Anime on the DS - DSvision

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When the Nintendo DS launched in the 2000s, it still did not have an built-in web browser. This meant that users could not easily access the internet (except using a special internet browser cartridge which had not yet been released), and this made steaming services nigh impossible. Streaming services at this point were not common online either for any platform. This was a time before YouTube, and when Netflix still operated by mailing DVDs. This meant that if someone wanted to get anime or other media on the DS it had to distributed physically.

After the Japanese company AM3 released their Advance Video Smart Media Player in 2003, it seemed like the next logical step would be to release an equivalent for the much newer and more powerful Nintendo DS hardware, and DSvision released in 2008 would be just that.

The system, comprising of a cartridge similar to the format that would later be used for Nintendo DS flash cartridges was used. This was a standard DS sized cartridge with a slot on the side, into which a micro-SD card could be inserted. This micro-SD card would contain the movie that you could watch on the system, in a similar way to how the smart media cards held the content for the Gameboy Advance Video. Pre-recorded micro-SD cards could be purchased, or one could buy content on the now defunct official website dsvision.jp, which sold content that could be transferred to the micro-SD card using a program known as 'DSvisionラック' or 'DSvision Rack'. Unlike the previous Advance Video for the GBA which planned to have different content types, and was not able to within its lifespan, the DSvision sold books on the official website that could be read on the DSvision. In addition to traditional books, the service also sold manga as well as educational materials. Quite notably like the previous system (the Advance Video), the DSvision had Pokemon titles including full movies which could be purchased for download, with many in the 300-500 Yen price range. The full movie MewTwo Strikes Back was available for 500 Yen in its entirety or over 85 minutes runtime, and it could fit onto your micro-SD card only taking up a measly 184 MB. And even more impressive some manga titles were available for download for a price of only 32 Yen. Some animated content could even at one point be downloaded from the DSvision website for free, including the first episode of やわらか戦車 (Soft Tank), a popular online animated series that ran for over 50 episodes, as well as モフ☆モフ (Mofu☆Mofu), which was another short online animated series.

At this point is is unknown what type of DRM was used or if a user could load their own content onto the micro-SD card to be read by the DSvision cartridge. The DSvision system would never quite catch on, and this would be another great idea that for better or for worse would not be released internationally. The DSvision website and the AM3 website would eventually disappear along with AM3 itself and it would never be seen again.

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