Ask Joystiq helps protect your DS screen

by Ross Miller { May 9th 2008 at 8:00PM }

This week on Ask Joystiq, we help you protect those scratch-loving screens on the Nintendo DS. If you have any burning questions, unsolved gaming mysteries, or just a desire for musings from our knowledgeable cadre of writers, drop us a line at ask AAT joystiq DAWT com (and yes, we write it that way for a reason).

Q: Do you guys have a preference for which DS Lite screen protectors to use? I've heard from people that the Hori branded ones make the screen less responsive which is something I don't want for my Elite Beat Agent sessions. So I'm basically looking for DS screen protectors that manages to retain much of the sensitivity of the touch screens, any suggestions?
-- Matthew C

Response after the break.

To answer this question, we went to our friends at Nintendo Wii Fanboy for a roundtable discussion on screen protectors. The consensus was that Hori protectors -- specifically the Protective Filter Plus -- are indeed the best available, and none of them reported any loss of sensitivity.

Now, as to where to find the screens, the Nintendo Fanboy crew advised against eBay, as many of the Hori screens found there are actually counterfeit. While once available at Target and Gamestop, both of those stores' online counterparts do not list them, and our local brick-and-mortar retailers didn't have them either. Amazon lists it as currently unavailable. Your best bet, therefore, is Play-Asia, which sells the protector for $11.99 (plus shipping and handling).

Of course, the NF crew also offered this sagacious advice: "Be careful with your screens." For more advice on accessorizing your portable, check out DS Fanboy's guide. If you've had any luck with other DS screen protectors, let us know in the comments below.

And now for something completely different.

Tags: ask-joystiq, joystiqfeatures, nintendo-ds, screen-protector

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Fernando Rocker @ May 9th 2008 8:14PM

To Ask Joystiq: Can you ask more than one question per week, please?

This weekly feature has a lot of potential, but you guys only respond a few questions.

343 Guilty Fart @ May 9th 2008 8:22PM

I second that.

ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ May 9th 2008 8:25PM

What questions would YOU ask them? ;P

Fernando Rocker @ May 9th 2008 8:32PM

I'm already asking one question, ThornedVenom.

=p

JakubK666 (Ninja Defence Force) @ May 9th 2008 8:52PM

Not trying to brag or anything but X3F does 5-7 questions on average.

Ross Miller @ May 9th 2008 11:07PM

Q: Can you ask more than one question per week, please?
- Fernando R.

To be answered in next week's exciting installment!

Ross Miller @ May 9th 2008 11:07PM

Also: Rally people to ask more questions, that might help immensely :D

Fernando Rocker @ May 9th 2008 11:39PM

Damn: Can you *respond more than one question...

BPM [SSBB: 5026 4120 1186] @ May 10th 2008 3:20AM

Congrats, Fernando, on having a post that DOESN'T get downvoted to oblivion. :P

But, I do agree. More questions need more answers!

ron1587 @ May 9th 2008 8:36PM

Ask Rockstar, whether the 'Let Sleeping Rockstars Lie' achievement will be viral, or if you actually have to win the lottery of killing one of them in a game.

TheOverlord#2 can has Mario Karts?(MK:2578-3517-9859) @ May 9th 2008 8:49PM

I Ask Joystiq: What the fuck were you thinking when you posted that video?

(Also, I agree with Fernando & 343 Guilty Fart, post more than one question please :D )

Jhongerkong @ May 9th 2008 9:44PM

We need some better questions. Like, "Why is Tetris Attack so amazing?" and "Oh my god, Tetris Attack is the shit." (Not a question, but it still needs to be said).

samfish @ May 9th 2008 11:06PM

Dear Joystiq,
Just what is it about God Hand that makes it the greatest game ever made?

With love,

samfish

Jhongerkong @ May 9th 2008 11:07PM

Tetris Attack > God Hand >>>>>>>> Everything else

BPM [SSBB: 5026 4120 1186] @ May 10th 2008 3:21AM

What about River City Ransom? What about Bubble Bobble?

Don't get me wrong, Tetris Attack (in all of its incarnations) and God Hand are awesome, but so are these two NES gems!

Schmobu @ May 9th 2008 9:49PM

Umm does we ask questions here, well here I go

how does one remove a scratch from a DS cus my bro got a second hand DS and it came scratched.

pinwheel herman @ May 9th 2008 10:50PM

If the scratches aren't too deep then a good screen protector will help cover them. Wont cover up anything too major though.

BPM [SSBB: 5026 4120 1186] @ May 10th 2008 3:22AM

You can't "remove" scratches.

