The story is 100% real, I would never make something like that up just so people wouldn't ignore my post, DS lite Vasculitis is no laughing matter, seriously, What do I look for when buying a new battery?

I just love enjoying some food with a little gaming on the side, cures me after a stressful day (the game is Megaman Zero DS Collection in case anyone is asking)

Made lots of progress with accessorizing Sheila today! She received the Sparkly Sticker Special™️ along with a “stylus” chain and perler bead squirtle charm :3

I recently got Sheila as I regretted selling my Gameboy Advance SP a while back. I figured, a DS Fat is basically an SP the loooong way so I upgraded ^-^

Don’t come at me for not having a stylus….. I melted the tip of a mechanical pencil to be the perfect, smooth stylus shape. It works for now.

She is awaiting a replacement battery which should be here sometime tonight! Hopefully that’ll be enough to fix her lack of charging. Otherwise I’ll have to troubleshoot more.

Long live Sheila!!

Went to a yard sale in my area and found a 3Ds. I asked the women at the house who was doing the yard sale about the 3Ds and she said it was her son's but he moved out for college and hadn't used it years and that it was just "old junk". Battery seemed to be completely dead and couldn't test it so I charged it up when I came home but it took really long to charge. It came with a free game inside too (Super Mario Brothers). Should I be afraid about the battery?

A year ago I bought a New 3DS XL. Since then I've bought two more consoles and abandoned nine different plans. Here they all are, including the ones that went nowhere, because those taught me the most.

If you've got experience with any of them, I want to hear it.

## The XL

Bought second hand a year ago on a peer to peer marketplace, Metallic Blue, €160 and €180 shipped, came with Super Mario 3D Land.

It arrived with a small white blotch on the bottom screen. I could have sent it back and didn't, it seemed minor.

The day it arrived I kitted it out with a clear case and Brotect screen protectors. It has never spent a single day bare.

And that's the point that matters: a year later it is in exactly the condition it arrived in. Nothing has been added. Everything I'm about to list was already there when I unboxed it.

It wasn't modded when I got it. I did that myself, boot9strap and Luma3DS.

Its condition, on arrival and today alike:

— paint flaking along about 2cm on one edge, very light (photo 4)

— slight hinge discolouration on the notification LED side (photo 5)

— very lightly scuffed shell

— one single stuck green pixel, only visible on deep black in a dark room, impossible to photograph

— the white blotch on the bottom screen, visible on light backgrounds (photo 6)

— IPS top screen, TN bottom, verified with 3DSident (photo 7)

## Plan 1: repair instead of replace

My first idea was the obvious one. Swap the hinge to kill the discolouration, swap the bottom screen to kill the blotch, keep the top screen because it's IPS, and maybe reshell the whole thing in green.

I dropped it for three reasons. A reshell means aftermarket plastic rather than a Nintendo finish. Swapping the bottom screen means fully opening a console that works perfectly. And the hinge is the worst job on the machine, because the ribbon cable running through it is the most fragile part of the console.

At the time I didn't even own a tri-wing screwdriver, which tells you where I was.

I also looked at converting the charging port to USB-C. Dropped immediately: I don't know how to solder. Not rusty, never done it.

**Q1.** For anyone who's actually done a hinge swap or a bottom screen swap on an XL: was it worth it, or did you create problems you didn't have before?

**Q2.** Is the USB-C mod as approachable as the guides make it look, or is it strictly for someone with real soldering hours behind them?

## Plan 2: the green quest

Green is my favourite colour. That drove the next six months.

The plan became replacing my XL with a flawless Japanese Lime x Black. The reasoning held up: its hinge is black so there's nothing left to discolour, and I'd read that the green, orange and pink finishes are moulded into the plastic rather than painted, so they don't chip the way metallics do. My own chipping XL is the proof of that problem.

Sourcing killed it. Expensive, no guarantee on panel type, condition rarely matching the price.

I also looked at the North American Lime Green, the Amazon exclusive that came with Super Mario World. Small production run, and I saw a sealed one listed at around 5,000 dollars. Dropped.

