Nintendo DS Lite cracks on hinge

85 Comments by Blake Snow Jul 17th 2006 11:00AM
Filed under: Nintendo DS

Reports of cracked hinges on DS Lites are coming in from various sites, including our own, and Nintendo doesn't appear to be eating the cost to fix the first incidents. MaxConsole writes: "The amount of people who have come forward to display and tell the community that the DS Lite hinge is cracked has been growing by the hours. We now have four pictures submitted by different DS Lite owners of the left hinge cracking and at least eight confirming the problem."

We're not sure if this is just an isolated issue, but one gamer who says he treated his now cracked DS Lite like a new born baby was told by Nintendo that the warranty doesn't cover the crack, and it will cost $50 (nearly 40% of the system's purchase price) to fix. Any Joystiqers having issues with cracked DS Lite hinges?

[Thanks to all that sent this in]

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

Jordan: Jul 17th 2006; 11:08AM

yeah i just noticed that too my ds lite is cracked exactly like that i think nintendo should fix this problem

Tush: Jul 17th 2006; 11:12AM

Gotta get some popcorn to watch the fight!

Xbox/Sony fanboys attack!!

Comtar: Jul 17th 2006; 11:16AM

What a coincidence, I just noticed this same crack today. Not joking.

Michael: Jul 17th 2006; 11:16AM

Wow, I have a DS lite too and when you shown that picture I figured I'd have a look.

I never noticed it before till now but yeah it is 'cracked', mine's weird though it looks like it was intentional, the line of the 'crack' is perfectly curved and looks in no way like it cracked.

epobirs: Jul 17th 2006; 11:17AM

By this time next week commenters will be claiming that at least 50% of DS Lite units develop the crack within the first 24 hours of use and that a major portion of the high sales numbers are attributable to replacements.

leojsoap: Jul 17th 2006; 11:17AM

Aww, I just scored one of these in an auction for $90, wish I knew about this before then, ah well, at least I'll know to be careful.

Ben Roe: Jul 17th 2006; 11:22AM

No cracks here, but the DS Lite hinge does feel quite flimsy compared to the original. I don't think that the plastic is actually holding the top part in place, though, so it should just be a cosmetic problem.

Lee Babin: Jul 17th 2006; 11:23AM

I will definitely comfirm this. I too treat my DS Lite with the utmost care and, after reading the story yesterday, found that my brand new DS Lite is also sporting the crack. It's a hairline crack, but a crack none the less. I wonder if Nintendo will do anything about this? It doesn't seem to be causing any problems with my system but it sure doesn't look very pleasant...

Paul: Jul 17th 2006; 11:23AM

Mine cracked a few days after purchasing.... glad to hear it isn't my own carelessness.

Doesn't seem to affect functionality.

Michael: Jul 17th 2006; 11:23AM

http://www.phwonline.com/images/ds-crack-.jpg

There's my crappy camera quality one.

nimby: Jul 17th 2006; 11:23AM

This happened on my old style DS as well. Not really sure what caused it, but there it was one day.
My fiancee's is fine and she blames it on me for opening the lid so that its flat with the bottom half. (She keeps hers one "click" away and swears that's why hers is OK)

TonyBlair: Jul 17th 2006; 11:26AM

And this is why you now feel dumb for not purchasing the extended service plan from Best Buy, Circuit City, or Toys R Us. XD

VaultedCeilings: Jul 17th 2006; 11:28AM

I'm not sure I get the seriousness of this problem? We have a confirmed 6-8 people along with ~ 5 photos of a crack that doesn't seem to do anything? And most of the people confirming this didn't even realize it was there until prompted? I have a DS lite and checked it just now, no crack for me, if I did see a crack I would A) try to live with it, and if that wasn't possible I would have Nintendo replace it. (A little aside, Nintendo will definitely replace it for free if you just pester them enough)

Michael: Jul 17th 2006; 11:32AM

VaultedCeilings, I'm one with a crack and I'm unphased by it, it's too much trouble to send it back just to get a new uncracked one.

I value my ds lite and I never noticed it till now so it's not going to bother me in anyway, I'm assuming everyone else feels that way, maybe from the exception of perfectionists.

Probot: Jul 17th 2006; 11:34AM

If it doesn't affect gameplay, I wouldn't worry at all about it. There doesn't seem much reason for Nintendo to replace something for free because it has a small crack in a barely noticable spot.

From MaxConsole page:
"When I let friends play my DS lite, no one noticed crack.. But I still know its there."

