Games preservationists are always working tirelessly to document every detail of development history, down to the minutest grain. Sometimes their findings are relatively humble or even plain. And sometimes there’s just a little nugget of intrigue buried within. Take the latest (or rather, earliest) Nintendo DS prototype discovered, Ver 0.40615 (which sounds like the subtitle of Yoko Taro’s next NieR game) – while very simple and rudimentary in design, it also gives us a look at the earliest planned features of the console.
We've preserved another prototype of the Nintendo DS firmware! This one is ver 0.40615, and is much earlier than the one we released a few months back, missing various settings. Something fun to note is that there are blood type selection settings which never appeared in retail! pic.twitter.com/CdOxUVZmXx
— Forest of Illusion (@forestillusion) November 24, 2022
One of which was blood type. Yes, A, B, AB, and O – if you knew which one you were you could put it into your DS. If you didn’t know, blood types in Japan (and South Korea) are treated similarly to horoscopes/astrology or MBTI types, as a broader indication of personality or compatibility, so it’d be like putting in your star sign. It was taken out presumably because this is a cultural wrinkle that’s extremely niche overseas, or for other logistical reasons. Hard to say.
Thanks so much to @forestofillusion and @HudU1801 for the find, and keep up the good work.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
