Elliot I have a question, can you put a gba ips display to a gba sp Because I have a gba sp 001 and I am not a big fan of the washed away colours of it
Replacing a broken DS shell with an aftermarket one was one of the first fixes I've tried after discovering your channel. After abt 2 days I bought a broken ds to salvage the shell from instead and the aftermarket one I lit on fire on the garden porch and watched it melt to destress from all the bs I had to go through.
yep.. i'm probably going to do the same in the future except just get a salvage shell to repair mine with.. i wouldn't let something with such sentimental value become so janky and cheap.. no way jose
The instant you open something like that, and see light through it it's pretty much a no go. When they aren't supposed to be translucent, and are partially never a good sign.
@@chaoticsky Nope, sry, you wrong, they were plastic, atleast the version I had/still have. I got my og DS on launch too, so it was 100% the 1st modell.
My DS Phat has an all plastic stylus. In fact the only Nintendo system I have with a metal stylus is the original 3DS, which they did because they put it into a DS Lite sized shell and put it vertically so it's stupidly short if it doesn't telescope. Everything before and after that, at least ones I have, use plastic ones.
There are major variances in chinese replacement shells. I bought a $30 one and it was like this one. Got an $8 one, and it's really close to the original, with better quality plastic, minus a bunch of flashing that wasn't trimmed off.
i just had to repair my DS1 with a chinese replica shell, and for $11 from alibaba in slate grey, ended up with a magnificent piece of reverse engineering with stiffer buttons and a more intentional looking design.i reused the original metallic blue upper clamshell backplate, but even the nintendo sticker for the new shell looked better then the original and actually matches my silver SP perfectly, which the blue hull's does not. the variance is severe.
This video is an emotional rollercoaster. It starts off so cheerful and exciting, but the second Elliot inspects the shell closely it just flips into complete insanity, and Elliot goes borderline insane as well. This is a top tier video.
@@zarrl9529 (I did for a very short amount of time but the main reason was because I left it in my closet when the 3DS came out. Funny considering I prefer the DS to the 3DS.)
Finally... I need people to get on with making custom Phat DS Shells and DS Buttons. Theres nothing on this, only for DS Lite. I need the shell either in custom colors or closely as possible to the original colors... Same with the buttons, but I want all the buttons in the bag, and not separately....
I remember buying one of those, the exact same color. I had gotten a fantastic deal on a fat ds for 5 dollar in working condition but it was yellowed so I said hey ill just shell swap. I did and now the buttons are sunken in, I feel like I can break it from mental force, and im afraid to charge it.
Looks like you may have swapped the left and right hinges. The first gba sp I reshelled I did the same and they reacted very similarly to your nds with no nice clean snap open/close like you'd expect. The moment I swapped the hinges left for right and right for left it worked as expected.
@@TheRetroFuture weird, never removed original ds hinges so had no idea they are different. I figured they'd be like sp hinges which look nearly identical (well some revisions are color coded, but others are the same color).
I think if it was an aftermarket console shell, you could get away with poor quality plastic, cosmetic issues etc. But for a handheld or controller shell, how it feels in your hands is more important than looks, so even if it was matching reds and a perfect mold, if it feels cheap then it feels cheap. No getting around that.
I’ve seen these reshelled units on ebay. Sellers pricing them as high as $200 trying to deceive buyers that they’re just immaculate examples of original units. The tell tale signs I’ve seen in all of them are the screw bump near the screen. And then the Nintendo logo is just not even close.
I replaced quite a lot DS shells and those replacement shells rarely match in mold. And because of the awful cheap plastic I usually only replace the broken parts and reuse as much as possible.
I bought a aftermarket shell for my DS lite* because it was a Pokemon Daisuki Club shell. I had to trim some parts with my exacto knife to get it to fit in place. Not to mention one aftermarket shoulder button doesn't click back up right away when you press it so I'll have to use the original buttons for that. So I understand your complaining in this video. 😂 I'm not too picky though and am pretty happy with mine.
These aftermarket shells are absolutely rubbish. I picked one up for my DS Lite and ended up tearing the top screen ribbon cable because the slot for the ribbon cable wasn’t cut out neatly. A little snag of plastic actually tore through it...
