How to Use the Touch Screen on a Nintendo DS

The lower LCD screen on a Nintendo DS is a touch-sensitive screen that can be manipulated with the included stylus. This allows players to interact more directly with their games rather than just pressing the buttons on a keyboard. Your touch screen is your console’s most important feature. Learning to use it properly will maximize your experience with the Nintendo DS. Here are some tips on how to use the touch screen on a Nintendo DS.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Nintendo DS
• Stylus

1. Calibrate your touch screen after switching on your Nintendo DS for the first time. This will train you in the basics of getting around the screen.
2. Wait for the Main Menu to appear. Use the Control Pad to position the cursor over the Settings Menu Panel at the bottom of the screen. Press the "A" button to select it.
3. Use the Control Pad to position the cursor over the orange icon that looks like crosshairs (the rightmost icon). Press the "A" button to select it.
4. Use the stylus to tap the red square that appears on the screen. Tap it each time it appears in different locations on the screen. You’ll know the test is completed when four squares appear along with a message to test the touch screen for sensitivity. Tap “Confirm” in the lower-right hand corner to continue.
5. Wait for the confirmation message to appear. Tap “Quit,” followed by “Yes” to exit. The Nintendo DS will automatically shut down to save the settings.
6. Practice using your stylus on the touch screen by loading a program like PictoChat. This will get you accustomed to the amount of pressure needed to use the touch screen on a Nintendo DS without damaging it.

Tips & Warnings

• If your screen gets dirty, use only slightly dampened soft cleaning cloths (like a lens cleaning cloth) to gently wipe away dust or smudges.
• The console can only measure pressure on one point of the screen at any time. If you press multiple points on the screen at once, the console will usually calculate and register a point in the center of all the points selected.
• Never use your fingers (particularly your fingernails), toothpicks, pens, pencils or any object other than your stylus on your Nintendo DS’s screen. Using anything other than the stylus could seriously damage your screen.
• To prevent denting, scratching or cracking, don’t tap or rub your stylus on your screen too hard.