Is Nintendo's DSi Still Relevant? Refurbishing a forgotten masterpiece of handheld gaming

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In this video I'll be taking a look at Nintendo's DSi handheld console, building my own working console from scrap parts salvaged from faulty machines, and asking the question - why is this fantastic console not more popular in the modding community?
Music: Joe Bleeps
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Camera: Google Pixel 6a
Mic: Rode NT USB+
Hardware: 2012 i7 MacBook Pro with 2xSSD
Software: iMovie/Keynote

[@bobbus_74]

I did a top screen replacement on a DSi for a friend a few months back. I thought "how hard can it be?". Turns out that it was officially the worst, fiddly, most frustrating thing I've ever worked on in my life. I mean, I did it, but it was absolutely not enjoyable. Getting that ribbon cable back through the hinge almost made me lose my mind. Anyway, yours turned out nicely so congratulations!

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you! And yes I feel your pain 🤣

[@rileyshiery8456]

I've got a hot-take: DSi XL is the sleeper best-in-class retro handheld. This is because it's got the biggest 4/3 optimized IPS screens available, huge battery life, and the ability to emulate anything 64-bit backwards (with more emu development needed), in addition to playing the entire DS Library beautifully. My GBA games have NEVER looked better, period. Please change my mind.

[@JoeBleeps]

I can't argue with that. It's a fantastic machine. Would love for it to have a GBA slot too.

[@YuasBirds]

Got a DSi to refurbish recently, the new shell and screens are on the way! I'm excited to get into it, hope the hinge doesn't give me too much trouble ww

[@YuasBirds]

Also the well of parts has really gone dry, no standalone button kits, very few options for shells. Wonder why the DSi doesn't have an eighth of the aftermarket support the lite has

[@JoeBleeps]

@@YuasBirds I think there are just more DS Lite consoles out there. I agree it's strange that it's hard to find buttons and shells nowadays

[@VitorGames-ib9is]

I have 2 Japanese DSi's and their colors are metallic blue

[@JoeBleeps]

I love that metallic blue finish.

[@qwobot]

that custom dsi looks really cool! regarding the beginning, i think that a modded dsi on its own is really cool (or any older ds model if that), the problem is just (for me anyways) if you have a 3ds then the modded dsi is kinda useless as it can do everything the dsi can plus more. people do enjoy playing on original hardware which i respect (i have a wii u but still use the wii frequently just cause of the vibes lol) but for me, ds games and stuff like it can be integrated really really naturally into the 3ds with stuff like ndsforwarder that i just dont see a need for it (i am personally not a big fan of the vwii on the wii u which is why i use an actual wii for that stuff, but im fine with how ds games can be incorporated with the 3ds menu, it still retains the same vibes for me). the 3ds has a way bigger modding community as well so i find it more fun tinkering with the 3ds than the dsi i will still never get rid of my dsi xl though lol i have way too many memories attached to it, great video

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you for your detailed and insightful words. I agree that the 3DS consoles are so capable they do end up leaving consoles like the DSi a little redundant. Still a great little console though

[@rockmanfan5104]

Got a pokemon white dsi last week I love it. The screens are alittle yellowed in the corner so I picked up some new screens and they came in the mail yesterday!! 👍

[@JoeBleeps]

Good luck installing them! Take your time and take photos as you go, you'll be fine 😀

[@coldsandwich_skates]

i bought one today since i had store credit i needed to use and i want to reshell it but i don’t know where to look any recommendations?

[@JoeBleeps]

replacement shells for this seems ot be pretty scarce now, that's why I ended up mixing and matching original parts for this build. There are still shells out there though, just don't end up paying over the odds.

