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Nintendo DS Lite Stereo Grip
- Accessory: 0 pages (2008-02-28)
- Platforms: Nintendo DS
- Publisher: DreamGEAR
- Label: DreamGEAR
- Studio: DreamGEAR
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 13 reviews
- Sales Rank in Video Games: #2066
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Better sound and good for arthritic hands. 2008-10-29
Comment: I got this after reading other reviews and I am in agreement. It makes playing long times with the DS much easier if you have arthritis especially in the thumb. Holding a small object with long fingers can get painful. With this my thumb rests on the front under the + toggle. My forefinger wraps around the back andother fingers come around the speaker partway.
This makes it easy then to rest on your lap when playing.
The sound is greatly improved. Some of the music had
sounded rather "tin-like" If that makes any sense. This make things easier to understand and sound much better.
I agree they should have left the stylus area open. It is also tricky to change games if you don't have long nails to push on the game. Those are however not a deal breaker for me the overal comfort is worth it.
I got it in pink to match my pink ribbon edition DS.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: stero grip 2008-10-24
Comment: My teenager just got this and likes it so far. Her friend loves his. Once the newness wears off, I will know better if it was just the newness or if she continues to use it.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Getting a grip on your DS Lite 2008-10-12
Comment: I realize this review is going to be lengthy,I apologize in advance but bare with me on this. I dissected the review into paragraphs for ease of use. If you just wanna know if these grips work for you, look up the subtitle "A look at the grips and how they perform". I felt the need to address a design flaw they had in the DS since day one, which is likely why your looking into these products anyhow.
*TWO SIMPLE BUTTONS TO SOLVE THE DS'S PROBLEMS SEEMS ONE REDESIGN AWAY*
The Nintendo DS may have been the pioneer of touch screen technology in main stream gaming, but it was bulky and unpleasant in terms of hand held comfort. Then comes along the Nintendo DS Lite, a slimmer version of the original that manages to brighten it's back light a bit and lose a few ounces, but still suffers the same ungainly set backs. So what's the DS doing that is making it hard on our knuckles and cramping our hands up? The answer surprisingly isn't it's size if you can believe that. It has more to do with the top screen creating an unbalanced feel with a jarring elongated horizontal design. The major problem is in the way you have to hold this thing to play. Your required to keep your hands near the top of the bottom screen where the weight of this thing is off center. Now imagine if Nintendo simply moved the D-pad near the bottom of the device while leaving the A,B,X,Y, and R buttons where they are near the top, then switch the L button onto the back of the DS like a trigger button. That's it...shift two simple buttons and the problem for most of us is solved! Your hands would balance the weight out on this thing. Then suddenly, more than half of us wouldn't even consider third party "wing grip" devices such as this Dreamgear stereo grip. Ahhh but alas...
So your wondering does that design flaw mean you NEED these grips? Will it make gaming on the DS Lite more approachable for longer periods? Yes and no. But in order to answer your question a little better, let's take a look at what your going to be playing with.
*A LOOK AT THE GRIPS AND HOW THEY PERFORM*
This is not a bad stand alone product. It fits snuggly onto your DS Lite and clips it in place to secure it. The grips themselves provide dual speakers for stereo sound performance which is at least two times louder than the DS alone. Of course you need 2 AAA alkaline batteries to juice it up. And from my own experience using the thing, it's pretty fair on battery life as well. The grips protrude into a wing span which forces the hands into the D-pad and the buttons themselves. It's almost like holding onto a Gamecube controller that has it's own TV screen minus the cords. Unfortunately it's not perfect. The grips them selves have been designed to allow players to equip their DS game cards and GBA games, but offers no access to your stylus. And if you don not remove the cartridge slot protector for the GBA game slot before equipping this grip, you will have effectively blocked access to your GBA slot as well. The DS game card slot is not so easy to access due to the grip's bulky design, so you'll need nimble fingers to swap between DS games. If you happen to have a wrist strap then you'll need to dangle and drop it through the right hand shoulder hole before snapping the DS Lite into place on the grips. This is because there would not be enough reach when forcing the strap around the back side then under the grip. Additionally, while you have access to the AC adapter port needed to charge the DS lite, the added layer of plastic on the grips make the plug on your adapter feel loose. The largest drawback however is that the grips are entirely situational. It really works like a charm in some D-pad intensive DS games and yet, winds up hurting your hands MORE when used in other types of games. It's not at all compact either and you'll most certainly need to detach the DS lite from the grips in order to use a carry case if you have them. It's brightest perks are it's added speakers and the relatively cheap price. The grips are a wonderful thing when all you need is the D-pad, but it can be a pain for games that require intense use of the touch screen or even the main buttons. If you have the money i'd say go ahead and buy these even just for slight occassions as any relief is welcomed. But since it's the postion of the DS buttons themselves that are the real cause for all these cramping problems, you might find that the grips really can't do as much to help as you might have wanted or needed.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Alot easier to hold 2008-10-10
Comment: I have mild arthritis and it sure does help to have a better grip. The sound is good. I can play alot longer because I don't have to take so many breaks to rest my hands from holding the game. My grip is more relaxed.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent Product 2008-08-26
Comment: This is absolutely the best item I have invested in for my Nintendo DS system. It gives great sound and makes the DS very easy to hold onto. If you have somewhat small hands you know that the DS can be hard to hold and makes you hands cramp after playing for awhile. This item helps to relieve some of the ease of holding onto it while playing a game. It also has 2 clips at the top for holding the top screen into place while playing. If you have a hard time hearing games when you play this is a great item to have it makes the sound of the DS a lot louder than normal. An excellent buy for $13.05. I highly recommend this product.
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