The Nintendo DS was the first Nintendo system to include built-in online multiplayer through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Nintendo launched the handheld in 2004 with two screens, a touch-sensitive lower display and wireless connectivity. Compatible games could connect through local wireless play or, when supported, through Nintendo’s online service using Wi-Fi networks.
Titles such as Mario Kart DS and Animal Crossing: Wild World helped demonstrate online play on a portable system. The service did not provide universal online functionality for every game; each title had to include its own supported features.
The Nintendo DS is sometimes confused with the Wii because both used Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and launched during the same broad hardware generation. The DS came first, while the Wii expanded Nintendo’s online and digital distribution efforts on a home console.