Nintendo DS Systems Nearly Asked Users to List Their Blood Type

By Marc Deschamps

Nintendo preservationist Forest of Illusion recently shared information gleaned from an old prototype of the firmware for the Nintendo DS. These types of discoveries are often interesting, as they can give fans an idea about decisions that were made before a piece of hardware came to market. In this case, Forest of Illusion discovered that the DS nearly included a request for the user to list their blood type, alongside normal questions like sex and birthday! That inclusion probably would have raised eyebrows among a lot of users, which is likely why Nintendo ended up dropping it before the system's release.

Images from this version of the DS firmware can be found in the Tweet from @ForestIllusion embedded below.

Naturally, this revelation has resulted in a lot of questions about why Nintendo would have included this in the first place! Nintendo wasn't concerned about people playing DS in dangerous locations or anything; it seems this is just a cultural difference between Japan and the west. As Twitter user @Mopphire points out, this is actually not uncommon in Japan, as Bandai's WonderSwan and WonderSwan Color systems asked users that same question. While it might seem weird to users here, Japanese fans probably wouldn't have even thought twice about it.

This week has seen some interesting revelations about the Nintendo DS handheld! During its lifespan, Nintendo released a lot of great new entries in its franchises, including New Super Mario Bros., Animal Crossing: Wild World, and Pokemon Black and White. The system did not receive its own entry in the Super Smash Bros. franchise, but THQ did try to make a Marvel game inspired by the fighter. The title would have pit characters like Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and the Hulk against one another. Licensing issues forced the game's developer to quickly shift focus, turning a halfway completed fighting game into a street brawler. Readers interested in learning more about the DS game can do so right here.

Were you a fan of the Nintendo DS? Do you think users would have felt weird about listing their blood type? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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