[@PH96Official]

You sir just turned a new subscriber

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed

[@lalo2509]

I really like the DSi, buttons are more comfortable and screens are durable than DS lite

[@JoeBleeps]

I love the DS Lite but I was sad that the clicky tactile buttons from the original DS were gone. The DSi buttons are way more satisfying to use, I love them. It feels like a luxury version of the Lite

[@scherge]

The end result looks really nice. Thanks for sharing it with us. I had a DSi XL with a broken charging port. After trying to replace the port itself and ruining the entire mobo in the process, I bought two spare mobos from ebay. One with another broken charging port (even though the seller claimed that everything was working) and one with a broken cartridge slot (which I only found out after installing everything for the third time). Since I wasn't willing to gamble again with more spare parts, I simply decided to install cfw on the little fella. That process was pretty straightforward at least, and now I'm just using this console for playing roms from time to time. If you did a video on how to either install a new charging port or even better a new cartridge slot, that would be much appreciated.

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you! I'm glad that the cfw saved your console. I did a video on changing the DS Lite charge port but not done any others for different DS models yet

[@CommanderWiggins]

The DSi isnt great for modding in the physical sense, but it's an excellent system for softmodding. It's super simple to do, took me about 10 minutes and uses the DSi's built in camera app. It isn't as capable as the 3ds but still has a variety of homebrew and emulators that can run on it. With how expensive 3ds systems are in comparison, the DSi is a solid option as an alternative system. Also the DSi XL has two big IPS screens and runs DS games in their native resolution, making it the de facto system for playing DS games on.

[@JoeBleeps]

Really useful points made here, thank you. Exploring soft mods is what I think I'll look into next. I did a hack on my XL but that was a long time ago and there are likely better options now

[@lalas3590]

There 3DS is definitely better but that doesn't disqualify the DSi's quality. If softmodded it can play most retro handhelds up until its release and consoles up until 16bit systems. Also (like the 3DS) its native library is absolutely insanely huge (shovelware excluded) and unlike most consoles - its controller layout can't be comfortably emulated into a modern controller.

[@PLATESWEEPER]

I love my molded dsi xl

[@JoeBleeps]

It's a beast of a handheld isn't it

[@Mikeonut]

wow that custom dsi color scheme is great!

[@JoeBleeps]

Thanks so much!

[@erroroliver]

i used to have a DSi, its broken now. One day I want to get the data from it and put the thing on the other board

[@JoeBleeps]

That's another interesting thing I hadn't thought about. How to extract data from broken consoles...

[@yuriantunes2916]

This built went so well i tought it was an original special edition

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you! I tried to get it to look authentic so I appreciate that!

[@Wii505]

I like the idea of a Mario DSi, but I don't like type of blue that was used

[@JoeBleeps]

You've got to work with what's available! The dark metallic blue is also an option. This blue is very much a NES shade, kind of reminds me of the sky background in SMB world 1

[@Wii505]

@@JoeBleeps And that is why paint exists

[@JoeBleeps]

@@Wii505 true, but in this case I wanted to use original parts. I'm not a big fan of painting parts but they can look good if done well

[@ravuslupus]

Colour choices on point.

[@JoeBleeps]

Thanks so much!

[@ComeJesusChrist]

I just discovered these in the last fortnight and ended up buying almost twenty of them, probably disturbing the market for a second. They are brilliant little devices and are ideal Mario machines. I’m not keen on the metallic blue, but every single other colour and finish are absolutely gorgeous. Get a couple of New Super Mario Bros with a couple of these, your children and their friends will be happy!

[@JoeBleeps]

Buying 20 in a frenzy is the sort of thing I'd end up doing 😅

[@ComeJesusChrist]

@@JoeBleeps I haven’t realised how good these were. I also bought a 3DS (nice, but it’s still too expensive for my young son as a school handheld/retro Nintendo emulator), three DSi Lites (some parts needing swapping and Macroing, thanks for the videos on this), 3 2DSs (before realising that someone already bought our son one) and a couple of 2DS XLs, which are probably my favourite. Oh, I forgot the two Super Mario special DSi XLs and the yellow one! Anyway, most are going back on sale, but I’ve got more games than anyone needs!

[@JoeBleeps]

@@ComeJesusChrist that's a great collection! The Mario XL is fantastic