Tag Archives: Nintendo Ds

14Dec 2011

Signalex Game Card Case Plus+

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This review is part of the 1 Pound Challenge - can you find a decent gadget in a pound shop?

The Signalex Game Card Card Plus+, although not stating so, if for the storage of Nintendo DS games (it does show an image of a DS on the packaging, though). The “Plus+” bit, however, is because it can also be used to store SD cards as well (if you have a DSi then these are used for storage).

The case itself is made of cheap looking black plastic – most of it is matte, with the exception of panels on the outside which are glossy – I would have preferred the whole item to have been matte. There is a lid of each side, with storing 3 game cartridges behind it (so 6 in total).

With the case you get a soft rubber insert that converts one of the compartments from DS cartridge storage to SD card – this works really well.

In one corner of the case is a loop of plastic, allowing the case to be secured – say, to a wrist cord. Size wise it’s  108 x 46 x 14 mm, so quite compact.

It’s available to buy from Poundland.

Summary of Signalex Game Card Case Plus+

Compact, holds DS cartridges and/or SD cards neatly and just one pound. A bargain.
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Reviewed by David Artiss on 14th December 2011.

12Jan 2011

Replacing a Nintendo DS Case

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I’ve recently become the proud owner of a Nintendo DS – it used to belong to my older daughter and has seen better days. In particular, the hinge was broken. It was also quite mucky (under the plastic, so not easily cleaned) and had various chips and scratches. Oh, and the battery compartment was missing.

To have sent it away to Nintendo and had the hinge fixed would have cost at least £30, so I decided to investigate alternatives. And on eBay I found a UK seller who supplies completely new replacement cases, along with installation instructions. All of this is for the princely sum of £13.99. Oh, and I also had to buy a “Nintendo” screwdriver to get out the pesky “Y” screws. None-the-less, it was far cheaper than a repair, and would resolve the grubbiness and missing parts issue as well.

It arrived last week and it was immediately obvious that this isn’t a genuine Nintendo part, as the case is obviously not the same. The original is white plastic with a thick transparent layer on top. The new was simply a glossy white plastic. It also didn’t seem to be of the same high quality. The installation instructions were also rubbish – thankfully I found a 3 part video on YouTube on how to swap over the cases.

So, at the weekend I sat down to follow the videos. I’d like to say it was easy and went well, but sadly it didn’t. Here’s what I found…

  1. The new case comes with its own screws (and none of them Y shaped screws). Sadly, nothing says which screws are for what and the plastic posts they screw into aren’t particular good quality – I would often find that none of the supplied screws would easily work, so I had to use some brute force to get them to “bite”.
  2. One of the screen screws on the original case wouldn’t move and I had to break the case apart to get into it :(
  3. The shoulder buttons are a test of patience, which I very nearly failed. They are a nightmare to put back, involving metal posts and springs.
  4. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get the power switch to drop into place when fitting the new case together. In the end, I put the switch from the old case in and it worked first time.
  5. The new Start and Select buttons are awful – you really have to push them down with your nail to get them to respond.

But here are the two big problems…

  1. The final fit and finish leaves a lot to be desired. In particular, the part of the case in front of the bottom screen doesn’t have anything to hold it together and therefore “gapes” quite considerably. I ended up using Super Glue to hold it together.
  2. The 3 part video on YouTube suddenly ended stating to continue to part 4. Sadly, no part 4 has been added, so it leaves you at the tricky stage of adding the shoulder buttons. Thankfully, I managed to find another video that completed the instructions. However, for a while I was panicking!

At the end of it, I’m not sure if it was worthwhile. £30 would have got me a guaranteed repair – a mucky case, but I could have got a replacement battery compartment. Instead, I’ve spend £16.49 (including the screwdriver) and have a clean, usable DS now, but sadly of much poorer quality build.

10Aug 2009

Deleted post – you can’t be harsh!

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This morning I was reading a popular UK discussion forum. On it, I came across a query with regard to opening RAR files. However, there were a few lines that lept out at me…

I have purchased a R4 card for use in my daughters DS.
I installed the software on it successfully and managed to transfer some .nds files from a friends micro card. These games play fine.
I also managed to download one game successfully but ever since then I have tried 3 different DS game sites and…

And then it goes into the RAR file problem.

So, basically, they are downloading illegal game copies to put onto an R4 card. For the uninitated, this is a hardware device that allows SD cards to be placed into a Nintendo DS. The R4 card is fine by itself, but it’s how it’s used that is the issue. It’s normally used for “home brew” hacking – placing emulators and own software onto the device – or for holding mass collections of pirated games. I know, I work with people who do this regularly.

I’m sure there are legitimate games that can be downloaded and placed on an R4 card, which is why I decided not to report this post to the forum adminisators. Instead I simply replied…

Please tell me these aren’t illegal game copies.

Without wanting to sound preachy, I’m tired of having to pay extra for my games simply because I don’t feel the need to steal them.

I get my point over, and the poster gets a chance to state that these were legal games. Great.

Except, my post is pulled. The adminstator said..

Your comments seem a little harsh, the OP asked a question about RAR file formats – it did not involve any request for help to download something illegally.

Obviously, I’ve replied back, pointing out much of the above, but I’m guessing nothing will come of it. Why are we so accepting of this? As I said in my response, why should I be paying, probably inflated prices, due to piracy? Why is that acceptable and, say, shop lifting isn’t? We really seem to have our priorities wrong.

15Oct 2008

Recording video from a Nintendo DS

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My daughter asked me last night if there’s a way to record quality video from a Nintendo DS.

After some digging I found that the only way to connect a DS to a video camera properly involves taking the DS apart, soldering and a general high-knowledge of electronics. My hope was that there some sort of GBA cart that would plug in and provide the facility.

However, I did come across the following video on YouTube which is a simple but genius alternative…


Download YouTube Video | Convert YouTube to MP3

This would cover the picture – quality sound that doesn’t pick up your button clicking and nose sniffing can be achieved simply by connecting your DS headphone socket to your PC – you will need to record the video and sound at the same time but from different sources.

16Jul 2008

Nintendo Announcements at E3

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Two announcement at E3 by Nintendo have caught my eye.

First of all (and pictured) is a new add-on for the existing Wii remote, called the MotionPlus, which adds more accurate motion-sensing. From the looks of it, it has a pass-thru port, so you can still use Nunchuks, etc. Not sure whether you’ll need new “gloves” for the controller though.

And… and… this is where I get excited. Rockstar have finally announced Grand Theft Auto is coming to a Nintendo near you. OMG yes.

But.. but… it’s for the DS. God damn, when are they going to do something for the Wii. But I guess the DS will do for the time being. It’s called Grand Theft Auto : Chinatown Wars and is due sometime this winter.

Further Wii games have been announced – Ghostbusters, Sonic Unleashed, Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed,  Wario Land: The Shake Dimension, Animal Crossing: Wild World and Animal Crossing: City Folk.

Games for the DS include Kirby Super Star Ultra, Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. I’m not too sure about Gauntlet but, hey, you never know.

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