Daiso is a dollar-store-style retailer who sells extremely cheap goods under their own brands. You can get sushi-making supplies, toys, stationery, media storage, and beautiful Japanese bowls for, like, a buck each. If you happen to be near one of the locations (there are 9 in the U.S.; we visited the one in Seattle) it's definitely worth a quick browse. Especially now that the company has started selling DS accessories!
We can't really predict what will be available in which store, but there's no reason to believe that these Daiso-branded silicone DS covers and screen covers won't be available in the majority of their locations. We're a little uncertain about the screen covers, but at 315 yen ($3) it's not much of a gamble. As far as the DS covers go, a silicone cover is a silicone cover, and Daiso's is less than $2.
MashiMaro could be described as Korea's answer to Sanrio, Japan's heavily-merchandised community of Hello Kitty characters. The adorable, chubby rabbit sits atop a mountain of plushies and other branded products that are too cute for many to resist. Unlike his Sanrio colleagues, however, Mashimaro can be a jerk. In the Flash animations where he made his debut, he can be seen stealing food and pushing a pig off a cliff. He's a bad bunny to the bone.
Joytron recently put out a line of cases decorated with MashiMaro scenes, and they're just as cute as the thuggish cottontail himself. The shells slip over your DS Lite, adding an extra layer of plastic protection to your handheld. Joytron will even throw in a pen stylus with each order. Hop into the gallery below for more shots of the different "System Skin Cases" now available in Korea.
Bringing in the Chinese New Year, import shop Play Asia has slashed the prices on over five thousand of its in-stock games and accessories. What's more, each order you put in between today and February 29th will count towards an entry for you to win a variety of Japanese consoles, games, and store credits. There's just too many items on sale to list, so we've picked out a few from the DS and GBA sections that might pique your interest.
DS game sales:
Ryuusei no RockMan: Dragon, Leo, and Pegasus - $48.90 $9.90
Nodame Cantabile - $48.90 $14.90
Operation: Vietnam (US) - $24.90 $16.90
Slide Adventure: Mag Kid - $58.90 $19.90
Oshare Majo Love and Berry (DS Collection) - $58.90 $19.90
To be honest, my reaction to Mayumi Hasegawa's snakeskin DS cover was pretty much the same as JC's response to the matching Wiimote sleeve: it's kinda gross. Fashioned from the skin of a diamond python, this DS skin -- while obviously ... unique -- is just about the creepiest accessory we've ever encountered for the handheld.
Coating your beloved console with dead animal remains isn't a cheap exercise, either: the full set costs ¥12,800 ($120), but you can also buy just the top half for ¥5,800 ($53). Then again, if you're going to put something totally disgusting on your DS, why do things by half?
In this day and age, a person with a knack for the more technological things in life can freely stroll throughout their local Wal-Mart's Eletronics section, taking pictures of various things with their nifty camera phones. Pictures like the above rack of Nintendo-themed lunchbox DS cases.
Upon checking Wal-Mart's site to see exactly what was in each tin, we found a bundle of:
Headphones
Car Adapter
Screen protectors (2)
Case
Decal
Cartridge cases (2)
3 colored styli
Wow, quite a bit of goods for $27.88. But is it a good enough deal? If you want to see the bundle for yourself, head on past the break.
Import retailer Renchi just started carrying a line of high-end, fashionable DS cases from Yoshida Porter and Head-Porter. They look pretty nice and all, but they're not for us. They're for the exclusive club of people able to spend a minimum of $85 for a DS Lite case.
We love cases, of course, but we enjoy them most when they're homemade or especially useful. We can only stare in bemusement at high-fashion status-symbol cases like these. They look okay, sure, but they don't really look that different from normal-priced cases, and in fact don't really approach the eye-catching beauty of some of Hori or Keys Factory's more design-conscious work. And the excellent Waterfield case, which is normally too expensive, seems quite thrifty compared to these. You could buy one of those and tell people it cost more.
None of this is to say that we don't appreciate Renchi for importing some unique and hard-to-find cases. We really do, even if we can't buy them! A better selection is always a good thing.
We're struggling to justify to ourselves the idea of purchasing one of Hori's new Charge Stands. After all, a standard wired power adapter -- like the one you get totally free with your DS -- does the same job. The only obvious advantage to owning one of these is that your DS can be displayed at a jaunty, kind of cool angle.
We suppose this is a case of form over function, though we're not ashamed to still want one -- the DS is an attractive piece of kit, so why shouldn't we show it off? For just under $17, you can be as superficial as we are, though you will have to wait until April. Oh, and they only come in black or white, meaning any new cobalt blue DS owners might have to go without.
Gametech's new Sound Shell DLite solves the two major problems with the DS Lite: first, that it's not big enough, and second, that it just doesn't make enough noise. Why be discreet when you can be conspicuous, right? Aside from making the DS totally beefy and loud, the Sound Shell acts as a cover for both the top and bottom of the system, and includes a built-in stand. Okay, that last part -- integrating a stand into a case -- is actually a really good idea. The Shell will retail for 3,200 yen ($30).
