Junk Nintendo DS FULL Restoration 

Hi! My life is currently a bit of a mess. I will explain all soon, but I hope you can take the time out of your day to relax and watch this video. It’s very different to my normal style, but all I could manage at the moment. I hope you still like it. Elliot

The previous owner must have really loved that thing. And that the hinge didn't break also speaks for him. :D I bought one of these and the whole case crumbled like dry bread.

I can tell something is wrong man. While this is an amazing video, those of us who have been with you for a while know the vibe is off. You have all of our support. Through thick and thin. You’re one of the people I actually search for on RU-vid, not just a random recommend. No pressure, promise.

I recently bought two of these phat models and I was amazed that they didn't have yellowing or roughed up edges like the used one I bought long ago; or the many being sold today. Its such a shame high quality shells aren't more common because we really need them since the hardware is usually still fully functional and repainting shells like this requires such delicate work. Nicely done and im glad you could save this system as its my favorite iteration of the DS!

There’s something weirdly therapeutic about watching you calmly restore one of these classic retro handhelds.

I just aquired a stack of these! I look forward to seeing what you do with this one. Aside from the shells these things just keep kicking!

This was such a throwback to your classic restoration videos! This was a treat to watch, especially with no music and a calm narration.

Great work fixing that faulty DS, adding that battery was such a challenging repair

That "yellowing" isn't what you may think it is. when parts a injection molded, it's all done in the same colour. then the plastic is primed and then painted. some get negatively charged and then electroplated to give that metallic look and feel. The yellowing you see is the primer or even the original virgin plastic showing where the paint has worn off. the sticker added a layer of protection so everywhere else wore down instead.

There's something I find therapeutic about watching you refurbish these devices! Awesome video!

I like this back to basics restore. Going back to the roots of the channel is a nice change of pace

This was... therapeutic. I have never owned the original model, but I understand the appeal -- It has this "Nintendo-ness" to it that the DS Lite doesn't have. Backstory: The DS Lite was my favourite handheld growing up, and it still is. There were about five other kids in my area that had DS's, and we would all get together and play all kinds of games wirelessly. Even if we played separate games, just the company was enough. The DS wasn't a powerful console, but it did a lot with a little, and no other console gave me such a sense of community and closeness. Those are some of the fondest memories that I have, with just how close felt with my friends at the time. Those little games made things better, when I was going through some harsh times.

Gotta say, this video was so relaxing to watch, no needless fake enthusiasm, no obnoxious music, just very relaxing over all and not to mention interesting to see someone skilled doing quality work on such an interesting little console.

I love when a device has a great (water-damage free) interior but messy exterior. It usually means that the owner loved and cared for the device, even if they didn't clean it.

Missed videos like this so much, scratches my brain lmao

Re: the browning of plastics. From what I've discovered over the decades, it's basically just oxidization. Anything that covers it from the air to any degree will mitigate the browning.

I did a restoration on an original DS a while ago too. It was probably one of my favourite videos I made, very rewarding result after painting. Great work Elliot!

I love this type of video. Elliot is even giving off that David Attenborough voice tone, which is really relaxing and documentary like.

Every time a hear the turn on sound of a Nintendo DS I feel SO happy. It's like I'm 8 again and about to play super Mario 64. This one looks exactly like the one I had growing up, and it feels so comforting to see an object I loved so much being fixed and cared for.

Recently I purchased a japanese DS only for 10€ with the shell in a little bit better condition of this of the video,I cleaned the console and changed the shell,and now it’s like a brand new DS. Wonderful console with two slots,I play every game with GBA Omega cartridge and R4 gold.

Polished and substantial as always Elliot! Always enjoy seeing these nothing to something restorations!

Seeing the discolouration and grime on that ds really makes it feel like how I use to view things fro. The 1970s. It adds to the to its character.

This was a beautiful blend of informative and relaxing. The attention to detail is amazing. Glad you could bring it back to life. Would love to see more like this if that's what you enjoy making. Great job Elliot!

ABS deteriorates with UV light, also oxidation, which helps out with the paint. The apple sticker formed a chemical bond with the surface preventing air and UV from getting in. Great video! This thing looks absolutely gorgeous.