Good Grief! I did a shell swap in back in... 2008, and the chinese one I bought, while far from perfect, was *MUCH* better. At least everything fit correctly, without color differences between the parts. It was the first time I ever "modded" a console, and I remember being VERY nervous back then. The issue with one of the shoulder buttons not working was known back then. There is a closed hole near one of the buttons, and you will need to open it with a Dremel or similar tool. Compare with the working one on the other side and you will find it. I wrote an article (in Portuguese) on my blog about the process, there are some pictures at the end of the post. Judging by your video, you got the same kit as I did back then, minus the box saying it was a "*Ninetudo* DS" shell. I went for a "stormtrooper" look, white with black buttons. I imagine a high-quality Pearl White shell would look really good. Thanks for the video! Blog post: rigues.badcoffee.info/2008/08/24/recauchutando-um-nintendo-ds/
It's a shame about these shells being so low quality, essentially means the only way to get a good condition OG DS is to buy one and really look after it or simply hope one day a company creates a high quality aftermarket shell much like retrosix does.
its literally impossible to have a good condition DS anymore. the abs used to form the hull is extremely prone to oxidation, and every single color besides slate, black, and white they were originally manufactured in catalyzes the embrittlement. you have to just be lucky with which replica hulls you order
@@F14thunderhawk My OG DS is still in pretty mint condition, even boxed too, i'm aware that it might just have the hinge snap at the plastic one day, so i don't really use it, it's more for the collection. I think the original is the coolest design, looks funky.
That's great to know for me. I sometimes refurbish some old handhelds for some cash and definitely avoiding DSses now, since often enough you do need a whole new case.
hey thanks me for giving future me advice I bought a clear purple extremerate ds lite shell and a purple dsi she'll and will use the included screws for sure!
the hinge was an absolute nightmare for me and they added plastic to a few points it shouldn't have been but once i realized that the assembly went a lot smoother. these arent perfect but its better than searching for the brittle originals, i used the original screws for the most part without issue though the lack of threading gave me a bit of an issue, but thats not a manufacturing problem
@@ylondes9927 but what defines “picky”? the only complaint I had for my transparent reshell for my DS Lite is the subpar DPad, but honestly the buttons were bad even before the reshell so I couldn’t give a damn at that point. Everything else except the DPad felt exactly like the older shell. Either I won some sort of lottery or the shells aren’t as bad as people keep saying they are.
Zedlabz is just the UK trading name of Assecure, which may or may not be some relation to the chinese manufacturer. Some of the stuff they sell is great and some not so good- but you have the benefit of a uk company to complain to if it's the latter.
so a year ago i actually bought a lot of broken ds' and managed to get them working and replaced the shells with the exact same shells like this. for anyone wanting to buy these, i recommend you stay away from the fire red and royal blue shells! both had the exact same issues as seen in the video but i also bought an onyx black and ice blue but those two seemed to be far better in build quality. i would still recommend staying away from aftermarkets but if you are planning to use the ds' as cap cards then this is a easy and cheap solution
This is exactly why you cannot find ANY now. I even tried commissioning Alibaba and they strung me along for 3 months before saying they just couldn't fulfill my order
Just watched the full video, I had the same issue with the screen being floppy on my DS Lite but its probably a mistake we both made because the first time I placed the new hinges it was actually snappy and then for some reason after i took it out and placed it back in it wasnt anymore
Ive gotta say I got a few months ago a couple aftermarket DS lite shells and they looked really good from the outside but in the inside the one I used was rather bad, some screwholes didnt have the holes so I had to make them myself and for some weird reason the part above the GBA slot wont close properly even though theres nothing preventing it to close, like I can close it with my fingers jst fine but then it will pop back out. The power slider and volume slider were super hard to place too but in the end I managed to at least have my childhood DS Lite in a functional state. I wonder how good the other shell is, as of right now I cant really use it since I dont have a second DS Lite lol
I got like 3 of these original ds. One where the case is damaged and the other two in working and ok condition. I thought about buying an aftermarket shell to replace one but after this video, I don't think I will. But while we're on the original ds, do you know if there are any like modding things to upgrade it? And out of curiosity, where do you buy replacement stuff? I could need a touchscreen for this ds and found one site that sells some stuff, but not really the things I need. Other RU-vidrs are from the US and recommend stores there but the import fees to Germany are just nothing I am willing to pay, so since you're in England maybe you can recommend something else.