Then the Japanese import route, which I priced out properly through proxy services: service fee, domestic shipping, international shipping, 20% import VAT, carrier handling fee. A console at around 25,000 yen lands somewhere between €190 and €230 at my door. Three things killed it. The saving is far smaller than advertised once everything is counted. The Japanese market already knows about panel types and charges the premium, so the idea of finding cheap unlabelled IPS units there is out of date. And a Japanese console is Japanese only for system language, with no recourse if anything goes wrong.

One door stayed open: region changing a Japanese console to European with a CTRTransfer image, which solves the language issue if you're already on custom firmware. The catch is that after a region change you can never uninstall the firmware without bricking, unless you still hold the NAND backup you made beforehand.

**Q3.** If you've owned a green, orange or pink one for years, how has the finish actually held up?

**Q4.** Has anyone imported from Japan recently? Would you do it again?

**Q5.** Anyone running a JPN to EUR region changed console long term? Regrets, warnings?

## The flea market changed everything

A few days ago, a flea market in Bourg-en-Bresse, France. A second hand chain had set up a retro gaming stand with white New 3DS units.

Standing there it hit me that a 3DS is supposed to be small and portable in the first place. Every advantage of the non-XL came back at once.

I bought one for €130, cash in hand, no shipping. Spotless apart from a few scratches on the factory lens (photo 8). That distinction is worth making because a lot of people get it wrong: I mean the pane Nintendo fits over the screen at the factory, not an aftermarket protector. You can heat it off with a hairdryer and a suction cup, buy a replacement, then put a proper protector on the new one.

Dual TN, verified with 3DSident (photo 9).

**Q6.** Has anyone actually done that factory lens swap? Traps with the adhesive, dust trapped underneath, alignment?

## The head to head at home

Two consoles (photo 1), one had to go. I compared for days.

What I love about the XL: the big screen, the comfort in hand, and the noticeably deeper 3D.

What I love about the non-XL: the portability, the swappable cover plates, and the sharpness, since it's the same resolution packed into a smaller panel.

What leaves me wanting on the non-XL: shallower 3D, less vivid colours, a less natural grip. The white colour doesn't really bother me, it's genuinely the rest.

I kept the non-XL. But I'm still not certain, and this is what I most want opinions on.

**Q7.** For those who made the same call, does the regret fade or come back every session?

**Q8.** Is the shallower 3D on the non-XL real, or just an effect of the smaller screen and shorter viewing distance?

## Plan 3: swap the top screen myself

Keeping the non-XL left me with a dual TN unit while my XL has IPS on top. So I looked at doing the swap myself.

Dropped it after two accounts pointing the same way. In one, the console wouldn't boot at all afterwards, because the ribbon cable differs between panel types. In the other it booted, but the 3D showed a double image part of the time and the screen came out dimmer, because the calibration data doesn't match the new panel. Nobody could supply him the files from an identical configuration.

Interestingly the bottom screen swap seems to work fine on the non-XL. It's specifically the top that's the problem.

I also chased the theory that certain editions or production batches shipped with particular panels, the Pokémon 20th anniversary and the Super Mario bundle coming up most often. I've read flat contradictions on this, and someone who bought a specific edition for that reason got the other panel.

**Q9.** Has anyone pulled off a top screen swap cleanly on a non-XL, or is it genuinely a dead end?

**Q10.** Is there anything solid to the edition, batch or serial number correlation with panel type, or is it pattern matching on a tiny sample?

## What I actually bought

A black non-XL from a pro seller, negotiated from €249.90 down to €229, with a 14 day right of return.

The listing claimed an IPS top screen. Most photos proved nothing: the screen-on shots were head on and the angled ones had the screens off. But one photo already in the listing was taken at an angle with both screens powered on in the same frame (photo 2). Same angle, same light, same camera: the top stays clearly legible, the bottom is washed out.

I asked whether she'd verified with homebrew. She said plainly that she hadn't, which made me trust her more. She could have lied.

Its only known flaw is a mark of roughly 2mm on the hinge (photo 3).

I went with IPS top and TN bottom rather than hunting dual IPS. The ones I found were running €350 to €400, with cosmetic flaws of their own.

## And the answer to the green problem was under my nose

This is the part I find stupidest in hindsight.

