{"id":136290,"date":"2026-03-02T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-198145"},"modified":"2026-03-02T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T18:00:00","slug":"poll-20-years-on-does-your-ds-lite-still-have-charge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2026\/03\/02\/poll-20-years-on-does-your-ds-lite-still-have-charge\/","title":{"rendered":"Poll: 20 Years On, Does Your DS Lite Still Have Charge?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Nintendo<\/a>
<\/span> Image: Jim Norman \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After last week’s 3DS 15th anniversary<\/a>, we knew it was only a matter of time before another big hardware birthday sent us spiralling; we just didn’t expect it to come this quickly.<\/p>\n

Today marks 20 years since the launch of the DS Lite in Japan \u2014 a fact that we are totally comfortable and okay with<\/em>. Yes, on 2nd March 2006, Nintendo launched the slimmer, glossier, more colourful counterpart to the OG phat<\/em> DS, and it was a beauty.<\/p>\n

This younger model boasted all of the same key features as its predecessor, only… better. Aside from the far sleeker shell, the DS Lite packed in brighter (if marginally smaller) screens, a sliding power switch<\/em> rather than a button, a notably lighter weight, and substantially improved battery life.<\/p>\n

It’s that last feature that grabbed our attention for today’s anniversary, as, you see, when this writer returned to his Ice Blue Lite a few weeks back for a spot of Pok\u00e9mon Diamond<\/a> ahead of the series’ 30th anniversary, he was surprised to be greeted by a solid green power light, despite not having touched the damn thing in years.<\/p>\n

It’s something that we have seen time and again with old tech \u2014 flip open your old Nokia phone, and we bet it’ll still come back to life \u2014 but it was surprising from a handheld that felt so futuristic<\/em> at the time.<\/p>\n

According to Nintendo<\/a>, the DS Lite battery should last 15-19 hours on the lowest brightness setting, and 5-8 hours on the highest (depending on game activity), with the green power light only changing to red when the battery drops below 30%. While this’ll no doubt degrade over time, our systems still seem to be going strong.<\/p>\n

\"Nintendo<\/a>
Hang in there, old timer \u2014 <\/span> Image: Damien McFerran \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We did a quick whip round Nintendo Life Towers, and all those of us with a DS Lite or DSi (which had a similar<\/em> battery life<\/a>) still to hand found that the beloved little clamshells still turned on, with a green power light to show for it. The exception is editor Gavin, whose brand-new red Lite has remained uncharged and in the box since he bought it. Tut<\/em>. [I saw it five years ago and couldn’t say no to a cheap, never-opened Lite! RIP my original black one, which went to the great trade-in in the sky many moons ago. – Ed.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Naturally, we’re not suggesting that any of our systems have remained fully charged for the last two decades<\/em> \u2014 most of us have plugged them in a few years ago, at least \u2014 but the lifespan on these things is notoriously impressive, nonetheless.<\/p>\n

So, we want to extend the anniversary experiment to you… for science. If you still have a DS Lite kicking around, try flicking it on and see if it still comes to life. You can let us know the results in the following poll, then take to the comments to share your memories of this delightful little DS upgrade.<\/p>\n

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Does your DS Lite still have charge? (1,370 votes)<\/h3>\n
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  1. Yes! And I haven’t touched it in years!<\/strong>43<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Yep (but I charge it regularly)<\/strong>27<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. I get a blinking green light…<\/strong>1<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. The power light is red, but it’s still alive!<\/strong>3<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Nope, there’s no sign of life<\/strong>3<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  6. I don’t have a DS Lite to test <\/i><\/strong>22<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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