Function of Nintendo DS's Extra Port "Is a Secret"

The Nintendo DS has received no small praise for its enticing innovations, not least with regard to its supplementary second screen. As time goes by, the uses for that second screen are becoming more and more apparent. However, the DS also has a second 'plug-in' socket (on the bottom right of the machine) that needs some explaining. If a console has an orifice, then there must be some purpose for it.

Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream went about the task of finding out what this might be, but the response given to them by Nintendo was, “It’s a secret. It does look like you can plug something there, but not the stylus pen since that will connect to the back. We will reveal its purpose soon.” Intriguing, eh?

So there we have it, Nintendo is going to make some kind of exciting announcement about another of the DS’s functionalities. It seems unlikely that this would be anything hugely dramatic, as Nintendo would surely wish to publicise any major plusses to the machine at an earlier stage. However, there is a wide range of possibilities for this mystery socket.

Perhaps most likely, it will allow for a headset and microphone to be plugged in for games that make use of such devices. Alternatively, knowing Nintendo’s penchant for connectivity, it might allow some sort of linking to another Nintendo console ('Cube, GBA, even the Revolution?). More radically, there has been talk of possible Internet connections or ancillary drives (remember the N64 DD?). Then again, considering the frequency with which Nintendo mentions peripheral extras, perhaps this mysterious hole could make way for specialist controllers... mini-bongos perhaps?

The speculation doesn’t stop there, though. Nintendo has also said that it is currently trying to decide what shades of DS to push upon the public. Could there be a blue option, or perhaps pink, green or Pokemon egg-yolk yellow? The possibilities are almost endless.

As soon as Nintendo decides to reveal the purpose of the mystery socket, and confirms its chosen hues, expect more related news.