Review: DecalGirl PlayStation 3 Skin Kit

DecalGirl PlayStation 3 System Skin Kit
Manufacturer: DecalGirl
Site: Buy from DecalGirl
Price: $14.99 (system skin only); $4.00 each (controller skin purchased w/system skin); $4.99 each (controller skin only)


Overview : Say what you will about the new Playstation 3 - it sure is glossy black. Like it's little brother the PSP, the PS3 collects dust and fingerprints with a vengeance. Plus, your mega-purchase looks like every other console out there...

Enter the new line of full-color PS3 skins from DecalGirl, with all the features you've come to expect - no fading, no goo or residue, and a washable surface. They're thin enough to conform easily to the curves, yet thick enough to prevent scratching the OEM finish. And, they're right here at our facility in the USA.

Quality/Usability : What does the PlayStation Portable and the Sony PlayStation 3 have in common? No. Not because their made by Sony, have PlayStation in the name or both being black. They're both magnets for fingerprints. We all hate the finger marks that the Sony systems attracts as it looks nasty and horrible.

With the DecalGirl PlayStation 3 Skin Kit, not only will it prevent fingerprints, it will protect your expensive investment from scratches and spice up the looks of your console. DecalGirl is well-known for their high quality vinyl skins. Skins produced by DecalGirl are vibrant in color and durable. There are a lot of skins to choose from and there will be some that will catch your eyes. You can even match all your consoles such as DS, Wii, Xbox 360, etc. to have the same skin.

The PlayStation 3 kit includes a skin for you PlayStation 3 ($14.99) and a skin for your SIXAXIS/Dual Shock 3 controller ($4.00 each). You dont have to get the kit. If you just need controller skins, you can purchase them for $4.99 each (savings of $0.99 each when purchased with system skin).

The system skin comes on one sheet. On this sheet are 3 vinyl skins (top, memory card door, front panel). The controller skin comes also on one sheet. There are multiple pieces for top front of the controller. You can even use the smaller pieces to to cover the buttons if you choose to but its your decision.

To apply the console skin, I simply started by matching the corners of the skin to the corner of the PlayStation 3 for all three sections. Once matched, I did it to the other 2 corners and left the fourth corner alone. Considering the skins are fairly big, it should not be a problem applying the skin. There are a couple of ways to smooth out the skin. You can use a credit card or something similar, your fingers or a rag. I personally use my fingers first to set the skin in place and use a rag to flatten and smooth the skin out. I dont use a card because it has sharp edges/corners and if there is a small hard particle that got trapped underneath the skin, it can ruin the skin.

The controller skin, can be a little tricky especially when it comes left (d-pad/joystick) and right (buttons/joystick) side of the controller. Since the left and right side are circular, I started off the biggest circle (d-pad and buttons). Once I aligned majority of the section around the d-pad and buttons, I started from the other end (joysticks). From here, I can place the skin around the joystick. This will also allow me to adjust the skin if needed. Once applied successfully on both sides, I applied the middle. The middle is fairly easy and I only had to worry about the skin going around the PlayStation Home, SELECT and START buttons. Last but not least was right about the L1 and R1 trigger buttons.

The controller skin also includes d-pad and buttons. Its up to you whether or not you want to apply these or just leave the controller alone.

Although everything fit perfectly, there was a problem. Since the PlayStation 3 has a sensor on the power and eject buttons and the skin covering the sensor, this prevents the buttons from functioning. This may be a major drawback for some. Yes, you can use the controller to turn on and off your system and eject your Blu-Ray disc but you still have to get up to remove the disc from the slot. So while you're up, why not power on/off and eject your system? You're up already. To solve this problem, you can either not apply the skin which wouldnt look right or cut out that section only, leaving a empty hole. Although this works, this may make the skin look ugly.

Conclusion : Overall, the DecalGirl PlayStation 3 Skin Kit looks great just like all other DecalGirl skins. Everything fit perfectly on both the controller and system. But the only drawback was the ability to use the power on/off and eject button. To some it wouldnt matter but to others, it would. DecalGirl would probably be able to fix this by adding a metallic piece under the vinyl or have a cutout of the buttons? This may require additional work and a change in their printing process or template. Then again, with DecalGirl's creativity, they might be able to think of a way.

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