Nintendo DS Cartridge Slot: Specs & Compatibility

The Nintendo DS cartridge slot is a proprietary slot located on the top of the handheld. It reads Nintendo DS game cards and supplies power to them.

Physical Description

• Shape: Rectangular with slightly rounded corners
• Dimensions: ~33 mm × 48 mm
• Color: Black or silver (varies by model)
• Mechanism: Spring-loaded ejection/retention

Functionality

• Reads game data from DS cartridges.
• Provides power to the cartridge when inserted.
• Backward-compatible with larger DSi-enhanced cartridges (they fit and work on original DS/DS Lite).

Important Note

The slot is not compatible with Game Boy Advance cartridges. GBA games require the separate GBA slot on the bottom of the original DS and DS Lite (absent on DSi/DSi XL/3DS family).