nintendo DS ideas. The team at Lost Nintendo History is hard at work on other Nintendo DS projects, as well as additional hidden features buried in other popular Nintendo consoles. We can’t wait to see what else this talented group of modders can come up with! For now, we’re more than happy to enjoy some Nintendo DS games with size and style.
