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Do Nintendo DS touch screens scratch?

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dlobro1080

Member
Hey all,

I think I may be getting a DS for Christmas and before I started using it, was curious if the screen scratches easily. I remember using one in an EB awhile back and it seemed pretty dinged up (though who knows how it got like that). Anyone have any problems with theirs, or does the screen stay scratch free? Thanks.

Dan
 
They scratch like hell if there is a small defect in the molding of your stylus, and then you play Feel the Magic

* sobs *
 
dlobro1080 said:
Hey all,

I think I may be getting a DS for Christmas and before I started using it, was curious if the screen scratches easily. I remember using one in an EB awhile back and it seemed pretty dinged up (though who knows how it got like that). Anyone have any problems with theirs, or does the screen stay scratch free? Thanks.

Dan
Click to expand...


Wow are you seriously comparing demo kiosks with someones own personal ds in terms of scratches :lol
 
Zaxxon said:
I heard that the really early ones scratched, but the current ones don't (or at least don't so much) is that true?
Click to expand...

i have a launch DS that has been used buy a 2yr old and a 4 yr old... no scratches
 
It will get scratched if you're not careful. I put some scratches in the screen's protective coating soon after I got it, because there was a piece of grit on the end of the stylus. I could feel a weird sensation in my hand while using the stylus, but by the time it bothered me enough to check the problem, I had some minor scratches.

Then I let my girlfriend play Nintendogs, and she scrubbed way too hard when washing the dog. I'm probably guilty of the same thing. So, there are a lot of scratches where the dog was (didn't notice it was happening, we did it for a while). However, when the unit is powered on, the scratches are invisible (unless you're in a well lit room).

So, yes and know. I don't regret not getting a screen protector.

I got it on launch day, if that helps.
 
dlobro1080 said:
Ugh. So can you do anything to stop it? Like a small sheet of plastic wrap on the screen or something?
Click to expand...

Just be careful, like you should with anything. Mine has some scratches from normal play, and my friends does too. Now my nephews looks like one of the demos at walmart and is completely unplayable. Feel the Magic was the main culprit with mine.
 
Zaxxon said:
I heard that the really early ones scratched, but the current ones don't (or at least don't so much) is that true?
Click to expand...
I have a launch day one and it only has a few scratches that I only notice under strong light. Most of it is really just wipeable. And belive me, there have been some excessive meteos sessions.
 
Ouendan obliterated my touch-screen, as in I can see tons of scratches when holding it in the light (and they're real scratches, not the wipe-able ones). It's not visible when playing though so it's not bothering me, and the touch-screen also functions great still.
 
I treat my ds with complete disregard and it still looks fine. maybe if you tilt it on a certain angle you could see some scratches, but I've never tried that.

Don't worry about it, DS' are durable.
 
elostyle: does that stand for Electric Light Orchestra Style?

everyone else: thanks for the info, I'll be sure to check the stylus before use.
 
A few scratches on mine, kinda pisses me off actually. I'm paranoid to play any more touch screen heavy games for fear of creating more scratches.
 
dlobro1080 said:
elostyle: does that stand for Electric Light Orchestra Style?

everyone else: thanks for the info, I'll be sure to check the stylus before use.
Click to expand...
No it doesn't :) That's a good explanation to tell people when they ask though, thanks :lol
 
Mine got scratched during the last few boss fights in Castlevania DoS, so they do scratch. They're not that noticeable though, unless you look at it from an angle or catch a light reflection.
 
dlobro1080 said:
Ugh. So can you do anything to stop it? Like a small sheet of plastic wrap on the screen or something?
Click to expand...
Yes, buy a NuShield DS touchscreen protector. It's the best on the market, even better than the Hori brand! I can't recommend it highly enough.

