Between the television and the gamepad on the Wii U, the dual screen experience is now akin to that of the DS and 3DS, Nintendo’s acclaimed handhelds. So can we expect a peripheral that would allow people to play their DS/3DS carts on the Wii U?
We’ve already seen two instances of Nintendo releasing a device that would allow a console to play handheld games: The Super Game Boy for the Super Nintendo, and the Game Boy Player for the GameCube.
And looking at the hardware DNA of the Wii U, it is very conceivable that a third device is possible. The Wii U’s GamePad has a touchscreen, camera, microphone, and all the basic controls that would allow for the DS/3DS experience to be played on the console.
The only feature that probably wouldn’t make the leap to the Wii U is the 3D ability of the 3DS. There are glasses-free enabled 3DTVs on the market, but compatibility could be an issue. Seeing as 3D was always an optional feature for the handheld, I don’t think this would be a deal-breaker for consumers.
The allure of having a device that would allow an install base consisting of nearly 174 million handhelds (152 for DS, 22 for 3DS) to play their games on a console would be too great for Nintendo and consumers to ignore. On the fence about the Wii U? A device like this would certainly seal the deal.
It looks like an external device would be warranted as opposed to an adapter or hardware expansion like the aforementioned Super Game Boy and Game Boy Player devices. More than likely a small device that plugs in via USB, unless the DS/3DS handhelds themselves got a firmware update that allowed them to plug-in directly to the Wii U, which is another possibility.
I put together this basic design and named it the “DS U”. Its silhouette is that of the ‘U’ from the Wii U logo, so it could sit beside the console in a complimentary fashion. The ‘U’ opening also prominently displays the game cart label, giving it an old-school cartridge vibe.
Really hope Nintendo does something along these lines, as it would certainly expand the Wii U’s potential.
Dave's Geeky Ideas 
Oh my God, this is exactly what I want. I’ve wanted this since I got a DS, and when I got my Wii U, I thought it couldn’t be too far off. NINTENDO, PLEASE SEE THIS AND THEN DO THIS.
I have a large library of DS games, I’d totally splurge on a Wii U if they had something like this.
This is pure genius.
Reblogged this on Gigable – Tech Blog.
chances are they will just at first make the DS games available as DLC though doubt they will make 3DS immediately available too the Wii U since they want people to buy the 3DS, not just the Wii U, though depending on if and when they do this it may just be external like this to make a few extra bucks (might aim for a $100 price tag) or they could just make one of their updates for the WIi U and the make DS (and 3DS games if they wait a few more years) on the online store as said earlier.
I would buy it, to play games on the bigger screens, and also to trade Pokémon between my games. 😀
https://www.change.org/petitions/nintendo-co-ltd-create-a-peripheral-that-plays-nintendo-ds-and-3ds-games-on-the-wii-u#description
This must be emailed to Nintendo’s offices by every Wii U, DS and 3DS owner in the world! We MUST make this happen!
https://www.change.org/petitions/nintendo-make-a-3ds-player-for-wii-u
yes i world like to have a Dsu for my wii u