If you're the kind of person who is prone to accidentally drop your handheld, brush it up against abrasive surfaces (like brick walls) or let your kids or younger siblings play with it while your not around-- you've probably considered buying some sort of protective case for it. I decided to check out one for the Nintendo DS Lite made by Monaco Geniune Cases.
The first thing I noticed was how light it is. The exterior of the case is made from 100% anodized aircraft grade aluminum and the interior is lined with a shock absorbing foam. The case isn't completely enclosed. There are cutouts that allow you to access the left and right controller buttons, the stylus pen, the power button, headphones jack, older game port, and volume control. You still have to flip the top of the case down to swap DS games, access the power recharge jack, and actually play games.
There are two hinges on the back. The top one will let you open the the lid giving you enough clearance not to scratch the top of the DS, and the bottom hinge opens the back up for you so that you can access the power and game port.
It's a form fitting case when it's closed, but the top lid does not move with the top shell of the DS when it opens-- so you just have to flip it down when you want to play. Having the top of the case hang down while I play is, at times, a little annoying as it will bump against the knuckles on my middle fingers. It would have been nice if they could have made the top lid completely removable, or somehow maintain its fit when the DS opens.
The case snaps shut with two molded outer hooks (I don't know what else to call them so please view the accompanying photo to better understand). Since the case has two hinges when it opens, it's possible to accidentally slide those hooks across the top of the DS which might hurt the finish over time. They're smooth hooks, so it would probably take a lot of negligence to cause this to happen, but if you plan on letting a little kid borrow it you may want to warn them about it.
The case has little rubber feet on the bottom so that it doesn't slide off surfaces. This is particularly useful for me since things are always falling off of my desk (I have an Anthro desk that tilts).
As for the shock absorbency, my Nintendo DS Lite has held up quite well on that front without a case, so I don't see that as being a big selling point. Now my PSP on the other hand could use a shock absorbent case since it's far more fragile.
For the way I use it, I would have preferred a cutout in the case that allows me to recharge over all the ones they have in it so you can play while the case is on the DS. Also, since they did put cutouts where the left and right buttons are, it still exposes them to possible damage from scrapes and falls.
Overall, it may not be fullproof (or little kid proof) but it's not a bad layer of protection to use for transporting your DS Lite places (especially if you're particularly clutzy). Still, I prefer to take my DS out of it to play.
Footnote: Although the packaging mentions a 360 degree swivel clip, there is in fact no clip for this case. It's a typo on the packaging. Not that I would use a clip for this case... I'm geeky but not quite that geeky. ;)
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