If you grew up in the mid-2000s, the Nintendo DS was your gateway to a golden era of handheld gaming. From Mario Kart DS to Nintendogs and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass , the dual-screen wonder changed how we played on the go.

Why? Because Nintendo’s official digital storefronts for those systems—the DSi Shop and Nintendo eShop—were in 2017 and 2023, respectively.

Yes, you can use QR codes to hack your DSi or 3DS. Yes, you can then play DS backups. But no, you will never find a QR code that, when scanned, delivers Mario Kart DS directly to your console without additional steps.