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Review on ๐ŸŽฎ dreamGEAR 20-in-1 Essential Kit for Nintendo 3DS XL (Old model) - Black by Bill Howard

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Great set but some issues

With so many items in this set I can't decide if I like everything or not in general. There are some components that I really like, but some of them let me down. The best way to write this review is to go through each and every part. For those who don't want to read everything I will say that there are more great parts and if there are at least 2 things in the package that you need then I would highly recommend this kit. Please note that I am using this kit for less than a week at the moment. Carry Case - I'm a bit disappointed with this as it doesn't seem to have enough room for everything I want to put in there. (without worrying about crushing or damaging anything), and the items I put in the case's power pack rarely stay there when I open it again. The case looks great and feels like it's stiff enough to offer some protection without feeling like it's going to pop open accidentally. The way I use it now, it's just a case for my accessories, NOT to store my 3DS XL, and I only care about moving things, opening it slowly and carefully so nothing falls out. I would also suggest using a 3DS storage case and getting a few games (in cases) online, but no more. They work as they should and make me glad I have something to store games I borrowed from a friend as he didn't have a game bag. I had a little trouble with the first one, but it was just a matter of getting the game right to fit the body. Inside there are ledges that allow you to place the game only one way. My only complaint is that I don't have a few more of them. SD card reader. This was the topic I was looking for and it led me to this topic. I was able to connect it to my computer and copy files from my old card that was in my 3DS (I was able to copy directly from the card at around 20MB/s using a USB 2.0 extension cable and a USB 2.0 port on my computer ). . I then popped in a new 32GB SDHC card I bought for my 3DS and copied everything from the old to the new with no problem (I was able to copy everything to the copy card). I was glad there was enough room in the reader for an SD card, but I put on the back cover anyway, which came in handy as I had nowhere to put my old card. Headphones - I was surprised at how good they are. I don't like in-ears for various reasons and prefer in-ear headphones (although my wife usually feels ignored because I can't hear her sometimes). However great/quality they look, the headphones are shaped to stay in my ears and I can still hear my wife trying to tell me something, where can I pause, turn down the volume, take out an earbud so I can hear my wife or any of the above clearly. My only complaint so far is that the cords for one of the headphones are initially tied too tightly together for the cord to not cling to my chin, but I've found that all headphones are wired that way. You can safely and easily disconnect the wires as there is a fixed point so you cannot cross that point. Seems pretty standard to me. USB Car Charger - I can't comment on that as I don't usually charge anything in the car and my wife drives. I gave it to her to use as it only offers a USB port to plug in her phone's charging cable. She seems to like it, and while she probably won't buy it, she's happy to have it when she needs an extra port. I think I will only use it when we are on a long trip and my phone needs to be charged. a charging cable that plugs directly into the outlet that came with my system. I only have a few outlets that I can easily access at home and most places I go don't have many, so I felt limited in being able to play on my 3DS without worry. Now that I have this I have so many options as I have LOTS of open USB ports to use, I have wall mount adapters if needed and I even have a few boxes of groceries that I usually carry with me. me in case I go somewhere and can't find another way to charge my system. Large stylus - I really like this stylus because it fits my relatively large hands and is easier for me to use. The tip is clear and looked odd to me at first, but it's rounded so it doesn't seem to scratch my screen as much as the stylus that came with my system. For me this is the size and weight of a decent inexpensive ink/gel pen (a bit heavier than a basic Bic pen but not by much) that works great for me. Precision Stylus - I really like this stylus compared to my old stylus and am very happy that it fits in my system's slot. I keep this stylus on my system, so if I ever find myself in a situation where I can't use a large stylus, I can use this one. The tip appears to be exactly the same as the large stylus in this set. Audio Splitter - I haven't used this item very much, but I really like it. I've used it with my phone, PC and Xbox in addition to the 3DS with a few different headphones and earbuds. I've been using a headset when chatting in online gaming, but haven't verified that I can use two headsets so both can talk. I really NEVER had to do this, and I really don't see a need for it in the future, so I don't mind. If there was a difference in the quality of my voice given to other people, they never mentioned it, so I have to assume it didn't change anything drastically. Don't say I won't use them. I think the only reason I don't like them is the shape of the slider to tighten the strap. It works and is useful (although I really only need one of these), I just think I'm "spoiled" by the slider on my Roku controller's strap. This is the type that "snaps" in place, requiring you to lift a small flap to allow it to be moved. To me this seems safer and the slider doesn't move when I don't want it to. Carry All Tote Bag - Really dislike this item. It works and can easily be used as a tote bag, only my issue with that is the fabric used. It feels a bit "scratchy" to me and every time I touch it feels like it's grabbing my nails/fingertips. I will say I have rough fingertips (not exactly calloused but still rough) and it feels like the bag is treating them like velcro. The only time I've used it is to see how much space it has, which is basically just enough to fit the carry case from this kit. I just don't like it and refuse to use it for anything. Screen Protectors - I was very happy to see that there were two SETS of screen protectors and I was very lucky. The screen protector I used on the top screen of the 3DS felt too big for me so it took me a few tries to get it not to protrude on both sides. The bottom screen gave me the biggest problem and even caused problems with my system. I thought I screwed up the system myself by doing something wrong with the data transfer to the SD card as I didn't check anything until I did everything including installing a new SD card. It turned out that there were a few tiny specks of dust (most likely due to the fact that I had to apply it 4 times before it fitted properly) that led the system to believe the touchpad was being used when it wasn't . After I removed that screen protector, threw it away, rinsed the screen thoroughly again, and put on the second bottom screen protector from the kit, everything worked fine. Despite the issues I've had with them and there wasn't a little card to remove air bubbles, I was amazed at how amazing they look. When the screen protectors were put on they just seemed to disappear/dissolve into the screen and didn't have a lot of air bubbles on them. I think I have a small air bubble that I can't select that doesn't prevent the stylus from working at this point and I can't even see when the system is on so I leave it alone. If I hadn't installed them myself I'd say there weren't any screen protectors because they just look so fresh and amazing. Screen cleaners are some of the weirdest things I've ever seen. There are 3 small pods that look like they could be covered with a microfiber cloth on the underside, but I don't know. I tried using one and it didn't seem to do anything to me. I think if you've been using it for mopping/scrubbing for a while and have NO OTHER option, this might help. The other cleaner is a small microfiber cloth which seems a bit cheap/crude to me, but I also have a few that I always carry that are made specifically for cleaning my glasses, so maybe I just got used to it. I used it to clean screens before putting on my protectors and it did the job perfectly with no issues. So while I still recommend the fabric that comes with this kit, I personally prefer the fabric I have for goggles. Overall this kit is very useful and contains some amazing components. I would recommend buying this kit only for gaming cases, headphones, usb charging cable, big pen and screen protectors. If the carry case had a zipper on the PSU to keep things from falling out, it would be a great piece. The large bag and screen cleaning 'pods' appear to be just the sort of items they just added to bring the bundle up to 20 items, so think you're getting a lot more bang for your buck. Don't let that put you off buying this kit, especially if you're looking for a USB charging cable and screen protectors.

Pros
  • Absolute Legend
Cons
  • Everything is fine