Hacking DS (Lite) screen protectors which is the best

[Omoikane1979]

Only Horis are licensed by Nintendo. Put them on PROPERLY. There's ways to screw this up, but if they're put on properly they should last you a while.

Several points of advice (compiled from posts here and there):
1 - Be careful not to get the screen protector inbetween the touch screen and the DS case. This will result in a 'permanent
touch' which in turn will render the touch screen useless until you properly re-apply the protector. This is one of the most
common problems for those who apply the screen protector for the first time.
2 - Get rid of most the dust particles by applying it in the bath room after the steam has 'gone' and take your time. Make
sure you put your things on a clean surface.
3 - Clean the touch screen. Check for cleanliness. Then apply the protector.
4 - Should you notice dust and hair underneath the screen protector take it off gently and remove it with tape. Re-clean the
touch screen surface with a microfiber, lint free camera or sunglasses cloth, and reapply without your fingers touching underneath it.

 

[Omoikane1979]

Just like CannonballZ and 4saken said, the Capdase Touch Screen Protector is about 1 mm 'larger' horizontally and vertically in short there is no discernable gap when applied to the touch screen (I recently bought both Hori and Capdase comparing them before I applied the Capdase).

The only thing I want to add is that the Capdase Screen Protector gets 'sucked' unto the touch screen, so I made sure it was where I wanted it then gradually peeling more of the adhesive protector tab off until it completely covered the touch screen. (I was lucky with the touch screen, the upper screen got 2 small dust air bubbles.

Side note: You can remove dust particles using the same formula recommended by BSE i.e. a small drop of liquid soap with water before re-applying it on the screen.

I didn't use any scotch tape because I couldn't find any.

 

[Omoikane1979]

I just noticed after posting extra information about the Capdase Touch Screen Protector, but there is a small gap of half to one millimeter horizontally on top, still it is considerably less than those of Hori.

 

[macherie]

Cheers for the thread Omoi, i was curious about screen protectors as my friend and i just ordered some genuine hori ones from dealextreme. I was wondering whether or not there's a significant difference between the others and was hoping that the hori ones would be durable and good to use. Also thanks to the others that contributed on information regarding different screen protectors ! ^___^

 

[mixinluv2u]

i have the bestskinsever full body skins on my DS Lite for about 3-4 months now, here's what i noticed.

putting these things on wasn't that bad. once you get over the fear of some water touching your precious DS it's okay. just remember to only use 2 drops of baby shampoo as recommended, since you don't want dried up soap damaging your unit. otherwise, the plain water should dry just fine without damaging anything.

i was careless the first time when i put on the bottom screen protector and had a fuzzy/dust stuck in it. there's pretty much NO WAY to get it off once you get something stuck under. you will need to take it off and re-apply a NEW protector (which is what i did). so, clean your bottom screen well, and apply the protector in the bathroom after you run the showers for perfection.

first impression after putting it on was pretty awesome. it keeps everything shiny and i feel safe with how it will guard against scratches. it's also very nice to keep my DS Lite at it's original size and weight, so that i can comfortably carry it in my pocket.

the touch screen works fine. i did not notice any difficulties when playing, even with stylus intensive games like zelda. granted i did not play a lot BEFORE i had the protector on, so i couldn't really compare to see how sensitive it was without the protector.

i had my DS Lite and bestskinsever for about 3-4 months now. everything is still working well. no scratches whatsoever. the screens are still really clear, and i have no fear of damaging my screens when i need to wipe them down.

one thing i did notice is that the bottom outter skins are starting to turn color (i have a white DS lite). the skins are turning a bit dark/black-ish. my only guess for the cause right now is just my hands, since that's the part where i actually hold.

the top outer skin is still shiny and clear, except for two little spots near the hinge. again, my only guess right now is that's where my index finger tends to go when i hold it and play. although the top skin's color change is a lot less severe than the bottom, which i can only assume is because it has a lot less contact with my hands.

i am not a dirty person and i almost always try to make sure my hands are clean before i start playing, so it kind of came as a surprise to me that the skins are starting to turn colors. at least i know it's protecting the actual DS and not the DS changing color, right?

does anyone know if there's something i can use to clean it off with? or is this permanent? anyone else that use bestskinsever have the same problem?

