Customer Reviews

DSi Screen Protective Filter

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is a Hori screen protector, branded under the Nintendo DSi name/packaging. Many consider Hori to be the best, I find it tied with Martin-Fields Overlay in the screen protector department category.

I bought a Nintendo branded third-party screen protector in their "clean and protect" kit, and it was AWFUL--very difficult to apply, and not as effective. Other third-party screen protectors have left a film/residue, that is why I say brand matters. My experience with the Hori/Nintendo co-branded product was smooth and easy and it's been quite effective on my DS Lite and DSi.

A good tip for the application process is to have a credit card or something similar handy, and press gently down and forward simultaneously as you peel it off, because if you don't "smooth it out" you will end up with air bubbles, or particles of dust which create visual imperfections.

The reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5 is, while this does provide excellent screen protection, the glare reduction advertised seems minimal. I use screen protectors on just about everything electronic and portable that I have (iPod, phone, DS, DSi, GBA, etc.) and I find the glare reduction noticeable, but relatively minor. The real reason, I think, to buy this is to avoid scratches and other blemishes, which this does fantastically.

I'm not sure if the "new" DSi screen is scratch-blemish resistant, but in my experience when it comes to portable electronic devices, just about everything will develop scratches and blemishes, under normal use, if not protected. The iPhone/iPod touch is the one exception I have found to this rule, other than that, I would say, if you want to keep it "like new" it's a relatively inexpensive investment.

you'll need:
-q-tip
-small damp paper towel
-small dry paper towel
-and possibly a compressed air can


i applied a few minutes ago with good results, no air bubbles, and only about one or two dust stuck dust particles. the first thing you want to do is wipe the screen down with the damp paper towl, and dry it up with dry paper towel, make sure to get into the corners with the q-tip. do this a second time, the given lint free cloth only made things worse for me. do one screen at a time, because dust starts settling immediately.

now for the application. Remember, both stickers are DIFFERENT SIZES. one is for the top screen, and one is for the bottom scree, make sure you differentiate before you peel off the first tab. the stickers are SLIGHTLY smaller than the screen, but it didn't keep me from touching the corners of my touch screen with my stylus, i could color the corners in the flip book app. I slowly and carefully put the protector down starting from the opposite corner of the PEEL OFF sticker. I curved the protector down to keep bubbles from growing. i slowly pasted it down until it was perfectly centered. REMEMBER, once the protector under the sticker is down and clear, IT CAN'T BE REMOVED. i was able to reapply it a few times because i made sure the protector wasn't completely applied. i did the same thing for the top screen, with no bubbles and a few dust particles

i didn't know the protectors were different sizes, so i ended up peeling one off, but for the wrong screen... which is why i have a few dust particles stuck, otherwise, it would have been perfect.

Hori is known for making the best screen protectors for Nintendo products. They're even officially licensed by Nintendo. I've owned Hori's screen protectors for the DS Lite and now for the DSi, and they're absolutely perfect.

I purchased these from Amazon after being horribly disappointed by the screen protectors bundled with Nintendo's "Clean & Protect" kit. Hori's, however, proved to be a great experience. They were easy to put on, don't affect the sensitivity of my touch screen, don't distort picture on either screens, and apparently reduce glare (though I haven't really tested this out.) I was even able to put these on with no air bubbles, though I'm not sure if that's due to the product or just my patience.

To put it simply, if you're looking for screen protectors, get these. They are, without question, the best.

I've installed protective filters for my PSP and iPod's. The process to affix this is the same as your standard protective filter set for an iPod. This set from Hori has good overall quality but lacks in 3 areas:

- No plastic card is included. You'll need to use a credit card to help you slowly push down the filter and roll out air bubbles. The use of a credit card was not mentioned in the instructions.

- "Cleaning" Cloth isn't great. It looks like it's some sort of packing material and not real cloth. If you have a cleaning cloth for your camera, use that instead. I should have done that. After using the included "cleaning" cloth for several minutes, I still ended up with 3 dust particles after I applied the screen filter, which meant 3 non-removable air bubbles. These air bubbles are visible when the DSI is on (especially on white backgrounds).

- Instructions can be confusing. The 2 filters for the top and bottom screens for the DSI are different. But the backing tape on the filters do not identify them. Be careful that you apply the correct filter to the correct screen.

