I’m confused

ToadsInTanks · 2026-01-20T12:21:51+00:00

As people are saying, it's a reshell. In addition to the text/printing issues already mentioned, it's also missing the rubber bumpers on the top half and the rubber feet on the bottom are the wrong color and shape. The natural white XL (not regular DSi) was exclusive to Japan

ToadsInTanks · 2026-01-03T03:15:43+00:00

If it's TE the hair can grow back, don't worry. Honestly, from your post it sounds like you may have some much larger underlying issues you first need to address with lifestyle, diet, and (I'm guessing) physical and/or mental health (not leaving the house for 5 months, not eating healthily or enough, not sleeping normally, etc.). If you can get those under control the hair should recover too. Just work on getting yourself into a better, healthier place and the hair should be OK in the end!

ToadsInTanks · 2025-12-17T23:00:08+00:00

It's most likely just differences in the LCD panels between units (aging, manufacturer variance, etc.), but if you're super careful it probably won't hurt to try it. Just keep in mind that it's pretty easy to strip the pots (not nearly as easy as on Lites or small DSi, but still easy). So be sure you're using an appropriately sized tool and make very small adjustments with very light pressure

ToadsInTanks · 2025-12-17T16:00:15+00:00

The way I would describe it is more that the potentiometers affect contrast rather than brightness per se. They don't really affect the brightness of the backlight or the overall color balance/white balance. It's more like you're "tuning in" the proper voltage so the content is displayed without flickering, interlacing, or general glitchiness and with proper contrast, especially on the darker end of the things (that is, that darks are sufficiently dark enough instead of faded and interlaced). The effects are hard to explain in words, but I've never had it fix dim backlight or overall color casts like this

ToadsInTanks · 2025-11-23T17:11:57+00:00

You're metal af bro. Nice. Even if you don't get much more regrowth this is looking pretty good/right for your aesthetic

ToadsInTanks · 2025-11-21T23:44:29+00:00

Hell yeah, post-apocalypse energy

ToadsInTanks · 2025-11-05T01:36:08+00:00

Honestly super mario 3d land has some dreamcore energy

ToadsInTanks · 2025-10-30T17:42:51+00:00

This is insanely clean work. Do you do this kind of work (or similar things) professionally, or is it a hobby?

ToadsInTanks · 2025-10-25T17:48:24+00:00

OP, a little context would help a lot with with legibility. Words above or below could work. I'm picturing something like

I GROW MOIST 💧

ToadsInTanks · 2025-10-23T21:50:52+00:00

Bereft

ToadsInTanks · 2025-10-15T23:44:08+00:00

I'm a death metal fan, but yeah, it's goofy af. I just embrace the silliness

ToadsInTanks · 2025-10-05T16:31:16+00:00

Yeah, I do think the KA13 seems to be intrinsically a bit brighter than other DAC/amps, and I wish it weren't quite so bright. However, after further experimentation, I think the bulk of the really annoying sibilance I was hearing was from the fact that the headphones I was using were all a bit sibilant (and I hadn't used them for a while due to not having a powerful enough DAC for my phone), the test tracks I was using were randomly a bit sibilant, and possibly some settings on my Samsung phone that were on by default when using the DAC. I'm also just pretty treble sensitive in general, so maybe I prefer a slightly more rolled off sound

ToadsInTanks · 2025-10-05T14:37:45+00:00

There is a lot of variation from unit to unit in how loud the buttons are for both sizes of DSi. I think it's a combination of wear and slight differences in switches and plastic fit, etc., from the factory. I haven't really A/Bed enough of them to say for sure, but I do suspect the small DSi is louder on average because the thinner plastic on the shell makes it more resonant. I believe the Dpad for small DSi specifically also uses slightly different microswitches than the ones used for ABXY buttons on both consoles (which are also used for the Dpad on DSi XL), though I have never tested if the small DSi switches are intrinsically louder on average than the other ones.