My cousin broke the little plastic hinge on the right side a loooong time ago and the stylus fits really loosely, but it still works and the battery lasts a surprisingly long time. Love my my Phat DS.
I totally agree. I got a aftermarket DS lite cobalt bicolor shell and it has a ton of blemishes and imperfections, and the print on the bottom was misaligned
I gotta say, my favourite DS ever made was the DS-Lite, To me it has the best design of them all, just simple and easy, plus the DS-Lite is the one I used most out of any handheld console for many year's, I remember getting given 2 from my school playing multiplayer games for ages hah. But the first DS has the charm that it is the first of it's kind, I wish more care was taken into the design of this shell.
I hope someone like RetroModding will make better replacement shells, I still see people sometimes asking about where to get replacement shells for DS, GameCube and Wii and there are just no good options around.
Ok you had the same issue I had with the hinge. For me it snapped and I just ended up supergluing over the crack so it didn't kill itself more. My least favorite part of this kit is the screen lens, the border is too thick and cuts off part of the screen. seriously. how did they even manage to mess that up? I need to find another aftermarket screen lens now since I've already thrown away the old screen lens. I don't know what to do other than buy an aftermarket shell unfortunately. I actually specifically got the ds I did because its hinge wasn't broken and it was the cheapest without a hinge snapped, and then I dropped it (on very light school carpet) and the shell basically shattered. I also really dont want to use another ds for its shell unless absolutely necessary cause most I find on ebay are still kicking at least partially and it just feels like a waste.
i really wanted to thank you for introducing me to Sendico. Because of you i was able to find a buy a Monster Hunter limited edition PSP 3000 for cheaper than i bought my generic psp 3000 from my country. Was easy to use, though pictures wouldnt load on a lot of auctions but rightclicking where the image is supposed to be, copying the link for the graphic and opening it another tab solved the issue. thanks again
Hi Elliot! I posted on your Facebook group a while ago, I repaired 5 of these using these types of replacement shells. I had trouble with everything that you had issues with too! I bought a variety of colours, and I felt like the red shell was somehow the worst quality of them all, but that was just a feeling not sure if that's true or not. just wanted to share my thoughts. I enjoyed the video and all your other reselling videos! Keep it up!!
I can only confirm your experience, mine was even worse. The boards that hold the speakers were too loose and I had to put foam under them to make contact, really bad
Elliot you should always use the screws - as bad as they might be - that come with repro cases. I wouldn't recommend buying any replacement NGPC shells then as those ones also require you to use their supplied screws too lol
I also bought one not long ago. Also poked the shell on the same place where you did and also on the other side of the top shell. The Nintendo DS logo was blurry, so I tried to clean it and managed to totally wipe it from the shell. :D The worst thing you didn't even notice because you played a GBA game is the top screen protector bazels are bigger than the original one. So if you play a DS game you will not see the sides fully. On the main screen a only see half of the battery icon. xD
i can second this opinion. the hinge on my original DS broke, so i ordered an aftermarket shell to a replace it. not only did it take months to arrive, the quality control was terrible. most of the screw threads didn't have a screw thread in them, some of the screws arrived stripped, and the plastic is extremely sharp. not the mention the buttons it came with are far too sunken down into the case. just buy a broken DS without case damage and swap them if you're that concerned
Yeah I bought a replacement silver OG DS Shell for a silver ds which was obliterated, and the plastic was cheap and fit and finish was sub par. I had looked for a while for just a OEM original shell but they are no where to be found. Truly amazes me how some people take care of their systems.
Elliot I have a question, can you put a gba ips display to a gba sp Because I have a gba sp 001 and I am not a big fan of the washed away colours of it
The repo shells for the DS lite. Shit broke quickly by dropping it onto a bed slightly. Really dreading to take it a part again will replace with a salvaged parts. 7:30 I forgot parts and had to take mine apart 3 times. That Feeling man.
