Black gets finger printy and the white I believe suffers stains from skin oils specifically around the A/B/X/Y buttons. I like both though
Get black. The brief period that I had mine last summer, it got all nasty between the DS and the clear plastic, nonremovable shell around the edges. It bothered the hell out of me. When I get a chance to buy another DS lite, I'll be picking up a black one.
Black is the best. Rumours suggest the weak hinge problem was more prone on the white and the black one just looks cooler anyway.
White is more...pureist What't that you say? "post-purchase-justificarion-syndrome?" The black one wasn't available when I got mine
Speaking of which, is there any good way to restore white DS back to their white-then-white state? or it is just soap and water
Pretty much just soap and water I would think. You could try some Isopropyl alcohol, but it might blemish the plastic.
It's ok, removes the stains quite well, but if you use it too much you'll lose the fine-textured finish. I don't bother any more...it's there to be played, not cleaned. But yeah, go for a black one...or hold on a little longer, and import a gloss silver one from Japan
White. If it were black, the idiot sitting across from you on the bus will think it's a PSP and annoy the sh*t out of you about it.