DS/3DS collector here. I collected when it was in the shops so not currently.

However I can tell you those handhelds are my favourites for several reasons. One being the awesome library. Moreso on the DS but I would prefer playing that on a DS lite to fill the screen with native resolution.

Have a look what’s there and if you’re interested and then go ahead. I can not give much insight into the rising price but I think it’s mostly social media and collectors, hidden gems and stuff like that. That’s making it public and many are looking into it too, causing rising prices.

For example I’d like to have 1941 for the supergrafx but at around 600€ it’s insane and really absolutely not worth it. I can recommend to just keep your eyes open, there are sellers who go against these trends and offer fair prices.

If you just want to play there are possibilities for 3DS with SD card.