You can try replacing the screen yourself (look online for Touch Screen replacement kits), but if you have no idea what you're doing, DON'T. Just send it into Nintendo to be serviced.

Joshua @ May 10th 2008 11:58AM

My touch screen is all scratched up, and my stylus usually makes a horrible sound while rubbing over the center of it. I'll just wait until the next DS redesign comes out to replace it, though.

Schmobu @ May 10th 2008 6:45PM

it's funny cause Joystiq didn't answer my question, and thanks for the help, I already suspected that these would be the answers, but at least you replied to me with an answer unlike some digital entity.

nxtiak @ May 9th 2008 9:51PM

BRANDO WORKSHOP ULTRA SCREEN PROTECTORS!!!
shop.brando.com.hk

nxtiak @ May 9th 2008 9:52PM

Forgot to mention I have mine on a LAUNCH DS LITE and it's still in great awesome condition.

Schmobu @ May 10th 2008 12:19AM

you can't advertise on Joystiq, for all your comment advertising needs visit, Kotaku www.kotaku.com "gossip, news and leaks for obsessive gamers"

ecco6t9 @ May 9th 2008 10:13PM

DecalGirl also carries these.

pinwheel herman @ May 9th 2008 10:48PM

Yes, I got mine from decalgirl. They're only about 8 bucks and shipping is really fast. PSP ones are even cheaper.

BPM [SSBB: 5026 4120 1186] @ May 10th 2008 3:23AM

Well, PSP has only one screen. :V

shaoron @ May 9th 2008 10:27PM

what the.. you guys are bloody python freaks!

*2 thumbs up*

can i kill the parrot?
i mean.. it's not dead yet...

samfish @ May 9th 2008 11:04PM

That video is awesome.

David @ May 10th 2008 1:08AM

Backstreets back, alright!

Saria the Cat @ May 10th 2008 1:18AM

That video was such an awesome consolation prize.

Ethan @ May 10th 2008 1:42AM

I find the Hori pads make the lower screen much nicer to use.

bobartig @ May 10th 2008 1:59AM

Wrong Answer. You guys need to try Invisible Shield's DS protector kit. First of all, its like placing a paper-thin tank all over your DS, but the screen protectors are massively durable, and they have a life time warranty. The Invisible Shield protectors also cover much more of your DS than the Hori.

If you manage to hurt the screen protectors, they will replace it for the cost of shipping. If you need to have your device serviced, remove the shield, and they will replace it for the cost of shipping!

http://www.invisibleshield.com/game-system/nintendo/ds-lite.php

SJ @ May 10th 2008 2:47AM

I cosign this wholeheartedly. I have had this for more than a year too and it is excellent. Even after hours of EBA and Ouendan there are no scratches on my screen.

Pralaya @ May 10th 2008 2:20AM

where is the switch of that thing?

BPM [SSBB: 5026 4120 1186] @ May 10th 2008 4:55AM

I've seen the Hori Protective Filter Plus at Fry's Electronics.

I got the normal Hori Protective Filter, and I thought it worked just fine... [shrugs] But, I had noticed some trouble with the Touch Screen in the middle, so perhaps it was that causing it? Hmm...

chacho89 @ May 10th 2008 9:39AM

I LOVE thta BIRD..

Greyseal @ May 10th 2008 11:45AM

I swear by BoxWave screen protectors. I've bought them for my DS and PDA, as well as the screen on my digital camera. They work perfectly, last forever, and can be washed and reused.

http://www.boxwave.com/

Nothing else I've tried comes close.

Lanorth @ May 10th 2008 11:55AM

cant....stop....watching....dancing....parrot

Matthew Chun @ May 10th 2008 2:51PM

I actually did get the Hori DS screen protectors, it was the Japanese one but it only came with the two screen protectors and not the ones for the D-Pad, top of DS, etc. Anyway, when I opened them, there were stickers with instructions on the screen protectors but they were in english. Has anyone else who bought Hori screen protectors find these english instructions because I think I might have been ripped off here. (By the way, I bought these screen protectors a while ago from a mall vendor).

SaraAB87 @ May 10th 2008 5:06PM

I had the hori screen protector (the official ones from play asia, not the fakes that are on ebay) and the screen would always cloud up with some sort of residue that was not easily wiped off. Not sure what caused this. But I find that the fake hori screen protectors from dealextreme.com (they are the ones that are under 2$ there) work just fine and are better than the actual hori ones, they don't cloud up and the surface does not scratch. Its a much smoother surface than the hori ones. I got a lot of scratches on my hori protectors. The fake ones do not use adhesive so there is nothing to worry about there.