Grab your coat and your wallet; the McDonalds DS has resurfaced once again online, sparking a frenzy with collectors all over the globe.
Wait, what even is this?
I know that’s what’s going through your head right now. But don’t worry, this is a safe space, and one where you don’t need thousands of pounds in your wallet to fit in…
… though it might help if you want to buy this beast.
Still, you’ll have to find one first. This thing could be one of the most elusive and rarest consoles on the planet.
Sure, there’s a whole host of consoles and carts out there that Nintendo have dropped at one stage or another that get our hearts racing; just take a look at the first two entries on our list of rare NES games to give you an idea.
Right, let’s unpack just what this thing is, find out why it’s so rare, and why everyone wants one!
Checking Out The McDonalds DS
Ok, so to figure this thing out, we need to take a trip back to 2010.
In, fact we need to go all the way to Japan.
McDonalds branded Nintendo DSi handhelds were sent out to branches throughout the country. They were supposed to be moved only from store to store and never leaked into the public domain…
… which of course means they totally were leaked and are now sought after by every handheld lover around the planet.
But what is this handheld? Does it just play BurgerTime and other food related games?
Sadly, it’s a bit more boring than that.
Welcome to the eCrew Development Program
Yes folks, these branded DS handhelds were designed as an interactive guide on how to be the ultimate McDonalds employee. They covered everything from how to cook the food on the menu to how to then serve said items ready for customers.
You’d have to actually prepare the food virtually and then let a manager see how well you had done… like it’s not easy enough to just try with the actual materials in front of someone!
Here’s a couple more tweets from user @XX_750000 showing the manual and some game stills to whet your appetite (is anyone else feeling hungry?)
Why Is The McDonalds DS So Rare?
As I mentioned above, these things were never meant to leave McDonalds stores. Only a few ever did, so security must have been pretty tight.
According to a very reliable source (ok, it’s Wikipedia, so take it with a pinch of salt), only 5 are doing the rounds around the internet, one of which is owned by the Twitter user mentioned above, who has been sharing pictures of their console and the manuals that come with it.
Which sparks the question: are they toying with us, or are they getting ready to sell?
Either way, that means four are currently in private collections or lost in the ether.
They don’t come up often, in fact there isn’t one up at all at the moment, so we can’t even begin to imagine how much one would cost.
Still, I wouldn’t expect it to be cheap!
Have you seen or played on a McDonalds DS? Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Seb Santabarbara has bought every Nintendo console that has ever been released in his 31 years on Planet Earth. His favourite game franchise is Zelda, and he’s patiently waiting for Banjo-Kazooie to come back to the fold. When he’s not playing games, he’s travelling the world in his self-converted camper van.
