Didn't you have to use the touch screen in NSMB if you wanted to obtain the power up that you were holding onto? Or was there a button that did that too?

actually some of the minigames, did you the touchscreen, they were pretty much all touchscreen. You telling me you never tried those at all?

OT No to DS, as some the more popular games, Brain Training, Nintendogs relied on the tech. and Yes to 3ds as their are really no games on the system that rely on the 3d tech

Actually finding more uses with the touch lately than I did when I first had the DS and DS Lite. The drawing programs on DSiWare and 3DSWare make good use of the stylus considering you can draw with a stylus. The most common use of the dual screens is basically just having it so you don't have to switch to the inventory/map. Not the most dramatic thing but it helps keep the action going. I never mastered TWENY using both screens so I usually had the top screen on auto. Still need to finish that game...

I like the 3D a lot and I use it most of the time. Probably 25% of the time I play with it off to conserve battery life or I am laying down in position where I don't care to hold it for the sweet spot (or if I don't have my contact lenses or glasses on since I can't see 3D really that well without corrective lenses). 3D effect isn't a total game changer but there are already games out now and soon to be released that show that it can add some cool effects (Super Mario 3D Land and I believe Luigi's Mansion 2 will be very nice with the 3D on).

To answer the main question of the thread...  DS - wouldn't have sold as much without touch, 3DS - the inclusion of 3D has only helped its sales slightly

of course not, the DS touch screen allowed devs to create the touch generations games that were the most succesful (except for Mario titles) on the system
the 3D on the 3DS....well, i personally bought the 3DS after trying the console and the 3D feature, i was impressed, on the other hand i see the 3D losing relevance over time, now the games are holding the sales up

so yes in both cases, but a big fat YES for the DS and a tiny shy one for the 3DS :)

i meant NO (wth happened here...)

lets not go crazy, i didnt say gimmick. All im saying is that without touchscreens, there would have been nothing to make it special or unique, it just would have been a souped up GB, which would be fine but would have done nothing for it sales wise, plus those games i mentioned would not have been possible in their current states, which means less sales all around.

I think its a definite no for the DS but yes for the 3DS.

The DS sold incredible well based on the games which reached out to the casual /non gamer. With Brain Training, Nintendogs and slightly more traditional titles like professor L.ayton. The Interface for the above games were incredibly important in terms of allowing them to work at all (Nintendogs- interacting your dog, Brain Training-drawing numbers etc) and in making what could of been done with more traditional controls more appealing.

The same cannot be said for the 3DS. In fact I still intend on getting one at some point but 90% of the time I forget that it plays games in 3 dimensions. Nintendo doesn't advertise that feature, I dare say most people who haven't picked it up still don't know it delivers images in 3D, 3DS just sounds like a catchy name. Its all about the games, Nintendo has delivered heavy hitters like zelda, mario kart and, a original 3D mario and a NSMB all in 16months whereas the DS didn't see such titles till year 2 and 3. Furthermore, the 3DS lacks competition whereas the PSP stole a faire amount of the DS's thunder in the early part of the cycle and the graphical gap between the two was much larger. Games like Monster Hunter simply weren't possible on the DS.

the thing is they were pushing the 3d at the beginning, but it became clear that most people didnt give a damn. Which is why it didnt sell as well as they thought it would which is why they havent been pushing it

I play my 3DS with the 3D effect on half way most of the time probably only have the 3D effect at full blast less then 10%, but yeah it would have sold roughly the same if it was just the DS2 or DS-HD with similar features and games.

Not having the touch screen would have killed not only the DS but Nintendo itself. They wouldn't have been forced to come up with off the wall games like Nintendogs, Professor Layton and Brain Training that propelled the DS early on, before NSMB, past the PSP that it was initially neck and neck with until it pulled away thanks to those games. And the success of the DS over the more powerful PSP inspired the Wii so, like former company President Yamamuchi was famously quoted of saying before its release... the DS will take Nintendo to Heaven or drive them to Hell.

The touch screen, while not as important in all games recently was massively important in making the DS system viable.

I could be wrong but the DS also started "poorly" and everyone at the time were saying it wasn't selling well because people weren't interested in the touchscreen - or didn't care for it. What happened after is history.

The first DS sold - if sources are reliable  - 6.5m in the first seven or eight months. The 3DS sold 3.5m in just over one month after the Japanese launch. The 3DS also was $100 more expensive at launch.

Maybe they are not pushing 3D because like the touchscreen Nintendo will give it a couple years and maybe people will come around to it. Time will tell.

To answer the question regarding the DS: NO. I think without touchscreen PSP would have wiped the floor with the DS.

It is harder to give an answer regarding the 3DS. Nintendo had to do something new. I think just another same ole DS would have got customers thinking they were being milked. It's all about new ideas and new technologies.

I think without 3D, DS sales would have fallen drastically.