I really enjoyed this - loved how you spoke throughout the whole process clear and easy to follow along. I have subscribed.

You are super carefull and so patient! Totally enjoyed this video! This was therapeutic!! Thank you for the awesome video Eliot!!

Loved this! Bit of a throwback to the videos I first saw from you and it was nice to watch.

I really love this style video. Very therapeutic and relaxing. Thank you for also teaching me a few things about spray painting! Best of wishes in your personal happenings!

Wishing you the best Elliot! I can tell just in your voice you're really struggling right now and hope things will get better for you ❤

I absolutely loved this video, Elliot! Is nice to see a little step-by-step refurbishing. It makes me happy to see an old piece of electronics salvaged and improved and made beautiful again. :) Hope all is well in life!! Sending you some love!

This is one of my favorite videos you've done. Your film and editing styles have really improved over the years. I've painted a couple of these myself and the results are always satisfying.

This is the much preferred alternative to replacing the shell. I am genuinely surprised this thing didn't break into a thousand pieces. I bought a broken hinge DS from eBay and thankfully the quality of the replacement shell wasn't too atrocious and re-used the black bottom of the shell and it looks like-new again. Also replaced the digitizer with one from a seller online and it works flawlessly. I'm really satisfied with it. Being able to disassemble the OEM shell and re-paint it to make it like-new again is a great way to not have to worry about bad aftermarket parts. I really enjoyed this restoration. I just really wish someone would make glass digitizers and screen covers for the fat DS. It's one of the few consoles out there that doesn't get as much aftermarket love as other consoles.

Great vid and the DS cleaned up really nice! Also, I love how much of a mystery "faulty" consoles can be. Sometimes it's hilarious how simple the fix is

Hi Elliot! It must be boring doing the same thing over and over, but I think there are many like me who I are trying to built up the courage. For that this is superb content. It’s hard to swallow buying something you already know is broken, then spending more money buying tools and parts, and risking bricking the whole thing. That’s me anyway! Thanks for all you do!

Nice. It’s been a while since we got a retro “retro future” video lol. Just hand shots and game boy restoration. Nice.

Hundred percent agree with the cleaning of the buttons process. When we worked at a game store, handhelds were some of our favorite systems to fix/clean. Have a great day!-)

In all aspects of my life, I will never forget the little hinge piece again. Such an inspiring mantra.

Elliot, it's good to hear from you! I had missed hearing you in the background or foreground of some of my daily routine. I'm sure things are difficult at the moment but I'm sure everyone understands and is happy to hear from you still. Hopefully things get sorted out and back on track for you. "A battery might help" made me laugh a lot. The lack of music and deadpan delivery actually helps the comedic timing of some of this in a fun way. I've worked on a DS in the past and it is way less stressful watching someone do it than it is doing it yourself this video was very fun and satisfying to see through.

I'd definitely love to see more of this! I really enjoy these kinds of videos because of how satisfying the end result is. Keep up the good work!

Great work! I know this type of video isn't typical for you, but I loved the pacing and the close-up shots. Hope things get easier for you, we're all looking forward to seeing more of your work and hearing more about your house renovation!

It blows my mind someone played that thing into oblivion and now you have basically made it new for someone else to do the same. What a wonderful system

I had one of these in the exact color! I also put a really cool silver sticker (I think it was a letter seal) on the top center. I had a bunch of the same sticker, so when the sticker started looking gross I'd switch it out. There was forever a spot on the DS that was lighter, where the sticker protected the shell.

Hi, Elliot! I really enjoyed this video. Very relaxing. The DS looks great! Congrats!

This is what I get for my birthday.The detail and music is so nostalgic.I was so happy buying this online

Really liked this style and reminded me of your old videos where you repaired these. Was a great fan of those as well.

I worked on one of the earliest games for the DS and every time these videos point out how old the DS is I realize just how heckin' old I am now, so, thanks for that.

I was genuinely excited to see how this turned out. It's been a long journey watching your channel grow, and watching you work on consoles got me into console repair myself. Cheers mate 😁

I wish I could fix my dsi myself, but its so special to me that I don't want to risk it. It's so cool to watch handheld restorations. Thank you!

