Proporta Aluminum DS Lite Case Reviewed.

Ten years ago, I owned one game system that my parents didn’t pay for. I had saved up allowance and lawn mowing money for months to be able to afford it, and when I finally went to Target to claim my Game Boy Pocket, I was utterly ecstatic. I played Super Mario Land obsessively, and I carried that system with me everywhere I went – doctor’s appointments, parties, funerals, parent teacher conferences, you name it.

And the thing was like a football: No matter how many times I threw it, kicked it, or stomped on it, it remained in pretty good shape. I never had any problems with durability. Just out of curiosity, I turned it on today to see if it still worked. Aside from a row of pixels being burnt out, it works just like the day I bought it.

But those days are long gone. We’ve entered a new era of handheld gadgetry, and one that’s both exciting and infuriating. My 80 gigabyte iPod holds my entire movie collection and the majority of my DVD collection. My PSP plays games I wouldn’t have thought could even be made on a console a decade ago, much less on a system not much larger than my trusty Game Boy Pocket. I wouldn’t have thought you could control a game just by touching a screen, as you now can with the DS. My phone can browse the internet, for Christ’s sake.

Technology’s come a long way since 1996. The problem – the very, very expensive problem – is that durability hasn’t advanced with it. My iPod was covered with scratches after the first day I had it because I left it in my pocket with car keys (thank God for Wal-Mart’s return policy). The face of my PSP was cracked in two places when I dropped it above a brick fireplace (thank God again for Wal-Mart’s return policy). I was more careful with my DS Lite, which basically meant it never left my nightstand.

So buying protectors is almost as important as buying the system in the first place, and knowing which one to buy is just as important, because putting your faith in a bad protector or case can be a huge mistake. You can’t compromise. It doesn’t matter how much a protector costs – if it provides total protection, it’s worth it.

So it’s with good reason that I’m usually very careful about what protectors/cases I choose to buy, as they’re usually an absolute must for any handheld. And the Proporta Aluminum DS Lite case, thankfully, is worth it. It’s one of the best DS cases on the market. Primo stuff.

Basically, it’s a hinged aluminum case designed to cover all of the system if you want to carry it around without worrying about it getting damaged. And in both regards, it gets the job done exceedingly well.

The aluminum surface keeps the system from getting scratched or internally damaged when you drop it, providing good shock absorption. I used this case for almost a month straight, and the system was not visibly scratched or damaged at all during the several times, tired from a long day’s work, I was smart enough to repeatedly drop the thing on the ground. And I figure that if a case does this, it’s worth your money.

Proporta’s aluminum case, which can be purchased at their self-titled website for $35, does what it needs to do, and does it better than most, if not all, competitor products on the market. It’s sleek, well-contoured, and keeps your system in good

That said, it’s not quite perfect, albeit it’s still one of the most high-end cases out there.

Basically, it has a grand total of two problems: 1) the hinge is designed in such a way that, if you try to close the system improperly, the metal edges that latch the system shut can make contact with the acrylic top of the DS Lite, which could theoretically lead to scratching if you’re negligent when shutting it. I never ran into this problem, but it’s a possibility.

And 2), and this is my only serious gripe, it leaves some of the system exposed when it doesn’t need to be. Even when you shut the system and leave it in the case, it leaves the L and R buttons, stylus slot, power button, volume bar, GBA slot, and headphone jack out in the open for easy access.

While this is a good idea with most products, such as the PSP, where you could easily navigate through songs with the system in the Play Gear Pocket, it’s not necessary for most DS Lite owners, unless they’ve plunked down some $150 for a flash reader cartridge (which is a very small segment of the console’s market). Most people won’t be playing the system while it’s inside this case. They’ll take it out and set the case aside if they want to play it. So there’s not really any practical purpose for having all the side buttons accessible. It really just means the system is a little more vulnerable than it needs to be.

Ultimately, though, this is an exemplary case for the sheer quality of protection it offers (the DS Lite seems almost indestructible when it’s in this case), and I highly recommend it. It’s worth the price tag. Definitely give this some serious consideration if you’re in the market for a DS Lite case.