What Does "DS" in Nintendo DS Stand For? Dual Screen

Dual Screen

DS = "Dual Screen" (also marketed as "Developers' System" early on).

The defining feature of the Nintendo DS family (DS, DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL) is two screens — the bottom one resistive touchscreen — enabling unique gameplay mechanics.

Successor 3DS added autostereoscopic 3D to the top screen; Switch merged handheld/console into one screen (touch in handheld mode).