Very satisfying restoration. Worked out really well, and I love the care put into it.

Def love my original DS, i snagged one on ebay awhile back and i was going to make a macro out of it but its fully function but i should just give it a nice restoration and keep it. this was one of my all time favorite nintendo handhelds, along with the SP and the pocket. played the daylights out of mine and i always had a soft spot for these! enjoyed the calm style of the video and looking forward to more!

Great video Elliot. Ive got a mint silver NDS in my collection, I love it because you can really see the gameboy sp DNA.its like the missing link!

these kinds of videos are why i originally subscribed to the channel! id love to see more like it going forward! they are my favorites of all your videos.

That is one well loved DS.. some kid must have put thousands of hours into it!

This is the content that drew me to your channel. Thanks for giving me the courage to disassemble and maintain my childhood game stuff.

Personally, while I enjoy your regular video format, I thoroughly enjoyed this calm, zen style too. It reminded me of one of those "oddly satisfying" gifs where something fits into a slot perfectly - everything is just chill, it all comes together, and we get a beautiful result. Honestly, kudos on this. I loved it.

Great video. I really enjoy your restoration/cleaning videos on old handhelds.

You might call it "yellowing" but many film camera enthusiasts would call it "bronzing". This is not yellowing like other retro computers and hardware do, but rather the paint has rubbed off of the edges of a yellow colored plastic. Many vintage camera enthusiasts love it, myself included. It shows the years and experiences that the camera/object has endured! EDIT: when the top coat is black instead of grey, the bronzing effect looks much nicer.

I’m so glad this didn’t end with you opening it and cracking the hinge. Very nice video, thanks for making it. Your videos are always of high production quality.

I really love the look of a well worn handheld. Not all stickered up or obviously abused but just worn. It has a lot of charm. I think the only thing I would do is replace the screens that are horribly scratched from metal pen use.

Wow that ds had so much uv damage but also so much love. The apple logo sticker covered the plastic and protected that area from UV rays, which breaks down compounds in plastic and is responsible for yellowing of plastics and acrylics. But it looks great and you cared for it so well!

Another brilliant and very relaxing video. Perfect for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Maybe it’s just nostalgia, but I love this model of the DS. I love the shape of it and the general look of it. Thanks for giving this one a new life. Love these types of vids

Wow, the buttons were engraved into the top parts plastic. Never see that before. I love restorations from your channel. I’ve been getting into repairing and cleaning gameboys and DSs thanks to you.

Great video!! I appreciate you mixing up your video formats.

I imagine some sweet Japanese grandmother who played this DS to death rejoicing when she watches this video of her old dear DS getting restored.

I love the really raw format for this video, good stuff!

These vids where you take something super pre-loved and make it all nice again are my fave, nice to see one again.

Definitely a calming video to watch, thanks. :) I think the only nitpick I have about it is that it didn't show you testing the touchscreen after you swapped out the bottom screen-digitizer assembly to confirm it still worked.

Great video Elliot. Slow, and mellow, and relaxing, and informative.

Hey Elliot!! I really enjoyed this nice Relaxing Vid you did. Great Job! :)

Nice job! I'm not a fan of spray painting. I had to spray a wing mirror cover for my car and I agonised over it being perfect, then managed to mess it up, then had to salvage what I'd done! I think your attitude towards it is spot on. I also didn't notice this video being all that different from normal until you mentioned it, and even then I had to think about the differences. Don't sweat it!

More restorations please

YELLOW PLASTIC: The plastic contains bromide (BFR: brominated flame retardants). When the plastic is exposed to oxygen and ultra violet light, the bromide on the surface layers binds the oxygen in the air to it and turns in to bromine dioxide (BrO2: a yellow crystal). The plastic under the paint is protected from the oxygen and the ultra violet light so it will not turn "yellow". Bromine dioxide is also contributing to the plastic tuning fragile over time. The method to reverse this effect is called Retr0bright. Great video by the way!

1:38 -- wow Elliot, way to make me feel old lol.. both the DS and PSP released when I was in college so long ago

I actually love taking apart old consoles and games and cleaning them up. As you said with the buttons, its all very therapeutic and relaxing. Those rubbers pads suprisngly need to not be replaced nearly as much as some might think after a thorough cleaning.