NOTES
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* Included are screen filters for the top and bottom screens, a "cleaning" cloth, and instructions

* I wouldn't recommend letting kids under 10 install this themselves. You need a steady hand and patience. While it's possible to remove the filter after a failed attempt, I wouldn't recommend it. If you have any dust particles get on the filter, they are pretty much not removable and you'll need to live with it or buy another filter.

These screen protectors are very good and, when applied properly, aren't noticeable at all. However, they are a pain to put on your DSi. They're worth it; but they're still a pain. That's why I gave them 4 Stars. Now for some real directions to help you once your screen protectors have arrived:

Hopefully you'll read this and the actual directions before you try applying your screen protectors. The screen protectors are not labeled in any meaningful way, so you absolutely have to read the directions. Once you've sorted out which screen goes where, the real fun begins. Make sure you are in the least dusty place you can access legally. If you happen to own a sanitized room and are a surgeon, you should have no problem applying your new Hori screen protectors. The rest of us are going to need a little luck and perhaps a stiff drink.

First, make sure your DSi screens are as clean as they can possibly be. No dust, no hairs, no oils. Then, follow the directions and remove the back panel of the corresponding screen protector for whichever screen you dare to tackle first. Line up the screen protector and begin smoothing it onto the screen with your fingers or a credit card. NOTE: Do not let the screen protector fully adhere until you have checked every inch for air bubbles and debris. I also recommend turning your DSi on and off with the screen protector mostly adhered. Air bubbles are easier to see with the DSi off and dust can be easier to spot with the DSi on. Once you have made sure that everything looks good, keep rubbing your finger or credit card or whatever along as you drop the last corner into place. Congratulations! Move on to the other screen protector and you're done, oh nimble-fingered consumer.

If, however, you are like me and you messed up and got some crap on the silicon/adhesive side of your screen protector, get ready for a whole heaping load of fun. If you happen to be a neurosurgeon, this part will be easy. Also, congratulations on being a neurosurgeon. Begin by removing the screen protector. If you can do this while leaving the top plastic sheet on, that will save you a little bit of frustration in the long run. If you already peeled off the top sheet, apply some invisible tape to the top of the screen, press it on until it's as smooth as possible, and then wait for it to adhere properly. After the longest 30 seconds of your life, pull up evenly on the tape so the screen comes up with it. If you can't do it with one piece of small tape, try a bigger piece or several pieces. Now, DO NOT, I repeat, do not ever touch the adhesive side of the screen protector if you can help it. Shirts, cloths, paper towels, your fingers, and even the cloth that comes with the screen protectors will leave unimaginable amounts of lint and tiny, irritating, fibers all over them. Instead, get yourself some invisible tape and, while holding the screen protector at the edges, dab at the entire surface to clean it. Once you think you've gotten everything (you haven't), go ahead and, while still holding onto the edges, start reapplying the screen protector. Again, make sure all air bubbles and debris is cleared out as you smoothly put them together. If you see an air bubble, peel back and start again. If there's something on the screen or the protector still, make your most dexterous child/neighbor/friend/lover get some tape and remove whatever's there so you don't have to try holding the screen protector in place and removing any stuff that's stuck to it. Repeat this process until you feel you can fully adhere the protector to the screen. Did you get the screen protector on cleanly? I'm sure you didn't, so stop boasting. You'll have to decide how many times you want to go through that process before you explode or accept whatever outcome you get; and then, once you've decided on a number, go for it all over again. Good Luck!

Screen protectors make me nervous. No, I don't have a phobia. Just putting them on worries me. Is that a speck of dust? Which side is the sticky side? Don't hold it sticky side up! YOU'LL GET DUST ON IT!! Then I put it on, and sure enough, there are bubbles where dust got stuck on the protector because I couldn't read the Japanese instructions. Not yet, at least.

Of course, it isn't the screen protector's fault that I can't put one on without something going wrong. But why are all the officially licensed screen protectors only sold in packs of two? You better not screw up, or you're going to have to put up with bubbles and bumps until you break down and buy another pair. At least it isn't the Write and Protect pack (retail chains only seem to have these. I don't want more styluses and game cases, I want screen protectors!).