I've not had this experience from Zedlabz personally, but I don't own a DS original. My Zedlabz DS Lite and Gameboy Advance shells are fine. The DS Lite new shell needed the aftermarket hinge to fit, as I'd heard about the SP (think I heard that from Makho). My first GBA IPS V2 screen was faulty, but Zedlabz's after sales service I cannot fault along with the replacement screen.
I bought an aftermarket shell a long time ago for my DS Lite (during its lifetime, even before the DSi...) and it was indeed in very cheap plastic but I still liked it for its mate red colour (to my knowledge, we only had the white one and the black one available in my country at this time...) I had a Japanese DS Lite (A dark blue one) and the shell broke, cutting a part of a ribbon cable between the bottom and top part (which was very unfortunate since, usually, the other side of the shell broke, without damaging the console hardware), so I got the ribbon cable repaired and a new shell that I started to work on... Then my cat ate the mic cable...so I bought a new console, in my country, this time...
the reason the shoulder buttons don't feel right is that the screws on the back shell are on too tight! slightly loosen them and it will have a much nicer feel!
I can attest to it, had my hinge broke, ordered a replacement shell. the parts were so crappy, same issues as shown in the video. but the screw holes on top part didnt even have crew molds they were just empty without screw marking, that held together everything really poorly
Had the joy of an aftermarket replacement screen lens for the DS... Not only is it poor quality but it's got too much masking on the left and right, obscuring part of the upper LCD screen. Okay for GBA games but for any DS games it is VERY annoying. Really wish there would be replacement lenses that are properly masked, the originals scratch easily and by this point many systems have been worn / abused.
I kinda wished I saw this video before I paid like ~£30 for one of these shells. It's taken me ~4.5 hours and I'm not satisfied with the result. The screw holes are awful, the screen flops around, the plastic feels off… but I guess I can at least play it now as before the hinge and ribbon cable was broken 😕 This is terrible
yeah I used a Ds lite shell from china once and quality-wise it was good, but some dimensions were off so there's a big space between the screen and the shell and the sides don't fit well
I've had issues with my SP aswell. I didn't have issues with the shell itself but I stripped 2 screws so I can't open it and fix anything that went wrong with the reshell like audio and hinge issues
@@jokeletsplay I threw it all away. There was more work that needed to be done to it and the junk case killed the profit margin on it. It wasn't worth working on at that point.
@@CrashFan03 that's not an issue I've run into on them. I've dealt with stripped heads on larger things in the past. I'm not sure if they make the bits for removing a stripped screw that small.
thanks for posting this video, I was just about to buy this very shell for the mainboard of a broken DS I scavenged (the original shell on that one had gone so brittle, it was impossible to undo a single screw without the screwpost basically exploding, lol) I'd better get a DS with a good shell, that stopped working for some other reason than buying an aftermarket shell, screen and battery then...
It's a good thing I saw this video... I was thinking about replacing the case on my DS since the hinge is broken... but uh... I think I'll just stick with the broken hinge until I can find a broken DS somewhere lol
I bought aftermarket shells once to repair SP's and GB Micros. My micro shell was SO BAD i thjrew it out, and just bought a second micro in bettr nick. The SP shells were similarly shit, with the same screws penetrating the othersidees plastic until I got one that was transparent. It has a crack but it functions. For my OG 101 screen, I just bought a good ass quality transparent pink and had zero issue.
Can you also do a video on aftermarket ds lite clear shells? (there are actually 2 different models of clear crystal white! And then there is also crystal pink, crystal green, crystal blue, crystal black and crystal yellow)
Damn, I have an og DS that needs a shell replacement as the hinge is broke and the back is cracked. No clue what I’m supposed to do after seeing this 😬
i had one bad experience with bad made nintendo ds shell ... wrong screws and the plastic was wrong made in the place where the up screen connected with the rest body, also the same pocking thing was done... the worst day of my fixing try ever !!!!
I had the exact same problem with getting Gameboy DMG-01 replacement shells from Zedlabs. Ordered 2 and I was so disappointed with the quality. I emailed and complained and they sent me another one for free and that one was even worse than the other two....I still have it and I doubt I’ll ever use it for a build🙄
It doesn’t help that the original Nintendo plastic isn’t very good either. The plastic can get very weak over time (Mine broke in half just by unscrewing the bottom) and the design itself wore down quickly over time… This is one of the main reasons the DS Lite happened.
