Over the holidays, many of you may have received retail gift cards, gaming software or even hardware. Others of you may be ready to spend some of your hard earned cash on some Wii and DS accessories, after spending most of your funds on others during the holidays. Over the next few weeks we will be reviewing a variety of Wii and DS accessories to let you know what’s worth buying, and what’s worth passing on. Today, we’ll be reviewing a product PDP sent us, the Nerf Armor case for the Nintendo DSi.
The case is designed specifically to enhance comfort when holding your DSi, while also providing a protective barrier around the handheld. The Nerf Armor case is constructed with a plastic shell inside and the comfy Nerf material you know and love on the outside. The case comes in both blue/black and red/black combinations. I have an affinity for the blue/ black since the blue matches the blue DSi perfectly.
The armor case easily snaps onto your existing DSi handheld. (Note that the case will not work with previous DS models, because of size differential and button placement). All side buttons on the DSi, including the volume bar and stylus port are easily accessible through well designed holes in the armor case. Additionally, the DSi camera on the top of the handheld is accessible by removing a scratch protecting rubber lens cap. The cap is not fully detachable, but rather hangs by its rubber core, as I’ve shown in an image below in our photo gallery. The problem with that is that in some pictures taken with the DSi camera, the rubber lens cap is visible hanging at the bottom of the pictures. However, by holding it down with your finger when taking a photo, you can avoid that problem. You could technically remove the lens cap with scissors, if you like to take risks and live on the edge.
A DSi photo to show the pesky lens cap making an appearance at the bottom.
When using the DSi without the Nerf Armor, I find that the bottom two corners of the handheld can often painfully embed themselves into my palms. The Nerf Armor adds a protective barrier around all external areas of the handheld, which provides a high level of comfort. It also adds a noticeable bit of weight to the otherwise feather-light DSi, but nothing that’s worth crying about. The armor also helps protect your DSi from physical damage and scratches, although scratches aren’t as noticeable on the handheld’s matte finish. As someone who constantly drops their electronics, this case was pretty much built for me in mind.
Because the armor adds weight and size to the DSi, equipping the case will mean a loss of portability. Throwing this bad boy in your pockets is still possible, but not without looking semi-ridiculous. And since the case is easy enough to snap on or off, you can certainly make your portability determinations on a day by day basis.
The bottom line: If you use your DSi for extended periods of time and notice any discomfort, the Nerf Armor DSi case is definitely worth the purchase. With a soft comfortable shell offering a pain free grip, the protective qualities of the case are really just an added bonus. The Nerf Armor case for the Nintendo DSi is available at the suggested retail price of $14.99. For more images, feel free to take a look in our gallery below.
*This product review was written based off the product supplied by PDP for review purposes, with over 10 hours of gameplay using various DSi software titles.