As for actually protecting my bottom screen (the one most likely to get scratched up), I have to assume it's working, but I won't really know until I decide to replace the protectors once again. One other problem that I have, though, is that after only a few days of VERY casual use (as in, <3 hours. No, I don't love hours, that's actually "under three hours"), I could actually see the words I had written etched into the screen protector. I don't press down on the screen. I have a really nice pen stylus specifically for the DS systems. I don't think the screen should get this scratched up this quickly.

Conclusion: Look for a pack of screen protectors so you can mess up, learn from your mistakes, and try again. That way, you don't have to order another pair after each failed attempt.

I just got my screen protector in the mail. I decided to buy after noticing that there were light scratches in my DSi screen. I was having a you'll-shoot-your-eye-out moment. The kind of thing where everybody says that you'll get scratches and no matter how much you say "It's designed to be touched," will it change the fact that scratches will end up on it.

First warning: Be careful of the seller you buy from. Mine actually came in it's Japanese packaging. All of the directions were in Kanji, except, luckily, the very most important tags. I was doing internet research on removing scratches. I learned that the only way to remove scratches is to dissolve a layer of plastic. I decided not to do that. I also read that if you apply a screen protector, you should clean your screen first. Apparently, Nintendo recommends that you only ever use water to clean the screen because chemicals like those in Windex leave behind a filmy residue. They also suggest using a microfiber cloth. I believe that the cloth provided is microfiber, but I couldn't really say... The directions were in Kanji.

I decided to use two cotton pads to clean the screen. One wet to clean the screen. One dry to catch the moisture afterwards. A note of mention for cotton is that it leaves behind plenty of fibers on the screen. You can blow some of them away with your mouth. Regardless of what other people have said about the included cloth, it actually worked very nicely for me. After using the two cotton pads, I used the included cloth to wipe away the extra dirt and the cotton fibers. It wasn't a perfect one-wipe-and-you're-done kind of thing. I had to wipe away a couple of times in order to remove all of the cotton fibers. Also I wiped away the occasional cotton fiber that fell back off of the included cloth. Many may find this an inconvenience, but I would expect that out of any cloth, so people are just fuming to fume.

The two stickers that were lucky enough to be in English said, "Peel this side off before applying" and, "Peel this side off after applying." These stickers actually are attached to the layers and they hang off the edge. What this means is that the actual application of the screen is far less likely to be ruined by the slip of a finger. My application actually left two clean screens without fingerprints on the bottom of the protector. On both screens I ended up with two tiny air bubbles. One that I could originally see while playing, but somehow managed to push out during play.

As somebody else has mentioned, the screens are not perfectly sized to touch each corner, but could you imagine the frustration of trying to fit that perfectly in there? Once again, it's not an inconvenience. To me it seems a standard, because I have yet to deal with a screen protector that fits perfectly.

I think the most glaring negative about these protectors is that they are not scratch proof and they don't seem to try to be. I used them this one night already. The surface is not as smooth as the DSi surface, but that'd be tough to match. It felt automatically like I was digging into the plastic while using the stylus. After about four hours of use tonight. There are heavy areas of light scratches. Nothing that has affected how I actually see the screen. When I saw the scratches, I was actually relieved to realize that the scratches were in the protector and not in the screen. It was doing it's job.

The first thing I noticed after application was that it was much more difficult to see the tiny scratches that already existed in my screen. That excited me then. It no longer excites me now after seeing that there were scratches easily made in the protector.

Overall, I would recommend this product. It does the job that it's supposed to. It attempts to offer you an alternative cleaning solution with a provided pad. Application of the screen is also really easy. Regardless, it does not seem extensively durable considering how easily it is scratched. It's not perfect, so I'm only giving it four stars.

I bought this for my daughter when I purchased her DSi so that the screen would be covered and protected before she first plays with her DSi. It is very easy to apply and lasts a long time. I had also purchased the DS lite screen protective filter from this brand and it is still on the DS after 3 years.

I've already bought screen filters form other brands... but this one is perfect.
It feels like there is nothing on the screen when you touch it, I can't say how long it will last since I just got them, but seems to be very durable

The protector for the touchscreen is too small. If it is applied flush with two sides of the screen, the remaining two each gave a gap of 1mm between the edge of the protector. If applied perfectly center, there is a 0.5mm gap on all sides.
Considering the screen size of 68mm by 53mm, this means the protector leaves ~3.33% of the screen unprotected.