I mean, there’s clearly a demand for it since the prices have gotten through the roof. Should I really purchase one or is it pointless and a waste of money. What’s the reason behind its sudden resurgence despite it being an “old” console as the Switch lineup has replaced it? Does it have to do with physical game ownership?
I can’t tell you if it’s worth the money, that’s for you to decide. The used prices are really high, even compared to more modern consoles (you can almost certainly get a used Switch Lite for significantly less). But the DS family of systems is awesome and the clamshell design makes them so much more portable than even a Switch Lite. It can go in a pocket and when you’re done you just close the lid to put it to sleep.
The best system from the DS family is arguably one of the “New” 3DS/2DS systems. They are really easy to hack and that gives you access to a huge library of excellent 3DS, DS, GBA and homebrew games and ports natively and through emulation you also get GB, GBC, NES, SNES and even som N64 games (and likely some non Nintendo systems as well).
I love my 3DS and I play it probably just as much as my Switch 2. I recently beat the Ocarina of Time 3DS remaster and had a blast!