 

[Omoikane1979]

i have the bestskinsever full body skins on my DS Lite for about 3-4 months now, here's what i noticed.

one thing i did notice is that the bottom outter skins are starting to turn color (i have a white DS lite). the skins are turning a bit dark/black-ish. my only guess for the cause right now is just my hands, since that's the part where i actually hold.

the top outer skin is still shiny and clear, except for two little spots near the hinge. again, my only guess right now is that's where my index finger tends to go when i hold it and play. although the top skin's color change is a lot less severe than the bottom, which i can only assume is because it has a lot less contact with my hands.

i am not a dirty person and i almost always try to make sure my hands are clean before i start playing, so it kind of came as a surprise to me that the skins are starting to turn colors. at least i know it's protecting the actual DS and not the DS changing color, right?

does anyone know if there's something i can use to clean it off with? or is this permanent? anyone else that use bestskinsever have the same problem?

From all the forums I checked on BSE you are the first to mention this kind of color change problem. I have read of people complaining about dust/dirt getting trapped at the BSE edges. Maybe it's the same kind of thing? Anyhow have you tried contacting BSE? I eventually decided to postpone buying one, but before doing so I had a lot of contact with them and they were so kind to answer each of those thruthfully. Also some people did comment BSE on their good customer service, I'd say give it a try and see what comes out of it.

 

[mixinluv2u]

their screen protectors are good. i really enjoy the fact that i feel like the screens are protected from scratches.... especially the touch screen and especially when i play games like zelda.

their full body skin (the ones that go on the outside) have the discoloring problem. i did some extensive research on google and found other people having similar problems. this is not just for the DS either, some people with the BSE on their Treo have reported similar problem.

also this is not just BSE, but i also found the exact same complaints against the Invisible Shield. i think it's the material that they make this type of skins from. and i am pretty sure it's when it's handled a lot that this discoloration begins to show.

i can only assume that most people reporting or writing review probably don't actually touch their BSE with their hands a lot, or just havn't used it enough yet. also if you have a black DS i don't see this as a problem at all.

i did email BSE regardint this problem and they replied after 2-3 days. they apologized and are supposedly shipping a replacement skin to me. i am still waiting on the shipment to come..... even though i don't know if i would want to put them on just to have them change colors again in another 2-3 months.

i am considering switching over to Mad Catz showcase instead. it's such a shame because i LOVED the fact that my DS Lite didn't increase in size or weight AT ALL.

 

[mixinluv2u]

http://www.aphnetworks.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2833
turning yellowish with picture (mine is worse than that, it's like black/dark for me).

http://discussion.treocentral.com/archive/...p/t-112728.html
treo turning yellow. the post is about 3/4 of a way down.
then another person also said his turned yellowish grey at the areas with most handling.

 

[mixinluv2u]

http://www.tuaw.com/2007/07/06/invisible-s...or-the-iphone/2
see some of the comments. more than one person confirms that InvisibleShield also turns yellow.

one person said they asked the company that makes InvisibleShield and they admitted to how it can pick up the dye from whatever it touches.

 

[kaspal]

i've been using hori protectors for 10 months now, and even tho, when you view them at certain angles, you see some scratches, they look and feel flawless when the game's on... so, i cant recommend them enough... and i bought them kinda cheap (like 7 bux in january, from WinSunx).

they came with everything i needed to clean up the screens, and properly apply the protectors. today i have a barely scratched touch screen protector (which i clean every once in a while), and a flawless top screen protector (i should have saved this one for when the touch screen one got really screwed, but, oh well).

 

[roguetrip]

I bought a set of genuine hori screen protectors about 3-4 months ago for around $7 from a game exchange store. Applied them properly with no air bubbles. Found the first thing i don't like is the gap that the screens leave, like 2mm it looks like on each side which i assume is for easier removal but my stylus sometimes falls into the gap when doing movements and such and have to then lift the stylus off the screen. Fast forward about 2 months as i'm starting my journey on TLOZH, i start noticing the touch screen protector is fogging up and harder to glide across and starts looking like scratches, I have to uses a cleaning cloth with some water to remove the fog and the scratches come right out. Since then i have clean the fog off every couple of weeks to keep performance up (friction down on the stylus for better gliding). The screens still look great when i clean them, but the fog and gap problems suck!

