Strawberries. Fairy tales. Cute pigs. Lots of gingham. There can be no doubt that Etsy user SmileRecipe's DS cases veer towards the so-cute-it-hurts end of the spectrum, so if that's not your thing (in others words, if you're the manliest of men), then skip this post, eh?
For those of you still reading, we chose four of our favorite designs by SmileRecipe and popped them in the gallery below. For just $12, you can get a case that will hold your DS and a couple of spare cartridges, and attract plenty of funny looks (if you're a dude).
"Fairy Tale" case
"Cute Pigs" case
"Red Riding Hood" case
"Strawberries" case
Some cases for your DS Lite offer style. Others offer a boring boatload of function. If you aren't in the habit of mangling the coolness of your DS with some DIY disaster, then we have unearthed a few new ranges of professionally-made cases. They are mocking your arts and crafts abilities.
First up -- the MIYA and Brocade series, which is pretty much just a new bunch of designs for the purse variety. They are as good as ever, but each one costs around $70. Seriously, what's up with that?
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Alumor range is nothing but pure metal goodness in a wide variety of colors. They will run you about $25 which makes much more sense from an accountant's point of view. Go mental, buy the purses! Your DS is worth it.
We don't have to tell you how cute this case is. It's etched right on the front of the kitty with the big eyes. And, with a see-through pouch on the back (complete with velcro strap for securing precious games), this thing also has "complete package" written all over it.
For further evidence of flickr user Michy Michelle's extreme skill at DS crafts, peep the Hello Kitty DS Lite. We just wish we had a bigger picture to drool over. Hello Kitty isn't really our thing, but if someone did the same thing to a DS except replaced the Hello Kitty with, say, He-Man, then we'd totally be down with it.
Head on past the break for a look at the Chococat case from a different angle.
These cases almost do the impossible. As you can see, those with an Onyx DS Lite can slap the red protector on there and pretend they own the "senior edition" DS Lite. Not only that, but folks (like us) with a boring old Polar White DS Lite can add a bit of flair to their DS, punching up the color without spending the cash required for a new unit.
Give these snazzy cases a look in our gallery below.
Oh, how we love you DS. Your sleek, sexy design is so cherished that we often feel like a mother bear protecting her cub, clutching you tightly against our body as to keep you from harm. And, what sleek device doesn't deserve as equally snazzy a case?
These latest pieces of DS armor presented by Famitsu look quite nice ... on the inside. As for the outside, they're pretty plain and black. But, their job is to protect and they look like they do just that.
The cases are manufactured by Suono and available for purchase via their website here. Each retails for 4,100 Yen (or, about $36).
When we're not crafting totally elaborate and stylish cases on our own, we spend a lot of time checking out retail options for both protection and adding a touch of style to our DS. Today, we stumbled upon retailer Pacific Design, which offers an array of unique cases and pouches for your DS Lite that somewhat resemble a kit that Nyko put out on the market back in July.
The difference here is that these cases don't feature the charger and extra styli that the Nyko pack features. These cases, though, feature extra zippered compartments, a carrying strap and compartments for storing games.
Obviously, we're fans of the DS and like to see its sleek self enveloped in a variety of different things. It's just who we are, and we're not ashamed in the least.
So, when we stumbled onto Crafty Crafty's list of their favorite DS cases, we just knew we had to check it out. Heck, even some that we posted here were featured in their article. There's also a few we haven't seen. It's win-win for all.
What kind of case do you have your DS or DS Lite in? What would you rate the top ten cases to be?
Do you like this cell phone holder with an embroidered Link on it? Would you be willing to pay $14 for it? Well, you can't. Providing further proof that we're bad people, we can only tease you with this wonderful handmade phone case, and link to an Etsy store from which you can't buy it.
Well, maybe you can: the seller takes commissions, so you may be able to convince her to make you one like this. Or maybe even a bigger case, for some kind of handheld video game system? By the way, the other cases for sale, while not game-themed, are also adorable.
DS owners -- and Nintendo fans in general! -- sure seem to lovecrafts. We've celebrated everything from cases to homemade gaming centers here, with plushies and painted systems and tons more in between. Have you ever experimented with a few gaming-themed crafts of your own, even if it was something as simple as a duct-taped case or using a sock to hold your handheld? Maybe the latter only counts if you decorated said sock, but we'll give you some leeway. Tell us if you've tried out a crafting project, or if you've maybe gotten a craftier friend to do the deed for you. Some couples even find that this is a way for both halves to share in gaming, even if one isn't much interested in the actual playing of the actual games.
