Nintendo DSi

The Nintendo DSi is the third iteration in the Nintendo DS line, and made its debut in Japan in late 2008.

Start a New Guide Ask a Question

Page 1 of 3

Nintendo DSi Teardown

Teardowns provide a look inside a device and should not be used as disassembly instructions.

We got our hands on the new Nintendo DSi.

Oooh pretty colors!
The manual is larger in every dimension than the DSi except for thickness. Many of the pages are in color... That's probably why the DSi costs so much more than its forebear.

A side by side comparison of the Nintendo DS Lite (left) and the Nintendo DSi (right).
The DSi has a new skin: a matte-black (almost dark gray) color that feels much rougher than the DS Lite. The roughness allows for better grip of the system, as well as improved scratch resistance.
The DSi is 3 mm thinner than the DS Lite, while its length and width increase by 4 mm and 1 mm, respectively.
The DSi comes with 3.25" LCD panels, a full 0.25" larger than the previous model's 3" panels.

Two Phillips screws prevent access to the battery. They are easily dealt with using our custom-made screwdriver.
A quick flick of the spudger (or fingernail) dislocates the battery from its housing.

There are a total of seven screws that hold the lower case of the DSi together:
- Three are immediately visible without removing any plug or cover.
- Two plugs near the top of the unit have to be removed to reveal two screws.
- Removal of the battery compartment reveals two additional screws that need to be removed.

And just like that, the case comes open.
An orange connector joins the cases together. Care should be taken when opening the DSi to ensure this connector is not damaged in the process.

A comparison between the old and the new. There are definite differences between the DS Lite (left) and DSi (right).
The DSi uses a smaller 840mAh rechargeable battery (right) compared to 1000mAh for the DS Lite (left). The difference in size is proportionate to the difference in capacity. The original Nintendo DS shipped with an 850mAh battery.