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Gelaskins for the Nintendo DS Lite Reviewed

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The Nintendo DS Lite is a portable gaming machine, so it’s understandable that it will go through a series of bumps and bruises as you play some Ninja Gaiden or Mario Kart on the go. Thankfully, there are a variety of ways to protect your shiny touchscreen handheld from the elements. You could opt for one of those hard plastic cases, for example. Alternatively, you might want to look into a silicon sleeve. Speaking for myself, I invested in a $10 airform case from eBay. However, in most cases, you effectively add a fair bit of bulk to your otherwise compact video game machine. And what about personality? That silicon sleeve is pretty bland, wouldn’t you say? Gelaskins has come to rescue with a wide range of colorful skins for the Nintendo DS Lite. They not only protect your DS from scratches and abuse, but they also add a huge touch of style as well.


Gelaskins in a Nutshell

If you’re not already familiar with Gelaskins, they already produce a series of protective skins for a number of different portable devices. Hopping on over to their official website, you’ll find that their library includes protective skins for everything from the iPod to the Macbook in over 50 designs ranging from the stars and stripes to anime. They’ve only recently expanded this selection to the Nintendo DS Lite and Mario fanboys couldn’t be happier.

Four Pieces for the DS

When it comes to an iPod, Gelaskins provide you with two skins: One for the front and one for the back. Given the clamshell form factor of the DS Lite, the accompanying skins are comprised of four pieces. Two for the inside and two for the outside. The skin quality is very good, considering that the designs are printed onto 3M stickers using the 3M Controltac Graphic Marking System.

Gelaskins claims that these skins are “easy on” and “easy off”, meaning that the adhesive can be used multiple times. I don’t know how many times you’d want to remove the skin and put it back on, but it’s nice to know that the option is there for you. After a few applications, I’m thinking that the adhesive would start to lose the “easy on” part of the equation.

As it stands, it seems that you can get your fingers all over the sticky side of the skin and it has next to no effect on how well the protective skin will be able to stick to your portable gaming machine. The application process doesn’t need to be all that delicate.

Application and Installation

The two back pieces are pretty straight-forward, especially the top cover. Just line it up and stick it on. The bottom piece has holes cut out for the stylus port, power switch, volume slider, and GBA slot.I was impressed by the attention to detail, particularly for the two inner pieces. In the top cover, you’ll find that Gelaskins not only cut out a hole for the top display, but there are even six tiny holes on either side for the speakers. The scary thing is that these itsy-bitsy holes actually line up perfectly with the speaker holes on the DS Lite.

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I used a bent-out paper clip to poke out the speaker holes in the skin, but it was a little troublesome to get those itty-bitty pieces out afterwards. That trouble, however, paled in comparison to applying the lower piece. There are holes cut out for the touchscreen, face buttons, directional pad, and start/select buttons. Lining up the buttons are hard enough. It certainly does help that the touchscreen is slightly raised, so you may find that getting every lined up perfectly is an exercise in frustration.

Interestingly, I also noticed that the skin is not perfectly smooth. There is a slight honeycomb-like texture to it. I’m not sure if this provides any additional protection, but it looks pretty neat. In the end, even if you invest in a Gelaskins protective skin for your Nintendo DS Lite, I still think that you might want to get a larger protective case of some kind to protect your precious portable gamer from drops, bumps, and bruises. You might also want to invest in some compressed air because based on the way the skins are cute, you could be looking at accumulations in the gaps where the skins don’t cover.

Final Thoughts

That’s the tagline at the top of a skin sheet is “Protection With Style. Not Bulk” and the Gelaskins certainly aren’t bulky while providing a reasonable amount of protection from scratches — the surface of the skin doesn’t scratch all that easily — but I certainly wouldn’t trust the skin to protect your DS from a drop of any height. There is no “cushion” to speak of. These aren’t the cheap stickers that you’d find from some eBay sellers, because Gelaskins sells nothing but 3M products. The variety of designs is equally impressive, but most of these are pretty “loud” in nature. If you’re looking for a subtle protective skin, one that is clear or with a single solid color, Gelaskins is probably not the company for you.

However, if you really want to stand out from the crowd, investing in a $20 protective skin from Gelaskins is a great way to do it. Last I heard, if you order three, you get the fourth one free. Sweet.

Pros

  • Great quality protective skins
  • Large number of interesting designs to choose from
  • Provides great scratch resistance for the DS Lite
  • Adds zero additional bulk

Cons

  • $20 sounds a little pricey for a sticker
  • Will not protect against drops and spills
  • Applying lower inside piece is frustrating

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

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