We've seen cases made from a variety of hilarious and useful objects, like duct tape, sushi mats, socks, and, well, pants. Even if you're not the crafty type, have you ever looked at something and thought, now that could make a good case? What would make a funny case? Share your ideas -- and cases you've seen!
Reader Andrea sent us pictures of her Pokemon DS Lite cozies, which are either knit or crocheted-- we can't tell the difference. They're big yarn knots in interesting shapes, in any case. She made a Pikachu and a Mew, both of which open up at the neck like Pez dispensers to allow access to the cozied DS inside.
Suffice it to say that, were we normal people and not, you know, DS Fanboy, we're pretty sure this would be the first time we felt the desire to hug a DS. But we feel that way every time we hear the words Contra 4.
They've got tails! There's just no resisting that. In fact, we can't stand to look at our stupid tailless cases anymore, and we think we're just going to toss them in the garbage.
For the next week, online shop Play-Asia will be selling all of its in-stock items at a 20% discount, excluding weekly specials or anything released in the past 30 days -- cross Jump Ultimate Stars and Doki Doki Majo Shinpan off of your to-buy list. All of the import retailer's eligible products have been marked with the smoothie icon shown on the right, so it's easy to spot which games are on sale. We've picked out several noteworthy bargains that you might want to consider:
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice for All - $23.92
Naruto: Saikyo Ninja Daikesshu 4 - $15.92
Gyakuten Saiban 4 Limited Edition - $103.92
bit Generations: Orbital, Soundvoyager, Dialhex, Boundish, Digidrive - all $11.92
Urban Life Style Cases, White and Light Blue - $10.32
Headsets, Nintendo - $10.32, Dragon - $5.52
Play Stand DS Lite - $11.92
Though the sale doesn't end until next Friday, a lot of these items won't stay in-stock for long. Don't be that guy who has to leave a comment about missing out on a particular deal!
Gametech seems to have a taste for the gaudy when it comes to DS Lite covers, but they totally got it right at least once. This DS Lite case features a kunoichi (female ninja) design in simple white on black fabric. It's cute and striking at the same time.
The design looks quite similar to R Stevens' I am Ten Ninjas t-shirt, although much more feminine and much less blocky. We'd love to clothe our DS in such mystery, but at 3,980 yen ($32.26) it's a little pricey for our tastes. But, then, so are most sandwiches.
Available with both red and gray accents, Penguin United's game card collection pouch holds up to 24 of your DS carts in its clear vinyl pages. We're usually too picky about the designs of our accessories to ever use antything so blatantly branded, but like global warming, the Penguin logo on the wallet's cover managed to melt our glacial hearts.
Though the pouches are already a bargain, listed at $9.99, UncleBob from CAG clued us into a 12%-off coupon code for you to enter -- 'thankyoufrompenguin' -- that drops the price down to $8.80. March past the post break for more photos of the card case and our flippered friend.
When we last checked in with Acid Mods forumer Rocky, he had outfitted his DS Lite with a clear shell and several LEDs, wowing all the ladies and fellas with its electric blue brilliance. His latest experiment adds a sound amp chip that floods the LEDs with light in time with the handheld's audio. Don't feel like driving out to the dance club tonight? Just find yourself a dark room, load up Darude's "Sandstorm" on your DS Lite, and you've got the same experience right in your hands! Sort of.
Rocky has posted a photo tutorial of the installation process, but we're much too squeamish to replace our stock casing or do any sort of soldering. If that seems like too much hardware hacking, you can settle with just watching a video of the jazzed up DS Lite flickering along with music tracks and video game sounds after the post break. Though we can't condone his use of a flash cart to load backed up games, we won't let that get in the way of imagining how cool it'd be to play our favorite rhythm titles with this mod.
When we're not crafting totally elaborate and stylish cases 
For the next week, online shop Play-Asia will be selling all of its in-stock items at a 20% discount, excluding weekly specials or anything released in the past 30 days -- cross 
Gametech seems to have a taste for the gaudy when it comes to DS Lite covers, but they totally got it right at least once. This DS Lite case features a kunoichi (female ninja) design in simple white on black fabric. It's cute and striking at the same time.
Available with both red and gray accents, Penguin United's game card collection pouch holds up to 24 of your DS carts in its clear vinyl pages. We're usually too picky about the designs of our accessories to ever use antything so blatantly branded, but like global warming, the Penguin logo on the wallet's cover managed to melt our glacial hearts.