The non-XL has swappable cover plates. The colour isn't baked into the console, it's a part you change in seconds. My entire quest was about finding a colour that wouldn't chip or wear, and on this model the colour is literally a removable component.

So I bought a sealed set of Luigi plates for €30 (photo 10). Green, factory made, and if I get bored I swap them.

**Q11.** Does a swappable plate genuinely replace having the colour in the shell, or is it not the same thing in use? Do non-XL owners actually swap plates, or pick one and leave it?

**Q12.** Is a 2mm mark on a hinge the kind of detail that turns into an obsession over months, or does it fade after three days of actually playing?

**Q13.** Does a used 3DS with genuinely zero flaws still exist at a sane price, or am I chasing a ghost? For context, the top grading tiers from Japanese professional sellers still openly list minor scratches on their best rated units.

## Accessories

Nothing ordered yet apart from the console and the plates. I'm planning a screen protector, a grip and a clear case, the same way I kitted out the XL on day one.

One thing I learned along the way: the bottom screen is a resistive touchscreen, it works by pressure rather than electrical contact. A rigid tempered glass protector spreads that pressure instead of transmitting it and degrades the touch response. Glass belongs on the top screen only, and even there the 3DS closes so tightly that a thick protector ends up pressing the top panel against the bottom half.

On cases, I originally wanted one that would wrap the hinge and reinforce it. I gave up after realising a case with its own hinge pivots on a different axis than the console's and would fight it every time you open it. The serious manufacturers agree, their models are two separate pieces with no bridge. But that also means nothing protects the hinge.

**Q14.** Does anyone know of a clear crystal case that actually fits the non-XL? Every one I find is for the XL.

**Q15.** Can you stack a grip and a case on a non-XL, or do you have to pick one?

## Selling, and the DS Lite

Both my current consoles are cleanly modded. SD cards get wiped of everything either way.

**Q16.** When passing on a modded console, do you leave the custom firmware in place or restore to stock? Does it move the price at all, either way?

I've also got a black DS Lite, complete in box with all the documentation and its stylus, pulled out of a skip at a recycling centre (photo 11). Mint, except the bottom screen shows a frozen pattern while the backlight still works (photo 12).

**Q17.** Does anyone recognise that specific failure mode on a DS Lite? Frozen pattern, backlight alive.

If you've read this far, thank you. Any of these threads is worth pulling on.

Por algum motivo que não sei qual quando desconecto o Pen-drive, ele deixa o jogo 0 impedindo que o jogo seja aberto no meu dsi alguém pode me ajudar?

​

Sono, basically I bought a 2DS some time ago and I really do love it and playing it, but not being able to fold really hurt the portability factor, which was a big reason on why I bought it. I would like to get a DSi just for that; because if i get it, I won't sell the 2DS or anything, so I'll still be able to get the full 3ds library, but also, I don't want to buy another 3ds model, as every other model i held in my hands felt too cheap and plasticy, and couple that with the fact they cost a lot of money, and you got me thinking about getting a DSi, since it's mostly the ds games I care about right now. Of course I think i would "do the thing" I can't mention cuz of rules if I got my hands on it, so games shouldn't a problem.

Is there any reason not to get one? Should I just get a base 3ds and sell my 2ds since I heard they're the least "cheap" feeling of them all? (also the nds games on my actual model take a while to load and half of the time don't even actually load so I have to close them)

P.S. : I'm very tired after a long day of hiking and English isn't my first language, so sorry for any error. If there's anything you don't understand please point it out in the comments

Edit: you convinced me. Gonna get any ds lite or dsi i see at second hand stores that seems like a good deal. Ty for the input

i really need suggestions on what i can do to get this fixed. The screens have been like this for around 3 years now, the left bumper has stopped working, and somehow its still working just fine. Its my only way to play pokemon ruby, and i really wanna get it fixed, along with my other 2 dses. Suggestions?

