I agree that they did. On that post, they made a mention in the comments that the teardown was not intended to be a disassembly. Unfortunately, I broke my first one following that, too. This is what prompted me to post these pictures when my kids decided to be rough on their DS’s again.

Hopefully you can find replacement parts like I did!

I rearranged the steps to hopefully alleviate the confusion. I recommend taking the top backing plate off first before removing the top screen from the device. Whether you do that first or remove the entire top screen first, the guide is still complete in its entirety.

Hopefully this helps!

The top case was already removed. It does not need to be removed to perform this specific step. Please read through the steps that follow, and the steps will make more sense. My case was already apart and I was documenting the steps in order for everyone else, although mine was already disassembled since it did not exist here yet.

I apologize for any confusion this has caused.

Hopefully I can assist you. Where are you getting stuck? The barrel on the left hinge is a bit difficult to remove. I opened and closed the hinge a few times with the left hinge up off the desk. While doing this, I watched for the edge of the barrel to poke out so I could grab it with angled tweezers. That was the hardest part of removing the top half for me personally, but it is almost exactly like the DSi XL, and I have disassembled many of those already. My kids are NOT gentle with electronics.

After getting the barrel out on the left hinge, coil up the ribbon cable around the wifi antenna and slide it through the right side of the hollow hinge.

The hinge only has one component holding it together from coming apart. It is on the left hi he as you look at it like you're playing. The hinge component is a small barrel that resides inside the hinge. You have to open and close it while it is on its right side and try to grab with a pair of tweezers onto the edge of the barrel.

I wiggled the top screen and with a pair of tweezers, grabbed the barrel that comes out of the left hinge. There might be an easier way, but the home is essentially the same on DSi XL's and these, and I have done them both the same way many times.

Sometimes it helps to stand it up on its right side and open and close the hinge to wiggle it out

I broke my case by following the teardown video. Please don’t be like me. I wanted to get this out so that other readers here are prepared to fix their top screen or some potential power-on issues (turns on and immediately shuts off) like I have.