Great job! I had been wondering when we'd see another repair video. I hope to see more.

I have refurbished a couple of these bad boys myself, the DS Phat is my favorite of all the DS lines and it is special to me. This was a great watch.

this is quite a nice and relaxing video dude! keep it up, love restoration videos like this

i bought a silver one almost 2 years ago. i had it in my pocket, tripped, and broke the hinge! when i got home, i took my superglue, sealed it, then took my soldering iron(DONT DO THIS) and melted the crack, that lasted half a year, before it cracked again. so i decided to just do a case switch, and i got a black one(not a fan, but it was the only one i could find.). i swapped out the cases, and now it works perfectly! tho i messed up a bit on the hinge( the thing wont shut all the way, or it wont stay shut.). still, i love this thing so much, and i never take it out of the house now, i take my dsi instead!

These are my favorite videos, I just love seeing old consoles getting new life. Amazing video as always

Very ASMR and it was educational, your videos always inspire me to get in and have a crack at restoring or upgrading a DS or gameboy, onya mate 🤓

I've been binging all his old cassette player restorations, I swear his content has always been good, stay strong king 👑🔥

I cannot tell you how many hours I spent playing my cobalt blue DS with a broken hinge… I played that system to infinity. It’s so nice to see a Nintendo DS restoration on your channel, definitely VERY nostalgic.

Love this style of video! If it's easier for you to film this way and fun to narrate the teardown, i'd enjoy more restoration videos like these

Really cool video. I missed those. Hope you will do some more in the future!

So enjoyable to watch after a stressful day. Feeling the stock look. If you wanted to go overboard was thinking you could try and buff the back of the case and try and get the scratches out. But replacing with that used one did make it look almost new.

This is one of my favorite kinds of videos, I would love to see more DS stuff in the future! I'm fascinated by this kind of stuff. Your videos recently inspired me to buy a modded GBA, I'd love to get into doing some mod work or cleaning myself someday! Really hope you're doing okay and things start looking up for you soon.

I love the mark left by the apple sticker, I remember getting an iPod Nano back in the day and sticking it on my laptop.

My first DS was from Japan. I was in my final year of High School and my mate got one mid December '04, imported to the UK from Japan (UK launch was March '05). I was impressed and so along with cash I'd saved + Xmas money, I ordered a Japanese DS from a UK seller in early January. Thankfully I basically paid what I would have when the UK finally got stock, from memory about £135 inc 'Ridge Racer'. The game was my 2nd choice behind 'SMS64 DS', but considering it was my only DS game for a while I was very happy with it. The one and only time I've had a console or handheld before its official UK launch. I remember getting a few confused looks from people in my classes. XD

i‘ve been waiting for a restauration video ! thank you so much! looove your restauration videos!

So cool to see a DS get that much use, the owner must have really loved playing it and had a great time. You did it justice with this restoration, it looks phenomenal. I hope your life is a little better now!

Looks really nice! On the topic of preventing dust on recently painted parts, I've found that covering it with a box or plastic tub would prevent most dust from sticking to your paint. It isn't as good as a whole paint booth, but it works surprisingly well!

Junk ds nice, I have a ton of junk ds's as well might actually try to fix them, you inspire me to

I have the same DS, that reminds me that I must also restore it. I found her years ago in my father's taxi. Very relaxing video, Elliot

When putting together a handheld console, i like to gently coat a qtip with mineral oil and dab it on the springs and any moving parts that touch the inner surface of the device. The oil is no where near where anyone would see it. But it plays 2 parts. 1. It lubricates and prevents on some level wear n tear and 2. Creates a sort of sticky gasket to trap pocket sand and skin cells. Also, if you have some anti static tape, tape down the antenna wire.

This might be your best video to date, and absolutely my favorite video!

Love the chilled vibe. Needed that today

I really enjoyed this video and hope things are going well man

Nice video, a blast from the past when the retro-future was all about fixing retro handheld and consoles. One thing I would suggest is: change the polarizer of the LCD (the upper one at least is easy), as the screen is a bit yellowish.

Absolutely amazing work as always!! Love this so much! 💖👏