Clear Shells Are Finally Arriving For The 3DS Thanks To KLRR

We love clear shells here at Dodo; I maintain that the late 90s/early 00s trend of having clear-cased tech like the iMacs, Game Boys, and N64s was the pinnacle of technology, and seeing the innards of my tech makes me feel like Dr Neo Cortex at his workbench.

The retro gaming community has been asking for clear cases for the 3DS for years now, and when the big companies don't deliver, it's up to retro gaming enthusiasts and smaller tech brands to band together to make our dreams happen.

Raretro Consoles and KendyLabs have teamed up to do just that, creating a new company called KLRR. According to our friends over at Time Extension, both companies are heralding their new shells as a world first, and the 'first functional, publicly available clear shell kits for the Nintendo 3DS line', serving the 3DS XL and the New 3DS.

In an official press release, the team at KLRR have stated that while there have been transparent shells for other Nintendo handhelds over the years, the 3DS has been missed out. That's largely due to its hinge design and the assembly it requires to change the casing as well as the internal gubbins.

KLRR have showcased their kits for both the New 3DS and the 3DS XL, reassuring customers that they are durable and reliable. The whole venture has been self-funded, including the entire testing and design revision periods, making this a true passion project by people who believe in it.

I want to make it clear, however, that this won't be something that you'll be able to just simply stick on. The KLRR team say that "Nintendo 3DS XL and New Nintendo 3DS shell swaps require careful disassembly, ribbon cable handling, hinge work, screen removal, and reassembly,' meaning that this isn't something that beginners to modding would be advised to tackle.

So how much will they set you back? Well, the team have stated that the 3DS XL shell could cost around $100, while the New 3DS shell could RRP for around $170. You can find out more from the KLRR website!