Reviewed: April 10, 2005
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Manufacturer
Mad Catz

Type: Accessory Kit
System: Nintendo DS

Rating: 8.5

Features

Mad Catz has three accessory kit packages offering extreme protection, mobility, and in the case of the DS Kit Pro, just a well-rounded selection of useful items.

First and foremost, you get the wonderful EVA case, a stylish charcoal gray semi-soft case that fits snugly around your DS. I’ve been looking for a case since the release of the DS and before the DS Kit Pro arrived I was still carrying my DS around in the clear plastic bag it shipped in.

Until now, all of the cases, especially the first-party Nintendo cases were huge. I just want to carry my DS around; not backpack across Europe. All of these cases boasted they were capable of carrying your DS and your GBA or SP but I couldn’t think of any reason why you would want to. The DS plays all those games.

Regardless, the EVA case in the DS Kit Pro is awesome, compact, and even gives me enough space to sneak in a few DS game carts and some ear bud headphones. There is also a handy strap that easily attaches to the case.

My only complaint with the case is that the zipper doesn’t work smoothly and I usually have to finagle it around the corners.

The kit also features a new stylus just in case you lost your original one or perhaps you have large hands and would find the extra half-inch of length more comfortable. The stainless steel construction not only gives this stylus some added weight, it looks awesome and matches the silver of the DS. Of course the obvious problem here is that the stylus is too long to fit in the normal DS stylus slot, and the EVA case doesn’t feature a pocket, so you’ll need to pay extra attention not to lose this.

The DS is a portable gaming system and chances are you’ll end up playing it in a car someday, so Mad Catz has provided a high-quality car adapter with a six-foot cable so you can even play from the back seat. No complaints here – this is a welcome addition to any DS owner’s accessory library.

To round out the package are six plastic cases to store your game cartridges. There are four interlocking cases for your GBA games and 2 cases for the smaller DS carts. The GBA cases are specially designed so you can purchase additional cases and attach them to create a limitless chain of protective cases. My only complaint here is that this is a DS kit so I would have preferred more DS storage than GBA storage. You can fit two DS games in a GBA case so I guess it’s not all that bad.

You always take a chance with these large accessory kits in that you'll might get something you don't want or need, but it's usually a safe bet that you're going to bet a better value than if you went out and bought all these items individually.

With three possible kits to choose from, you might have a hard time finding the one that’s right for you. The DS Kit Pro offers, at least for me, the perfect balance of protection, mobility, and storage, all for the low price of $20 and with the Mad Catz 5-Year Warranty, you couldn’t ask for a more complete or attractive accessory kit.