This is not something that you will see posted on JAMM on a regular basis, but the Nintendo DS Lite is "mobile" after all. Also considering that sales of these portable gaming device are topping in millions worldwide, it is safe to assume that most of our readers owns this little gaming device or know someone that do. I myself owns two of the Nintendo DS Lite, and a bunch of older generations of Gameboys to boot. Having a 6 years old son, gives me a lot of excuse for owning several of these. Okay, let me get this straight, for one thing, I said I own two of the Nintendo DS Lite, but I actually should’ve said one is R.I.P. (Resting In Pieces), and another one which is about a month old, and fortunately is still in one piece.

With that in mind, I have to find a good case for the current one that I have. I want to make sure its fate wont be the same as the first one, or at least to in one piece longer that a couple of months. Sure, I can go the store, and be flooded with hundreds of choices to pick in order to protect the device. Well, there lies the problem with me with all these cases that promises protection. Somehow, I can’t find something that can give me the protection and also the look that I can fall in love with.

So just when I thought my search will be in vain, Proporta hit me with their latest Alu-Leather Case. Hey, it’s Proporta what can I say, they are one of the best, if not the best when it comes to cases. Long story short, I got the case a couple of weeks ago, and happy to say that it looks gorgeous on the DS. Yeah, gorgeous, but can it prevent my Nintendo DS from turning into scrap plastic?

What you get:

Inside the neatly design box you will find the Alu-Leather Case, with it’s unique Aluminum Screen Saver System. Before I go any further I just want to point out about the box design. I just have to give kudos to Proporta.com for such clean, and very pleasing to look at box. Some might say that the box do not matter, but I personally wont give a second look on a product that the box itself looks like crap. Anyway, that’s that. There’s a Styrofoam inserts in the case to keep it from loosing it’s shape, and protects it from getting crushed during shipping. Oh, and I almost forgot about the special treat that came with the box. It also comes with "Taylors of Harrogate" Spiced Christmas tea. I’m quite positive it’s not something that you should expect every time you order thought. So, if you love tea, go ahead, do some shopping at Proporta.

Proporta Alu-Leather Case with it’s unique Aluminum "screen saver" system. 

The Goods:

When I first saw this particular case on the Proporta.com website I basically fell in love with it, but somehow I was concern on how it fits the Nintendo DS Lite. I’m talking about how the leather would wrap around the corners of the DS to get it securely in the case. If you own a DS, then you know that the when close, the lid will be flushed, thus giving you that very nice snug looking device.

You place your Nintendo DS Lite in the case by inserting the bottom side into a "pocket" that is about an inch high on the controller side, and about half-inch on the button side. The device slides in with a couple of wiggle, and then your device will be securely and tightly set in the pocket. Since this is actually wrapping around just the bottom half of the device, you will have that slight tilt on the lid, and will make it impossible to get the DS Lite neatly shut. I was worried that this might damage the device in some way, but as far as I can tell, it’s really not affecting the device in any way whatsoever. Except for the slight imbalance when the lid is closed, everything works just fine.

 
No more tight lines. As you can see in this picture, with the Nintendo DS Lite snugly in the Alu-Leather case, the lid will not close as tight anymore.

I have to be honest, I was concerned that this would ruin my love for this case. Fast forward to the present, and all of my love remains. What’s not to love?

The cut-out for the styli as seen from the bottom side of the Alu-Leather case. 

Once your Nintendo DS Lite is securely in place, you basically don’t need to pull it out ever. Okay, maybe not ever, but there’s really no reason to, besides to do some dusting/cleaning. Every ports and jacks are accessible with the Nintendo DS Lite in place. Even the stylus is accessible with the device securely in place, which is awesome.

One thing to be concerned is if you have older games that you might want to play on the DS Lite. While there is a cut-out for this particular slot, you can’t pull the tray out without taking the device out of the case. One option if you do play a lot of older DS games is to take out the slot cover, and just let the case cover it. Minor issue, or no issue at all if you don’t have any older games or not planning on using the slot anyway.

 
Every time you open the case and see the trademark "screen saver" from Proporta smiling at you, then you know your device is protected 24/7.

Lets be honest, even with all these good looks wont mean a thing if this case cannot protect my Nintendo DS Lite when the inevitable happens. While it’s true that the Alu-Leather Case wont give you the full-armor protection because of its open design, other cases still can’t match the unique Proporta Aluminum "screen saver" system that only Proporta can offer. With that in mind, you can be confident that Super Mario will be safe in there.

Proporta uses the Secure Magnetic clasp closure, pretty much on all of their cases, and sure enough it’s present on this particular case. What I love about this design, is the fact that it securely keep the case tightly closed, but easy enough to open.

Overall weight increase a bit, but nothing significant that you have to re-new that gym membership you’ve canceled a month after joining. The size increase is also very minimal, and still small enough to throw in you backpack or purse.

One thing great about the Nintendo DS Lite, besides having a great library of games is it’s very simple design. With the Alu-Leather wraps around the device, it just makes it 10 times sexier and the benefit of Alu-Leather protection.

Features:

• Includes the unique Proporta Aluminum “Screen Saver” System
• Cut-aways give access to ports and controls so that you can use your device in the case
• Secure magnetic clasp closure
• Hand made with elegant contrast overstitching
• Vehicle mountable – perfect for GPS and in car audio systems
• Case uses a pouch to hold device securely in place with cutouts to access screen, ports and controls

Final Thoughts:

I have some minor issues as far as not able to take out the cover for slot-2 when the device is in the case, but it’s nothing that would make the device useless. As far as the lid not being tightly shut, it is more of aesthetic and nothing more. The case is so well made, that you know it can only come from someone that know what they’re doing. The leather is always first class and the workmanship are top-notch, just like what I expect from Proporta. If you want your Nintendo DS Lite the protection that it deserves, then you owe it yourself to get it protected by the best. Looks like Proporta got a winner here, again.

FYI:

• Product: Proporta Alu-Leather Case
• Price: $34.95 (Ex. VAT)
• Availability: Available now directly from Proporta.com
• Manufacturer: Proporta.com Ltd.
• Website: www.proporta.com