-No glues or adhesives
-Slides under border of the screen frame and doesn't move around
-So transparent you probably won't notice it's there
-Touchscreen is still sensitive and retains the same stylus feel

Check out a hardware review of the NuShield Nintendo DS Screen Protector at Got-Next (with pictures)
 
My screens are spotless after endless hours of Meteos, Ouendan, etc. They've really taken a battering over the past year so I really don't know how people scratch them or resort to screen protectors.
 
i press the hell outta my screeen and it scratches some people don tpress hardd

but anytime u are using something on another surface everntually its going ot have minor scratches
 
dlobro1080 said:
Ugh. So can you do anything to stop it? Like a small sheet of plastic wrap on the screen or something?
Click to expand...

If you have a game where you don't need super precise movements (like Trama Center), using a Q-Tip works great.
 
koam said:
Obviously they scratch but if you play normally they won't
Click to expand...

I play normally. I'm excessive careful with my all my stuff, yet scratches still appeared on my DS screen.
 
The bottom/touchable screen has a sort of texture to it that seems to hide scratches fairly well. Obviously it's not going to be utterly scratch-proof, but it seems to fair better than even the PDAs I've owned. It'll scratch slightly with moderate use, but I don't see it becoming anything really distracting.
 
Mine is pretty scratched up, but I could honestly care less. My DS is my workhorse. I bring it with my everywhere, and I play it often, and for all the scratches it has, the touch screen works perfectly, and I can't see a single nick when the game is on. Once I turn it off the scratches become pretty apparent, but I don't really care about that.

And yeah, I've seen people do some horrible stuff to kiosk equipment. None of the controllers for ANY system have analog sticks at my walmart.
 
Haleon said:
Mine is pretty scratched up, but I could honestly care less. My DS is my workhorse. I bring it with my everywhere, and I play it often, and for all the scratches it has, the touch screen works perfectly, and I can't see a single nick when the game is on. Once I turn it off the scratches become pretty apparent, but I don't really care about that.

And yeah, I've seen people do some horrible stuff to kiosk equipment. None of the controllers for ANY system have analog sticks at my walmart.
Click to expand...

Yeah, when my poor DS is closed it may as well be a football, but damned if the thing doesn't hold up. Poor little system has had to deal with many an extended gaming/poop-a-thon.
 
I think the warranty on a Nintendo DS is voided by owning a copy of Ouendan.

That said, my touch screen has no visible scratches under normal lighting conditions. If you hold it up a lamp or play under a bright sun, you can see some minor imperfections, but it's no big deal.
 
It's pretty sturdy. My DS has a few tiny scratches that you can only spot with the screen off in bright lighting, but then I've had it since launch and have played the holy crap out of it.
 
I had to play my DS with a Q-tip because my stylus was slightly scratching it. (is that the ultimate in OCD or what?). It made me furious whenever a speck of dust would get on the tip of the stylus and would cut right into the touchscreen.

That was just a temporary solution until I got some screen protectors.
 
Even here the scratches seem overexaggerated.

It really doesn't scratch unless you show it no care whatsoever. It'll be fine.
 
Mine has some vertical streaks, not really scratches, that I think are the result of careless friends playing Meteos. You can't tell when the screen is on though.
 
Laguna X said:
Do some research on the screen protectors available for the DS. Here, I'll get you started with a review of Hori's screen protector.
Click to expand...

I used a Hori one when I first purchased my DS last March. After a while the screen protector itself was scratched and rubbed in certain areas (milking cows in HM DS), and it felt rough to go over those spots again. I removed the screen protector a few weeks ago and I don't have any scratches yet on my touch screen.

I am keeping an eye on the durability of the bottom screen though and so I'll tilt the screen every few days to see if I can notice any new scratches. I guess I'm just anal about that :lol So far nothing has occured; that screen seems pretty resistant.
 
Teddman said:
Yes, buy a NuShield DS touchscreen protector. It's the best on the market, even better than the Hori brand! I can't recommend it highly enough.

-No glues or adhesives
-Slides under border of the screen frame and doesn't move around
-So transparent you probably won't notice it's there
-Touchscreen is still sensitive and retains the same stylus feel

Check out a hardware review of the NuShield Nintendo DS Screen Protector at Got-Next (with pictures)
Click to expand...

Actually, after reading that review, NuShield sounds really good. No adhesive at all sounds perfect.
 
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