Is the top screen necessary?

[abdunworth]

I've been watching 3DS's on Ebay and there are some for sale that are cheap, but there are issues with the top screen. The issues include no top screen, cracked screen, or top screen doesn't turn on. So my question is can you install a capture card still and just use a computer as the top screen?

[loopy]

As long as the 3DS turns on and works, it shouldn't be a problem.

[Czar_Yoshi]

Well, yes, you can use your computer as a monitor. But since a capture board is a decently expensive investment, I wouldn't advise putting one in an otherwise broken 3ds if you can avoid it.

Also, be careful if you're trying to, say, play smash on a monitor with high input lag. That's never fun and can be a problem sometimes.