Btw, I think that $50 charge is for repairs is standard no matter what the damage. Take this example of major damage to the DSL, repaired by Nintendo for $50:

http://www.dsfanboy.com/2006/07/17/dogs-love-the-taste-of-ds-lite/

I'm pretty sure it was only defective systems that were replaced for free.

Joe: Jul 17th 2006; 11:39AM

Got mine release date (June 11), I've got the same crack. I bought the missus one just before we went on our Honeymoon (June 25th or so), hers is sans crack. We both baby our DS Lites. The only difference is that I do occasionally play mine 'flat' with the screen open all the way, she's always one click shy (just like someone above mentioned). Maybe that's the rub?

I'm not worried about it. It still works just fine, the hinge appears to be just as firm as before, so it's just cosmetic at this point. Hell, if the thing can take the abuse you bloggers have shown (Dog toy anyone?) and still work, I'm not going to sweat this crack (that is, until the top screen starts to flap around like a lady of the night). *shrug*

Jeff: Jul 17th 2006; 11:41AM

Between my girlfriends, my fathers and my dslite unit we are all okay.

Is this really a problem, or just another case of a couple people makeing a big deal on the internet?

To that end, does this crack effect the system in any way other then asthetics?

Bender: Jul 17th 2006; 11:42AM

Yeah mine's cracked. I haven't taken it back to the shop yet, might do that in the next few days. I'd like to get it replaced but I have no real problem with it until it gets in the way...

azesino: Jul 17th 2006; 11:42AM

My DS cracked ...... I called nintendo, and I was slapped was with a $50 charge to fix it, I tried every strategy on the book, even treatened with legal actions and they still didn't wanted to change it, I guess they are really confident on the super legal team they have in case a class action lawsuit arise.

Skyler Jermyn: Jul 17th 2006; 11:42AM

I did indeed get this crack on my ds lite. I thought it was just me.

pat kinne: Jul 17th 2006; 11:45AM

same here :(

K2Valor: Jul 17th 2006; 11:50AM

Mine is cracked. I hope they will fix the issue because I treat mine like a child, as the other user. I just noticed it the other day. I have never dropped my DS.

J B Cougar: Jul 17th 2006; 11:51AM

This is kind of like the "bird flu epidemic," in that, worldwide, there have been like 200 cases of bird flu in the past FIVE years. And yet, the media reports this as if we are all going to catch it tomorrow. 200 people worldwide, half of which were people actively handling chicken carcasses does not an epidemic make. Same thing with this, and even so, so far this has had no effect on gameplay, correct?

skullivan: Jul 17th 2006; 11:56AM

Wow, I really thought a big part of the redesign and discontinuation of the DS Fat was because of the hinge flaw. I manage a Gamestop and you wouldn't believe the number of DS's that came in with the hinge broken in the exact same spot (always the R button side hinge).

Nintendo's products are usually the most durable and reliable, I hope the Lite doesn't continue the flaws the original had.

Probot: Jul 17th 2006; 11:57AM

J B Cougar

Yeah, or like Mad Cow disease, or does anyone remember the Killer Bees from a few years back.

However, you have to give Joystiq a bit of credit here. I'm sure a lot of people sent this tip in. I did. And if they didn't report it, people (people with nothing better to do than find flaws like this) will come up with "You didn't report the massive defects in the DS Lite because you're all pro-Nintendo."

azesino,

If your system is defective, they'll replace it for free. But if your system suffers from normal wear and tear, they will have to charge you.

thaibruin: Jul 17th 2006; 11:58AM

My DS Also has the crack. always opened with care, always kept in a case. I don't think the crack really affects the unit too much though.... but I'm definitely not going to spend $40-$50 to fix it. Oh yea, I've had it since it was released, and I just noticed the crack recently.

Josh: Jul 17th 2006; 11:59AM

I just checked my DS Lite -- no crack. Also, I play the system one click away from being flat (as it's supposed to be), so that may be the reason why mine is not cracked.

Or maybe you all mishandle your systems! :D

jardmonkey: Jul 17th 2006; 12:01PM

DAMN-- checked mine after reading this and yes-- it's very tiny and hairline -- but on the left as well.

quite possibly a fault in the manufacturing process.
not going to do anything about mine unless it gets bigger though-- i have a PRP from best buy- dont want to waste it since it doesnt mess with functionality-- also i dont open mine all the way- i play one click away from fully open as well.

Aran: Jul 17th 2006; 12:01PM

Everything ok here, no crack. ^^

@ 19: Nice post, very true.

