Back in the days of the DS and 3DS, Nintendo deployed “Nintendo Download Stations” and the “Nintendo Zone” service as a means of wirelessly distributing special content such as game demos at events and stores. Tucked away within these distribution methods, however, was a very anomalous piece of hardware that most Nintendo fans have probably never witnessed before – until now!

As you can see above, Nintendo actually used a bizarre single-screen DS that would download data before distributing it to nearby Nintendo Zone users. It’s quite out of this world – especially since it has no buttons, only the touch screen, and can still run retail Nintendo DS games (well, only half of their content, anyway).

Check it out in action below, courtesy of The Retro Future:

What do you think of this bizarre piece of Nintendo’s handheld history? Feel free to share below!