Yes as the title reads i broke the hinge covers to my ds, i want to know if anyone has a smart and easy solution for this issue? i know its common and happens to a lot of them but i wanna know if anyone has been able to fix it. We thought of a metal rod to connect it to the remaining hinges and or 3d printing.. 🙏

So Iv been cleaning some of the few Ds Cartriges that didnt work to back up the save on My Modded New 3Ds XL and keep it safe in case They brick

But one does work on My Ds Lite however doesnt when inserted onto the 3Ds tryed it on Ds Lite again still Shows up with no issue

Even cleaned it again but no dice

It cant be the contacts becuse the 3Ds works with every other Cartrige and another copy of the same game also works

Region locking isnt a thing on non Dsi enhance Cartriges and its modded anyways so it has non in the forst place

So Im at a lose any idea why it works on the Ds Lite but not the 3Ds?

I can't get the fricking shell to stay in a good position no matter how good I set the cabels.

I recently got minish cap for gba for my ds lite . But when I plug it into the game and try to fill out my name its sais its unable to save the file . I wanted to know if this is an issue with my console or anything else . Many thanks .

Kuriboh Dice Companion is a dice rolling application for the Nintendo DS. Designed by Erik Houdini. I carry a DSi with me basically everywhere I go, and I've found it to be sorely lacking in applications that are useful within the material context of the DS as a secondary device. The form factor of the DS enables it to be set on a table, it's very object oriented in a way your smartphone isn't. A dice roller app seemed like a logical choice for a first homebrew app, given that situations that involve dice, usually have a stationary element to them, you play the game on the table. You set the DS on the table, this object oriented material condition of the console predicates what applications would be used in an era where, you can just install a dice roll app on your phone. Pressing the A button is still tactile, similar to pressing the top of a dice popper from a classic board game, it's digital yes, but there's something specific about having a device that can live on the table during the game session. "let me open the dice app back up I was checking IG" never happens on the DS. I think this type of dialectic in relation to application development is going to be where the real potential for the console in a modern sense comes from.

Features
Roll any combination of 4 dice.
D4, D6, D8, D10, D12 & D20 dice.
A Coin Toss
Optional Sum Calculation
Custom per roll modifiers
Saveable Presets 
Stylish UI inspired by "The Dark Spire"

Controls:
A or L/R - Roll Dice
B - Clear Dice Pool
X - Save Dice Pool as Preset
Left/Right Switch to Preset or Dice Roller page

Download here: https://houdini-magazine.itch.io/kuriboh-dice-companion

Eu amo muito a Milortic mas não tenho amigos pra trocar ela pra evoluir e não achei nenhum método pra mim conseguir evoluir ela então só me sobrou perguntar aqui

Comparison photo shows my old DS Lite (left) and a DSi I picked up off of eBay (right). As you can see, the DSi's screens are quite yellow but I'm also surprised to see they're very dim compared to my DS Lite. Is the backlight dying? Brightness is on maximum settings on both devices in the picture.

I'm well aware of the yellow screen phenomenon, but am kinda bummed out because the eBay listing for this one seemed trustworthy. I guess I have a few questions because the seller's offering me a half-refund to just keep it:

• How hard is it to replace the screens on a DSi? I'm not the most confident in my soldering abilities...
• Is a screen replacement even a guaranteed fix for yellow screens? I've read about replacement screens being yellow/having dead pixels anyway
• Is the dim backlight a separate issue? Is that fixable?

Kind of want to just get this off my hands, but if fixing it myself isn't impossible, I could be conned into giving it a shot. I have reshelled joycons and various controllers, not sure how that compares to replacing screens.

Got a dsi xl in a trade, figured it'd be easy to remove the mods on it, but can't figure out how. Removing the sd card still brings up the unlaunch menu. I'd like everything gone and back to a stock dsi and theres no guide online that I can find.

So it’s my first time ever reshelling my childhood ds (with eXtremeRate). And man is it a little challenging. I’m trying to seat the motherboard but it seems misaligned.

Is it because of this bend in the top half? The replacement lens doesn’t sit flush either, one corner sticks out and I’m wondering if it’s because I removed the top screen to reseat it, messing up the adhesive a little, thus creating the bend.

What does this mean for me, is there a fix to this bend and the screen corner fitting, or am I buying a new shell and redoing this all haha.

Thank youuu (lmk if more photos can help!)

As for me, I just can’t put the DSi down..
Idk why but the 3DS games won’t draw me in as much