William V, Lupo: Jul 17th 2006; 12:02PM

I too have the crack on the hinge, I got it on June 11th and I baby mine as well. When not in use I always keep it in an airform case. I really hope Nintendo does the right thing here for the people that paid ,at least, $130 for a new DS.

Aran: Jul 17th 2006; 12:03PM

Duh, I meant J B Cougar's post which seems to be number 20...

LunarDuality: Jul 17th 2006; 12:06PM

Maybe you're not supposed to treat your DS like a Child...I treat my DS like a drug addicted hooker. Maybe that's why there's no crack in mine. It used up all the crack it could find.

blkmasta: Jul 17th 2006; 12:08PM

I have actually (accidentally) kicked my Lite across rough cobbled ground on its screen, and it is barely damaged. Does this problem only affect the US or have fellow UK gamers experienced this? Maybe THAS why we got it almost 2 weeks later :).

carlos: Jul 17th 2006; 12:08PM

hey guys i treat mine like someones life and it still has a crack wtf nintendo i hope something like this doesnt happen on the wii 360FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LunarDuality: Jul 17th 2006; 12:10PM

On a more serious note though, I'm sure a lot of people are gonna look at the molding seam on that part of the hinge and complain that their DS is cracked too. Make sure you're actually seeing a crack and not just the seam where the plastic was mated together...

Oh, and I guess there is mounting evidence that playing the DS "flat" style could be the cause of all this hulabaloo. (Or even if you don't play it that way, but have opened it up like that once or twice.)

Optimus: Jul 17th 2006; 12:12PM

You can open the DS Lite so both screens are lined up in parallel? This I did not know. It feels as if it would break if I forced the top screen further down. This may be why my Lite doesn't sport the crack.

Sinergy: Jul 17th 2006; 12:16PM

LunarDuality That was awesome :p

J B Cougar: Jul 17th 2006; 12:20PM

Probot, I'm a journalist by trade, so I understand completely the importance of reporting things freely. I'm glad Joystiq (and others) have reported this. However, we should all be mindful of keeping things in context. The tally is 5 people so far, roughly? Let's not turn this into another "my 360 eats DVDs!" media event.

Luke Cashmore: Jul 17th 2006; 12:24PM

damn. me too. i have the photos. its tiny. but god it annoys

J B Cougar: Jul 17th 2006; 12:25PM

I played my DS Lite "flat style" once ... she didn't talk to me for a week.

Nicko: Jul 17th 2006; 12:28PM

NOOOO!! My Lite has a hair line fracture in the same area. My crazy however, is forming in a slightly different area than the one in the picture above. I think I am going to apply some super glue right over the crack before it gets worse.

Nolan Benbrook: Jul 17th 2006; 12:29PM

carlos your definatly a Microsoft fanboy, go away

Skippy: Jul 17th 2006; 12:32PM

I also have the same type of crack. I keep my DS in a Nintendo brand case when not in use. I have rarely opened the screen to the flat position. I will begin every sentence with "I". I am done.

carlos: Jul 17th 2006; 12:38PM

so wat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Slee: Jul 17th 2006; 12:40PM

Damn you Joystiq, I was moving along in life happy and content, and then i see this article, check my DS lite, and of course i have the crack. Hmmm....$2 for superglue, or $50 and 2 weeks without my DS Lite...decisions, decsions.

VGM: Jul 17th 2006; 12:50PM

No crack on my lite.

Probot: Jul 17th 2006; 12:53PM

#34 J B Cougar,

I agree. However, Joystiq seems to think this insignificant peice of plastic is worth two posts, so I don't know how much slack I can give them about this anymore.

Vance: Jul 17th 2006; 12:54PM

Yup, I had a crack on my DS Lite (same spot as in the picture posted - odd) and I was able to trade it in for a new one at Circuit City. So far, the new one doesn't have cracks... I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it won't develop any new cracks.

All Your Lost Socks: Jul 17th 2006; 1:03PM

o.O Mine doesn't have this problem. I have kept it in an intec metal case since the day I took it out of its foam sleeve, and have never seen a crack on it. I can see the seam in the plastic, but it doesn't even look like that's where the crack develops (which doesn't make any logical sense). I have only opened it flat a couple of times on accident and never played it that way.
Sucks to be them, I say, they should have gotten the replacement and service plan that just about every major retailer offers. I know I did. Never underestimate the power of warranties, because without them, the answer is often simply "Well, you're f***ed."

Disco D: Jul 17th 2006; 1:05PM

I just checked my DS... mines ALL clean!
And I got mine on release day as well. (yes and I play it a ton too).
I agree with above said comments, most people are probably just seeing the hairline seam where plastic meets plastic.

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