If you take care of your DS, it will take care of you.

[NINJA_Ryu]

Now, i dont want this to turn into a DS vs. PSP thread, so knock it off ya hooligans!

I raise this question for two reasons. One, I wanted to know how my fellow DSers took care of thier DS (especially touch screen), including tips and advice for others for better care of thier own DS.

And second, Ive had my DS till August, and already its gotten a hairline fracture on the hinge (:O!) and the touchscreen is getting some scratches on it, but nothing majorly hindering gameplay.

I want my DS to last, and to not replace it for at least a few years (never, i hope) and so, I send this to the people!

[JKTrix]

For the scratches, go a little easier on the screen. I know some games can be really exciting, and the touch-heavy ones (hello EBA) can be pretty detrimental to the screen. However, you don't have to press it as hard as you think you do, the screen is touch sensitive--not pressure sensitive.

The hinge cracking thing is an issue that seems to be popping up in the American DS lites. I've had my DS lite for almost 10 months (got a Japanese one) and it doesn't have any cracks on it. I'm not sure what the deal was with the launch american ones, but perhaps you can open/close the screeen a little slower. Savour the experience, open it in reverence. You are about to partake in gaming greatness (depending on the game). /hippie

For mine, I have a case for it that I use occasionally. If I'm going to keep it in my bag, I'd stick it in the case. I usually have it in my pocket, though.

If you can help it, only use the stylus that came with the DS. I used a retracted mechanical pencil on my original DS when I had Ouendan (which is a little more intense than EBA--the spinners in particular are harder), and the screen never scratched, but it's better to not take the chance.

[ValkyrieWing]

they sell screen protectors for top and bottom screens for a couple dollars. They're worth picking up, believe me.

[escobert]

I have a blue DS that I got in November. It's holding up just fine and I've even dropped it a few times.

[JKTrix]

I can't tell you how often My DS has fallen--whether I dropped it or some bizarre combination of gravity and kinetic energy forced it to the ground. At one point, my L trigger was messed up and didn't work properly. (Same thing happened to my GBA SP, triggers messed up. I was sad... then got a Micro.) This was a major bummer because I was playing Lost Magic at the time, and the L trigger is an integral part of the game.

It seemed to fix itself after a while, oddly enough. I was going to take it apart, and I still might.

Screen protectors should not be neccessary. They're a lot of hassle to actually put on the screen, and if you don't do it correctly you're stuck with ugly air pockets. I suppose they could be good if you really can't help pressing hard on the screen, but otherwise it seems to change the texture of the screen.

[escobert]

Yeah, I got some screen protectors with a stylus I got. But I'm not going to use them.

[NINJA_Ryu]

Note: Im reading these, and will sometimes ask questions, or put up a topic word.

Cleaning. What do you use, How often/do you use it?

[Roto13]

For the scratches, go a little easier on the screen. I know some games can be really exciting, and the touch-heavy ones (hello EBA) can be pretty detrimental to the screen.

My old DS had a big ol' spiral on the touch screen from the spinners. :P

I use a tiny bit of glass cleaner and a tissue to clean my DS screens. It works like a charm.

[I Took the Red Pill]

I don't take care of it, and games such as Elite Beat Agents have really laid down a beating on it. And there is no noticable difference, so pshaw to your cleaning methods.

[JKTrix]

The case I have for my lite has a soft interior, if I stick it in and out a couple of times it takes the fingerprints off of the outside. As for the screens, a quick swipe of the T-shirt usually does it for me. It gets dust in the corners, but I do have several 'proper' screen cleaners: a couple of cloths that came with some PSP stuff I have, and some things that you can actually attach to the DS (popular as cel phone straps in japan).

[NINJA_Ryu]

Linkage at all JKTrix?

[JKTrix]

This is the case I have (and also where I got it from)
http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-1u6b-71-b6-49-en-84-j-70-1by0.html
The front flap is velcro sealed and is just large enough for your DS to slide into snugly, and the material inside is kind of like the inside of a sweat shirt. On the back is a zippered section with designated spaces for 2 DS games and 2 Styluses, then an additional pouch. You can actually stuff quite a bit in there, I have a USB charger cable and a screen cleaner in there, but I've had GBA games and DS games and such in the pouch before.

USB Power cable
http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-1u6b-71-b5-49-en-84-j-70-1ble.html
I actually have like 3 of these--2 are this one, and another one will work for both the GBASP(and original DS) as well as the Lite--but I got that from a different product.

This is what the 'cleaner strap' is like.
http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-1u6b-71-b8-77-4-49-en-15-clean-84-j-70-1gxr-43-hl.html
One side is an image of something, and the other side is some kind of cleaning material for glossy surfaces--usually small screens. They come as freebies for different things in Japan, the ones I have came with a couple of games/accessories.

[vorpal blade]

I don't really use the touch-screen much. I only have Castlevania: POR and FFIII, neither of which actually require the touch screen. So I haven't been using the screen protector either. I wipe the fingerprints off the case and dust the screens with my shirt.