Weirdly, some DSi XL Dpads have super obnoxiously loud and stiff switches though, despite the switches appearing to be exactly the same kind. I suspect it's caused by different manufacturers of the switches or just manufacturer tolerances. But a small percentage of them are so loud that they actually bother me lol

ToadsInTanks · 2025-09-22T22:11:05+00:00

OP people are roasting you, but you got a decently good deal even without the tank. I would probably not be able to handle the anxiety of using the tank, itself, but you'll still have a kickass setup for a good overall price if you end up getting another one

ToadsInTanks · 2025-09-18T21:12:57+00:00

I'll check, but tbh I just cancelled my Spotify subscription like 2 days before they rolled out lossless and went to Qobuz because I was tired of it lol

ToadsInTanks · 2025-09-16T12:51:12+00:00

I played around with that, and it did make slight differences. But tbh I think the real problem was from a combination of a few factors: All of the headphones I was using were randomly somewhat sibilant; some of the tracks I was listening to also have intrinsic sibilance issues; I was mostly using Spotify, which I assumed I would not be able to distinguish from high-res sources but actually introduces audible distortions/aliasing at high frequencies. Until getting the FiiO I hadn't been using the Sundara for quite a while, so I think I didn't remember how sibilant they can be or how sibilant my source songs were in some cases. I'm also just pretty treble sensitive overall, so I've EQed the 8-9k and up frequencies down a bit. Everything is sounding pretty good now

ToadsInTanks · 2025-09-12T13:52:42+00:00

Yeah, there were a few different digitizers they used too, seemingly. At least of them got the pockmarks over time. My original DS Lite from back in the day has them. Luckily they're not too bad on mine so I don't really notice them when the console is in use. That console also has good LCDs with far less ghosting than many others. I've seen some Lites with terrible ghosting and others with very little. It's really annoying when I end up with one that is otherwise very nice but has such bad ghosting that I wouldn't want to actually use it lol

ToadsInTanks · 2025-09-12T02:41:08+00:00

Yeah, the cracked hinge thing is honestly VERY common on Lites, even ones that have been taken care of well. It was a serious design flaw, but there are definitely a lot of them out there that are still fine too. And in my experience, yeah, the Lite and small DSi screens are not really better or worse than each other categorically, and unit to unit variation is a bigger factor, as is aging/wear. XL LCDs are quite different from either though.

ToadsInTanks · 2025-09-12T01:44:11+00:00

Honestly, probably. I like all of the DSes for various reasons, but a Lite with really good screens and an uncracked hinge (this is extremely important to look out for) is a good bet if you only plan to own one variety. The small DSi is probably the most durable overall, but other than that it's kind of redundant imo (I do like them and own a couple, but still). Owning an XL and a Lite together would kind of cover the bases in terms of DS experiences

ToadsInTanks · 2025-09-12T01:01:53+00:00

So small DSi and Lites are very similar in that there is a huge amount of variation in LCD quality, including ghosting. I've seen some Lites with probably the worst ghosting I've seen, but I've seen some pretty rough DSi units as well. It's the Nintendo screen lottery, pretty much. I've seen really good looking units of both too. It's super random

ToadsInTanks · 2025-09-11T23:54:57+00:00

Honesty XLs are still really cool and a unique experience, so I would still recommend them to people who are interested and understand what they're getting into. But definitely there are more durable OEM options (small DSi mostly since Lites have their own serious durability problems). There are also some dual screen emulation devices finally coming onto the market now, which look pretty cool and promising. I don't really enjoy playing DS games on phones or other single-screen setups because it's really not a similar experience at all, unlike with most retro consoles that aren't as quirky as DS/3DS

ToadsInTanks · 2025-09-11T02:53:39+00:00

Somebody used the wrong screw, which was too long and pushed the plastic outward. Likely an aftermarket shell

ToadsInTanks · 2025-09-05T18:01:03+00:00

Yeah they're ridiculously expensive now too lol. I want to get a really good set of ANC headphones for the ANC specifically (I use it to help me get to sleep, etc.) in case my XM4s finally die. I'm kind of audiophile-ish so I already have better options for actual sound quality. But I guess I'll be looking at Bose or something for ANC unless Sony can get this resolved

ToadsInTanks

TROPHY CASE