Nyko Charger Grip Lite for Nintendo DS Review

The Nyko Charger Grip lite is a big lump of molded plastic that contains a NiMH battery (the same kind used in your Nintendo DS).  The grip is shaped to fit your NIntendo DS Lite (sorry, the classic DS will not fit), and a foam pad makes a non-slip seal between the grip and your handheld.  The pad even has a notch that fits into a screwhole on the bottom of your DS.  The grip is also shaped to maintain easy access to the power button, volume control and headphone jack.  The back of the unit has an on/off switch that allows access to the external battery, and is positioned in such a way so that it cannot be accidentally flipped.

To provide even more “kung-fu grip”, the console is locked into place with a fake stylus, which is attached to the grip’s base.  When you mount your DS to this grip, you slide in a plastic tube into the stylus port, which locks the two together.  Nyko provides an additional stylus port to replace the one taken up by the lock.

The top part of the grip provides an extra point of snugness, which is what also provides the extra battery power.  The telescoping head raises up, allowing you to insert your DS into the grip, and then you move the head down, plugging into the DS’s charge port.  On the reverse side of the head is a female charge port, so you can still use your Nintendo DS’s AC adapter to charge both the grip’s battery, in addition to the handheld’s internal battery.

Depending on your style of play, you must hold the DS in different ways.  For arcade games that don’t require use of the stylus, you can hold the console with both hands, placing your index fingers on the top bumper buttons.  In this respect, the DS isn’t as comfortable to hold as the Sony PSP, which feels a bit more like a real arcade controller.  If you play stylus-based games heavily, then you hold the DS like a pen and small notepad, but its non-ergonomic shape puts more stress on the fingertips of your supporting hand.

In both of these styles of holding your DS, the Nyko Charger Grip Lite makes the Nintendo DS much more comfortable to hold.  The design fits your hand much better, as our thumbs rested on the D-pad and buttons, our index fingers on the bumper buttons more comfortably,  and the rest of our fingers fit around the controller in a natural way.  The unit is also much easier to use with a stylus, as the extra grip lets you easily hold the system with one hand, without the need to rest on your lap or desk to maintain balance.

The extra bulk makes the unit a little less portable, but it’s not like you’re sticking your DS in your pants pocket, anyway.  Most people put it in their backpack or jacket pocket, and you can still do that with this grip.  Using the grip adds about an extra 1/4 inch on both sides, and about 3/4 of an inch in depth.