The Nintendo DS startup sound comes from Nintendo's dual-screen handheld system, first released in 2004. Players heard it when turning on the console, so it became closely associated with DS menus, touch-screen games and portable gaming nostalgia. Over time, the boot chime spread through gaming edits, TikToks and meme videos as a shorthand for the mid-2000s handheld era. It still gets used because the sound is brief, instantly recognizable and emotionally tied to a generation of players.