It would appear that a few forum posters are finding they share a common problem with their DS Lites. This problem, which is a very large crack in the top left hinge of the system, appears out of nowhere and from no abuse outside of opening and closing the unit in the way it was intended. Now, not a single one of us here at The Fanboy offices has yet to experience such a horrible circumstance, but what about you fine readers?Could this just be a case of users slamming their DS Lite closed with a little too much force? Or is this a manufacturing error on Nintendo's part? We know the unit can stand up to ridiculous amounts of punishment, so such a small flaw seems to be almost comical, in a sense.
[Update: Left side...left side...]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-17-2006 @ 11:11AM
Jason said...
Im guessing by the picture, you ment to say the upper left hinge. But that can be argued by whichever direction your looking at it. :)
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7-17-2006 @ 11:30AM
Invinciblon said...
Happened to mine. Just the way you described it....and I treat my new gadgets like fine china when I first get them.
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7-17-2006 @ 11:40AM
Mel said...
Same with me. I treat it like gold, and personally i have no idea when the crack happened. I just see it now.
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7-17-2006 @ 11:50AM
Probot said...
"I treat my new gadgets like fine china when I first get them."
Not me. If it can't handle a regular day of being tossed around in my backback or being thrown on the floor after a frustrated gaming session, then I'm not gonna waste my time with it. Luckily, Nintendo has well-built systems. And the DS Lite is no exception. A little peice of plastic breaks in a unoticable spot. Not that big a deal.
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7-17-2006 @ 11:58AM
Silver R. Wolfe said...
@Probot
Until your hinge breaks completely and your top screen goes flopping about in said backpack. It'll probably happen sooner than most with your personal... tendencies...
The cracks are probably being caused with a flaw in the mold for this particular batch of DS lites. Hopefully it gets fixed in the future. Even if the crack isn't hindering gameplay in anyway, there is no excuse for it being there so soon for so many users.
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7-17-2006 @ 12:01PM
cdbeckman said...
My first DS had a dead pixel, I returned it to Walmart, got another one. It's hinge cracked exactly like this, so I took it back to Walmart, and to my suprise, they let me exchange it again. Got home, started up a game, and lo and behold, a dead pixel. I figured what the heck, so I tried to return that one, but apparently your not supposed to return returns. *shrug* Works well enough for me.
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7-17-2006 @ 12:09PM
Adi said...
Me too! But I guess it shouldn't be a major problem, I hope, at least in the near(and distant) future.
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7-17-2006 @ 12:10PM
Marc said...
"This problem, which is a very large crack in the top right hinge of the system,"
Um, that's the left side of the hinge. Notice the L (left) button?
(Gee I thought that was obvious)
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7-17-2006 @ 12:25PM
poo said...
I have two cracks on the plastic piece that is between the hinge and the r button but they are superficial.
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7-17-2006 @ 12:35PM
Probot said...
I don't have a DS Lite, so this is speculative, but as far as I know, the plastic is not the hinge. It is a purely cosmetic cover for the metal hinge inside. Unless you try to break that part, the plastic isn't going to affect anything.
And my original DS is running just fine and I've used it like a normal person for more than a year. Nothing but scuffs and normal wear and tear.
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7-17-2006 @ 12:35PM
Tyler said...
between me and my friends we have gone through about 6 Lites and I have never seen this
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7-17-2006 @ 12:44PM
LongshotX said...
Has anybody's DS Lite has hurt their palms right under the base of the thumb after playing beyond 45 minutes? It seems to me the bottom edges of the DS lite are a bit sharp. As for this problem I have yet to experience it and I hope no has to.
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7-17-2006 @ 1:09PM
Disco D said...
damn, reading all these comments, I feel like I really lucked out with my DS Lite
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7-17-2006 @ 1:14PM
justin said...
mine did it to im sooooo pissed i might by one from somwhere else and do a switch and take it back
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7-17-2006 @ 2:07PM
BlandGrey said...
LongshotX, I've had similiar problems with both Lite and Phat, where the edges cut into my palms... it seems like it would have been pretty easy to round those edges, but not a big problem. Sort of limits how long you should be playing anyways...
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7-17-2006 @ 2:17PM
Superdotman said...
LongshotX: You're holding it wrong. Skip to 1:35 on here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC-3HoPOD9I&mode=related&search=ds%20lite%20review
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7-17-2006 @ 2:18PM
mike said...
Multi-year in store warrantys FTW! I always get a two or three year warranty for any gaming system I buy.
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7-17-2006 @ 4:10PM
fatfree said...
http://dslcracked.awardspace.com/
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7-17-2006 @ 4:24PM
Unidentified creature said...
Mine is not only crack free, but practically scratch free as well, inside and out. I admit, though, that mine rides in a Porsch of a case, and gets babied while playing.
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7-17-2006 @ 4:25PM
fatfree said...
Hey guys, you should send me a photo of yours, and I'll put them up here with the other affect people....
http://dslcracked.awardspace.com/
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