LAPTOP SKINS

APPLE MAC MINI SKINS

GAMEBOY ADVANCE SKINS

GAMECUBE SKINS & WRAPS

iPOD 3G SKINS & WRAPS

iPOD 4G SKINS & WRAPS

iPOD MINI SKINS & WRAPS

iPOD NANO SKINS

iPOD 2G NANO SKINS

iPOD SHUFFLE SKINS

iPOD VIDEO (5G) SKINS

SILICONE CASES

NINTENDO DS SKINS

NINTENDO DS LITE SKINS

NINTENDO Wii SKINS

PLAYSTATION 2 SKINS

PLAYSTATION 3 SKINS

SONY PSP FACEPLATES

SONY PSP SKINS

XBOX SKINS & WRAPS

XBOX 360 SKINS

ZUNE SKINS

PHONE COVERS

ACCESSORIES

The Nintendo DS is one of the easiest skins to apply, as all of the pieces are distinct to cover a specific area. Before starting, visually inspect your skin to familiarize yourself with the pieces so you know which goes where. Clean the DS with a clean lint-free cotton cloth and water or ammonia-free glass cleaner by putting a small amount of cleaner on the cloth then wiping down the DS. Once the unit is dry and free of any contaminants or dust, you're ready to start. The exact order of the installation is personal preference. One by one, peel the skin pieces from the backing paper and apply them to the DS. When applying the larger pieces (the area around the screen or the top of the unit), it's helpful to start in the center then work your way outwards towards the edges. If you selected a printed skin that uses the patented removable adhesive, remember that you can always peel it back and reapply it if needed. The pieces that go by the thumb-pad and buttons should have even spacing around those controls when applied properly. Take your time when installing those as they're the most difficult pieces. Your new DS skin can be cleaned with a wet cloth at any time and is unaffected by most cleaners.

SEXY SKINZ

Only the best cast vinyl materials are used for our skins. Look at our full-color skins - not only are they rated to last 5+ years outdoors, but they're covered with a high-end clear protectant layer, making them impervious to sweat, abrasion and damn near anything else you can throw at them! Overkill? Maybe, but we?ll stand behind them and guarantee them for the life of your console! A straight-forward and honest guide to understanding our process and philosophy behind skinning your favorite game console or MP3 player.

What exactly are "skins"?

They're adhesive-backed vinyl pieces pre-cut to fit your game console. While there are some products on the market for the iPod and GameBoy that are made of hard plastic or rubber, most of the time when you're discussing skins, you're talking about flexible adhesive-backed vinyl. That said, not all skins are the same. If they're all vinyl, what's the difference? You've got to understand that with vinyl films, there are basic two types of material. The vinyl itself can be made using one of two methods: "cast" or "calendared." Calendared vinyl is fairly inexpensive and is meant mostly for short-term applications on signs. It has a moderately glossy finish, but can have some problems with fading and color inconsistencies and is prone to shrinking over time, especially when exposed to heat (like your game console puts off). It's also less pliable and doesn't conform as well to compound curves. Cast vinyl costs roughly 2.5 times as much as calendared vinyl, but is notably higher quality. Cast vinyls have a much higher gloss point (frequently as shiny as automotive paint), don't discolor and won't shrink over time. They conform easily to just about any curve and last 7-9 years.

Isn't that overkill for a game console?

Not really. We want your skin to look the same years from now, so we use the cast materials almost exclusively. While our profit margins are less than someone using the cheaper materials, we're focused more on the long-term relationship with our customers. What about your printed skins? They're our specialty! The same principle applies... if you were to look at a catalog of raw materials, the goods we use are one of the most expensive available. The printed skins use cast vinyl with a special patented adhesive that allows you to remove and reapply the skin. You can tell just by looking at the grey textured pattern on the underside of the skin that there's something different. This technology allows air bubbles and wrinkles to simply be pushed down and out, making application a breeze. It's also more forgiving on people who might make errors during the installation process, as it can be removed and applied again. The skin can be removed and reapplied as desired and will never leave any nasty goo on your console. There's no need to use water or application fluid - just apply and you're ready to go.

What's the "Battle Armor" thing about?

Once the skins are printed, we take an extra step and apply a super-glossy clear covering over the print. This increases the overall strength of the skin, makes it impossible to smudge or smear the design, and because of the nature of our production process, ensures that the color will remain bright and vibrant for over 5 years. We did evaluate cheaper laminates and coatings, but they were either too thick, not shiny enough or the finish just wasn't of a high enough quality. Shouldn't your skins be thicker? No... as we explained above, with vinyl products thicker means cheaper materials and more headaches. The total thickness of a completed printed skin (with Battle Armor coating) is around 6-7 mil. While we'd love to use thick stuff that costs a fraction of what our materials do, we're concerned about fitment and longevity. The goal is for the completed product to cover the most possible area, not interefere with the operation of the device and still maintain compatibility with most third-party accessories. Look at how our Xbox 360 faceplate skins are able to easily conform to the recessed area around the power button - that's why premium quality cast material is the only way we'll do it. Our skins have to be high-gloss, vibrant and look like they were airbushed on the console - that's our standard. If we went thick, we run the risk of looking bulky and tacked on. After thorough testing, we found that when we got too much over 6mil in thickness, the GBASP/DS inner skins could prevent the unit from closing all the way. Also, thicker skins don't wrap around compound curves (ie, around the corners of the Xbox or edges of the iPod/PSP. In order to offer maximum coverage and proper fitment, we're obligated to continue using the high-dollar premium materials you've come to expect to see in our products.

How do they compare to others skins on the market?

The reaction we've seen and heard has always been overwhelmingly positive; the consensus seems to be that we produce an extremely high quality product. We've manufactured OEM products for Sony and other companies - the same attention to quality and detail that led them to choose us is evident in every product we sell to the general public. We don't pay much attention to other companies, as we prefer to focus on our business, our customers and expanding our product line. Our belief is that like any other industry, there's ample room in the market for multiple companies. We serve the higher-end, demanding customer who wants maximum coverage, visual impact, longevity and precise fitment.

Who originated the concept of skinning?

We're not sure, to be honest. As near as we can tell, it's none of the current players in the marketplace. We've found records of a now defunct site selling them back in 2002, at least several months ahead of any of the current sites. Each company tends to push the envelope and come up with some original ideas that others the adopt. For example, we were the first to offer the thumbpad piece on the Xbox S controller skins, a GameCube controller skin, the printed Xbox Jewel Skins, skins for the redesigned PS2, skins for the iPod and skins for the Nintendo DS. Now, those pieces are fairly common to find... it's the nature of any industry. The same goes for some of the the designs we premiered (the Storm/Apocalypse series, the Camo series, etc).