GAME Watch has other, more conventional (as in not-full-of-electronics) cases on display in their roundup, including the useful-looking Fine Pouch, which is actually already available for sale.
For us, the perfect DS protector would be something made of Kevlar and covered in hearts and plumbers. Just take a page of doodles out from your little sister's diary and you got what we're talking about, only that it's bulletproof.
Hori has done an okay job, though, in trying to come up with a viable solution to those lacking any kind of protection for their DS. It's sleek and looks like it not only protects, but is pretty functional as well. All it needs are some stickers of hearts and unicorns. Or maybe some Doraemon.
Australia-based Paper Plane Products is selling the cutest DS Lite pouches we've ever seen, their flaps fashioned after fattened cats and bunnies. Just look at those button eyes! And that pink nose! In addition to the cute mug, each case has a convenient handle, three cart pockets, and a button snap to keep everything secure. You can check out more photos past the break.
You'll pay a premium for this handmade look -- $49.99 per case. Shipping from Australia will also eat into your wallet, but the online shop has a lot of other adorable accessories that you can load your order with, like Lamb Lamb skins and card holders. You can buy kitten stickers to match your pouch cat!
We are still fascinated by this gigantic, impractical Famicom cartridge adapter. That's why we were delighted when GAME Watch picked up one of CYBER Gadget's CYBER Familator Lite adapters and tested it out, taking plenty of pictures during the process. Unsurprisingly, but still sadly, the various issues with the device make it a suboptimal method of playing Famicom games.
Most notably, you can't plug a second controller in, meaning also that the Famicom microphone (which is embeded in the player 2 controller) cannot be used. Also, the system can't hook up to the Famicom Disk System. The Familator also suffers compatibility issues with a few games, including Bases Loaded.
GAME Watch did a side-by-side comparison of the Familator's TV output of Xevious to the Wii's Virtual Console version of the same game, and found that the colors and the sound were inferior, even without taking into account the Wii's ability to use component and D-terminal connections. Battery life was, of course, also an issue.
None of these concerns are exactly dealbreakers, but even as a novelty it would be hard to justify the expense of such an item without excellent performance.
Similar to the Touchpen Leashes we featured last month, Freedom's drawstring pouch ties onto the back of your Nintendo DS, tagging along with your handheld until you undo the convenient clasp. The case's thin fabric -- available in black, red, blue, and white -- doesn't look like it'll protect your DS from anything more serious than a few scratches, but it also serves as a screen and system wipe. Double your features, double your fun! Check out more photos of the case and its color variations after the jump.
Freedom's Cleaner x Pouch sells for 680 yen (approximately $6.20), but we haven't seen the product listed at any non-Japanese retailers yet. We'll keep an eye on the usual import shops, and we'll let you know if we see these pop up!
The world's favorite blue robot cat from the future is back with more stuff to put on your DS. The Doraemon Waku Waku DS Accessory Set includes a system shell, a card case, an extending stylus, and a screen-cleaning strap all bearing the adorable visage of Doraemon. The DS case has a repeating light blue Doraemon pattern that we think is pretty nice, and the card case features three Doraemons (Doraemen? Doraemans?) in cute poses.
NCSX is taking preorders for this $23 accessory kit from Hori, to be sent out when it releases on March 6th. If you're looking to protect, clean, write on, and carry games with your DS, it seems like a good option.
Christina Cary, the same gal who taught us how to make a DS cart caddy out of an old pair of pants, has expanded on her portfolio of handheld-related crafts with this strawberry-colored fold-up pouch. In addition to sewing in fitted belts for a DS Lite system and four games, she has included pockets for lip gloss tubes, compact mirrors, or anything else you might want to pack along with your portable!
Christina also made a matching purse with the same patterned material she used for the pouch's exterior. You can see the bag and a shot of the homemade case rolled up after the break. Now, if only someone would make us something similar, but with this fabric ...
From swords to ... uh, more swords, we've seen quite a few special styli in our day. Some are colorful and some are extendable, but the stylus gift is pretty common with DS games. Do you own any specialeditionstyli? Do you wish you did? If so, which ones? And we're not talking about just any random stylus here, though there are plenty of awesome DS accessories, but those specifically designed for (or that come with) certain games.
To be honest, my reaction to Mayumi Hasegawa's snakeskin DS cover was pretty much the same as JC's response to the matching Wiimote sleeve: it's kinda gross. Fashioned from the skin of a diamond python, this DS skin -- while obviously ... unique -- is just about the creepiest accessory we've ever encountered for the handheld.
From swords to ... uh, more swords, we've seen quite a few special styli in our day. Some are colorful and some are extendable, but the stylus gift is pretty common with DS games. Do you own any special edition styli? Do you wish you did? If so, which ones? And we're not talking about just any random stylus here, though there are plenty of awesome DS accessories, but those specifically designed for (or that come with) certain games.
