I could see it happen in about 3-6 years and not every game would make it

i think its not an bad idea, but only with 3d and higher resolution

I'd say they'll focus on the GB/GBC games on the 3DS VC. With the GBA games, they'll either start having them later on in the 3DS' lifespan or on the next handheld's VC. That would mean we'll see downloadable DS games on the next handheld (perhaps when it's been out for 4-5 years) or on the handheld after that. I bet the latter...

I dont think they should. DS games can still be played on a 3DS, and to be honest if anything they should add up to GBA games (which they themselves said wouldnt be released - apart from the 10 for Ambassadors). So no I dont think they should, and no I dont think they will.

I would love to download the tetris DS game and Metroid hunters, that's about it.

The problem is Nintendo doesn't have a network or any really official download distrubution service. PS3 you have the PS network, Xbox you have Xbox live, PC you have (a lot) Steam. The E-shop is a seperate entity from the Wii's E-shop and Dsiware.
I do hope the WiiU has this sort of feature seeing as it's not backwards compatible with a gamecube

Also if I'm not mistaken, it's not as simple as just putting the game on the E-shop right? They have to modify it.

They have already confirmed that you can download Gamecube games on WiiU. But yeah I think that it would be awesome for them to release DS games on the 3DS. Maybe they will in the future.

I don't see the point to be honest if DS games are backwards compatible with the 3DS... but I'm sure it'll be alright if the game is small enough...

Eventually they'll stop selling DSs and DS games, then what?

Then they'll start making more 3DS's and 3DS games...

Besides what you could buy on the eShop after several years of waiting around for Nintendo to put them up, you could probably buy off eBay now for about a fiver and still use it on your 3DS.

Also, I don't know where the whole "stop selling DSs" part comes into it... we all know that hardware line is going to be done away with eventually. :3

I'm sure a lot of developers/publishers would be interested in re-releasing DS retail releases onto the eShop ... more customers to purchase the games, way easier than trying to find the game in a store or online (especially if the game is rare), and I'm sure there are few other reasons I can't remember right now. Also, (supposedly) the eShop has a file limit size of 512 MB, which (confirmation please) I believe is the size of a DS retail game, so that's not a problem.

@Birdman True, however, this is Nintendo... they might not do this...

But the rare DS games might be a good idea, especially for the guys who can't find them. But then it completely destroys the point of the DS backwards compatibility with the 3DS... I wouldn't expect to see DS games coming as downloadable titles to this system, but maybe the next console or heck, maybe even the 3DS revision. :3

My point is: They could it, but they probably won't.

seeing as how I can buy and have bought 360 games from XBLA and can buy full PSP games from PSN, Backwards compatibility is a BS excuse.

512MB is a lot more then a lot of DS titles!
Mario Party DS is 30MB, Mario + Luigi - 62MB,
Mario vs. Donkey Kong Mini-Land Mayhem - 16MB and so on!

I think it's a little soon for it. I'd say with the next Nintendo handheld, it's a very probable possibility though considering how many people still think of the 3DS as another iteration of the DS family. I predict the next Nintendo handheld will be designed much differently and possibly not have DS card support, making downloadable DS games probable.

You seem to forget one thing: Nintendo is not Sony or Microsoft

Kinda like the way PS2 and PS1 are on the PlayStation Store?
I think it'd be a good idea but not sure if it'd be possible because were talking about Ninty here and there is still no known file size limit for the eShop.

Maybe in a couple of years when DS games aren't as easy to find. They probably want to exhaust all the GB, GBC, GBA games they can release first...in that order

I can still get DS games from every shop but I wouldn't mind buying them from eShop especially when they become harder to find.

i want game-cube games (only playable with the circle-pad-pro).

I want Atari games (only playable with the 3DS Joystick). That's the only way to play, ba-by!