By Brian A. Roush (Cincinnati, Ohio United States) - reviews
We bought this case for our 5-year old son's new DS. I'm really pleased with it so far.
The fit of the case is very good. It has a hard plastic inner layer that fits directly against the DS. That inner layer is surrounded by a thick layer of the nerf foam. This seems like it will give really good drop protection. It closes nicely, and the cut-outs for the various buttons and slots are nicely sized.
The one drawback to virtually every case, and this one seems to be no exception, is around the hinge. There's virtually no padding on the hinge at all, and the plastic pieces to this case are also exposed. It would seem that a drop to this area will possibly end up breaking the case's or the DS's hinge. You'll find this problem on pretty much every case, though.
The extra thick padding on this case really is nice for peace of mind. It also is designed comfortably so that when playing the DS, it still feels good (or better, if you have adult sized hands). The cut outs are also angled, so that they get wider toward the outer edge of the case. This is a good thing - it guides your fingers toward the button, stylus, etc, and it also ensures there's no 90 degree corners to get snagged or picked off. The overall thickness of the foam does make the DS more bulky than a hard case or just a silicone sleeve, so you probably won't be putting it in your pocket any more, but the benefit is that this case seems like it will protect against falls better than the other types.
I do wonder about the long-term cleanliness of the case. It's Nerf foam, so it can get dirty or wear away. Nerf balls also tend to degrade in left in the heat or sun. Hopefully we'll be caring for the DS better than a Nerf ball, so it's not too much of a concern.
Once installed, it's very secure. My son tried to put it on himself, but actually put it in partially upside down, I had a really hard time getting it back out to put it on right. Once out, it installed very easily and hasn't come off since. I highly recommend this case.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010