It is possible to recall the Nintendo DSi’s strangest accessory. Released in November 2008, the Nintendo DSi was the first of the brand’s handheld consoles to feature two cameras, one facing inward and one facing outward. Suited to the era when phone cameras were becoming widespread, this feature did not perform very well out of the box. [gavff] has unearthed an old and odd accessory aimed at boosting the camera’s capabilities: an 8x optical zoom lens made by Nyko. The console’s cameras were limited to a resolution of just 640 x 480 pixels. The lens attached to a special case. While it is unclear what this special case, which fits the original DSi body, was intended for, those who knew what they were doing could take sharp photos with the lens. The Moon is also photographed in the video. In the video, a larger telescopic lens is attached to the DSi and a photo of the Moon is taken; unlike modern phones, there was no AI intervention. The video also touches on a Mad Catz flash accessory that uses the charging port.
Why it matters
This news recalls the creative ecosystem of an era when phone cameras had not yet taken center stage in photography. The DSi, launched in November 2008, had limited 640×480-pixel cameras; accessory makers such as Nyko and Mad Catz tried to fill this gap with products like zoom lenses and flashes. Even the fact that it is unclear what the special case to which the lens attached was intended for points to how experimental the accessory market of that era was. The Moon being photographed with a telescopic lens without AI intervention shows how far pure optics could go before today’s era of computational photography. For retro hardware enthusiasts and gaming history researchers, the content documents manufacturers’ efforts to give the console functions that were never foreseen. The open question is how many similarly odd accessories have been lost without being archived.
Background
Nintendo is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: over the last 90 days we have published 6 stories mentioning this name; the most recent is dated October 5, 2026.