 

[mixinluv2u]

oh! for those that find the gap bothersome, and want to try the bestskinsever screen protector... you can buy uncut sheets from them, and then cut to whatever size/shape you want.

i did that for my touchscreen and it fits perfectly with almost no gap. and i even cut out another piece for my digital camera from the same purchase. and still have quite a bit leftover. =)

 

[Omoikane1979]

http://www.tuaw.com/2007/07/06/invisible-s...or-the-iphone/2
see some of the comments. more than one person confirms that InvisibleShield also turns yellow.

one person said they asked the company that makes InvisibleShield and they admitted to how it can pick up the dye from whatever it touches.

Yeah, I read those links you provided and they do confirm a discoloring due to picking up the dye from whatever it touches. That's quite nasty, you either have good scratch protection with discoloring over time or virtually nothing of the sorts. From what I think at this moment a yellow or black device won't show the discoloring that easy, but still that sure isn't why you've bought it for.

One last thing though BestSkinsEver e-mail replies do seem to take quite a lot of time before they answer your question, several days at least, if it takes longer though I would suggest sending them a reminder.

 

[Omoikane1979]

oh! for those that find the gap bothersome, and want to try the bestskinsever screen protector... you can buy uncut sheets from them, and then cut to whatever size/shape you want.

i did that for my touchscreen and it fits perfectly with almost no gap. and i even cut out another piece for my digital camera from the same purchase. and still have quite a bit leftover. =)

I read the BSE skins are a bit 'rubbery' to the touch especially when applied to the touch screen, so it may be an acquired taste. That's something to take into consideration before you buy it to protect your touch screen.

 

[matriculated]

I just got and applied my screen protectors from bestskinsever yesterday. It was kind of scary applying the film because you have to dip it in a solution of soap and water and then put it on your screens.

The gap is kind of annoying but it's not noticeable when playing games. I can see dust starting to collect in those gaps though. There's definitely more friction when using the tough screen - which I like since I like drawing on my DS with homebrew program Colors - no accidental lines ruining my paintings. So far, a big thumbs up from me but I'll report back in a few weeks after my 2 year old son plays that Daffy Duck game to death. In no time, he tore up those fake Hori protectors from Dealextreme.

I'm not sure if I would use the whole body protectors though - they aren't as invisible as I thought they were. It's not that they have a different color but they seem sort of thick (compared to other protectors) and I think you could easily seem the edges/seams. All in all they these skins seem very tough.

 

[mixinluv2u]

i have been emailing bestskinsever asking questions regarding the discoloration issue. it took them a little time to respond, but they responded nonetheless. they also seem very honest and straightforward even though this is a question that puts a negative on their product. so thumbs up to them for that! =)

they admitted that there are some cases reporting the discoloration, but it's "uncommon." i asked them if they know what the possible cause might be and they replied saying that they don't really know since the reports are uncommon so there aren't a lot of cases and studies.

i described to them my usage (average 30 minutes a day), holding the DS in my hand. and that i noticed the parts my hands touch seems to have the most severe discoloration. they said it that 30 minutes a day of handling is considered heavy for their product, and that body oil might be the cause of it.

i don't know if it's true that it picks on the dye of nearby products. i have my DS in my backpack and in my pocket all the time but it never picked up colors from those.

so yea they are very helpful and seems sincere. although i am not sure if there's anything we can do to prevent the discoloration on the full body skin since we have to pick up the DS when we play.

the screen protectors should not have the discoloration (i didn't notice any on mine) since we don't really touch them with our hands.

matriculated: it'll be interesting to see if you also notice the discoloration on the full body skin 2-3 months down the road. what color is your DS?

 

[matriculated]

I don't have the full body skin - but I have a crimson and a white ds. I may get the fullbody skin for the crimson - I guess the discoloration would show up on the white DSs the most.

 

[Riddance]

Hi, new member here
just got our DS lite and planning on ordering a protector from ExpertShield
I have one for my N95 and it is great
any experience here with ExpertShield for DS?

 

[Omoikane1979]

Hi Riddance:
No I don't have any experience on Expertshield. I just checked the site and it looks very promising, though my advice would be to take a look at the properties of several well-known brands like Hori, Capdase and more if you don't like taking the gamble.

Should you decide to buy Expertshield, I would be very happy if you could provide us with more information as in pages 1 and 2. That way future readers will have a better idea what to expect of the product.

As for my experience: I can confirm the Capdase touch screen protector has only a very small gap compared to the Hori screen protectors and do the job quite well. I have yet to see dust getting trapped without being able to remove them.