For a gaming community there are relatively few topics on console modifications and the homebrew scene here so I thought, why not write an article? And here it is.

Saying "Sorry" to my Nintendo DS

About three weeks ago I picked up my Nintendo DS to have a game of Final Fantasy IV when it occured to me that the damn thing looked disgraceful. Sporting numerous scratches and grazes from the odd drop my desk and the dreaded fall down two flights of stairs my silver DS bore the personality of a console that has not just been abused but a console that has actually been to war and come back as a veteran. When my friends ask me what happened to my DS I have to tell them that it "walked into a door" because I don't want them to find out the harsh truth that I am a console abuser.

To repent for my sins I went out into the English desert and meditated in a holy cave for 40 days and 40 nights, feeding on failed Sony data formats to keep starvation at bay. Returning home with the sour taste of betamax eating away at my gums, I logged onto the internet and ordered a replacement case from a respectable sounding Chinese merchant on that new-fangled auction site that the kids of today call eBay. After another prolonged 40 days and 40 nights, it arrived.



For a console that was about to go under the knife, my DS looked relatively calm. I patted it on the lid and assured it that thanks to my masters degree in console surgery I was highly qualified for what would be a complicated procedure to the average bulshitting stupidhead forum-goer. Soothing the DS with the story of how my Dad was the first man to land on the moon, I administered the anesthetic - Ok ok I will ruin the suspended disbelief - I removed the battery and complete chaos broke loose!

If you decide to replace the shell on your DS I recomend you follow these instructions as they include many of the problems that you could potentially come up against. The main problems I encountered were:

• Getting the hinges out of the old shell
  The DS has 2 barrel hinges which allow the screen to click into place when you open the lid. Removing these from the old case can't be done unless you use a lot of force. I was extremely cautious not to put a screwdriver through my hand although I can see this happening to people who are not careful - so make sure you are!
  
  
  
• The parts supplied were mostly rubbish
  The red lid/faceplate assembly were the best quality parts of the kit. I transferred the original black base and all the buttons and triggers as the ones supplied felt horribly tacky and didn't have that firm feel when you press down on them. This may require a little trimming here and there (particularly with the triggers) to make sure everything fits and doesn't stick.
  
  
  
• Remembering to do things in the right order and not forgetting components
  Admit it, if you've ever taken something apart and put it back together you may have had to backtrack at some point because you forgot something. I strongly advise writing down what you're doing so you can do it in reverse order if you have a bad memory as when you put a DS back together the backtracking becomes cumulative!
  
  
  
• Keeping the screens clean
  There's nothing worse than a MASSIVE piece of dust, just out of reach on the other side of the plastic. It takes a lot of steps to get under the screens so make sure they're clean when you place them back into the shell.
  
  
  

This picture recalls the state of affairs during the operation. Note the yellow text, these are things that are definitely required.



Below is a shot of the finished product.



Would I recommend it to you?

This sort of mod is fairly advanced. If you've never done craft with knives and screwdrivers before then I would get someone more experienced to do it for you. There is a lot of potential for error. You also might give your DS a static shock and brick it so make sure you're not wearing a nylon vest with a wooly jumper. The kit I ordered came with the Tri-Wing screwdriver and cost about £8 (so roughly £16 USD) and I am fairly satisfied with it. It looks new and if I wanted to I could probably sell my DS on eBay for a lot more than I would get for "Completely Knackered 3 year old DS" as the title.

Last but not least, modifying your DS voids the warranty - so be careful and do your homework before opening the shell [/don'tblameme]

If you're into console or game modding and you've got something to show, drop me a PM and we can organise an inteview and you can tell us the nerdy details.

- Ed

This is a really cool article. I hate my fat DS, so I might fool around with it one day for kicks.
I have a massive piece of dust in my PSP screen, but I'm not ready to mess around with it yet. It isn't enough to warrant a surgery over it, unless I was going to replace other things as well. It gets way more play time than my DS, anyway.

I think a Wii mod will be necessary though.