Being a part of the Joystiq network, we here at DS Fanboy feel humbled every day, to have both incredible readers like yourself, and to be in charge of finding and reporting on all things Nintendo DS. However, when we reported on problems of the hinge sort, we knew we would not be able to command the presence that Papa J does and contact Nintendo for answers, so we left the task of sending an appropriately-titled WTF Nintendo?! email up to them. Nintendo's response reads:
"In the U.S., the reported number of small cosmetic cracks in the plastic hinge of DS Lite systems represents less than 0.02 percent of the total units sold. This cosmetic issue in no way impacts the gameplay or integrity of the DS Lite. Nintendo stands behind the quality of our products and encourages DS Lite owners to contact our Customer Service Department if they are not happy with the functionality of their systems."
Honestly, Nintendo may have fudged up the numbers a bit. That percentile deals with only the reported cases of "hinge crackage" and not the actual ratio of unharmed-to-cracked DS Lites. While I cannot speak for the other bloggers here, my DS is without harm. Whether this is due to how I open it (see: like a book) is unknown, but I do treat it very well. Regardless, we feel that the warranty should cover this issue and collectively wag our finger at Nintendo.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-20-2006 @ 5:50PM
Exo said...
like I have stated on other blogs, untill it was posted on joystiq, I had never heard of this problem. and then within 2 days everyone thinks they have it? thats a load of bs for sure.
thats the internet for you, 2 people find a problem, and then everyone else thinks its a widespread problem
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7-20-2006 @ 6:02PM
Mike said...
I've gotten two DS lites, I returned one because the screen stopped working all the sudden. On both of them the left hinge has seemed kind of loose, no cracks though.
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7-20-2006 @ 6:23PM
BPMΩ said...
Exo, the thing is, most people didn't even NOTICE the crack. And not until the Joystiq/DS Fanboy/Kotaku/etc. posts were made was the problem widely known. After these posts were made, everyone decided to check their DS Lites for them. Some were like "Wow, I never noticed that before!" and others were like "Nope, my DS Lite is fine."
From the sounds of it, it is probably a manufacturing problem of the DS Lites (and not just American DS Lites; I've read some importers have the hinge crack as well). So it most likely is more widespread than how many people have reported. Afterall, how many of the DS userbase vists Joystiq/DS Fanboy/etc.? Probably less than 0.02%.
Also, Kotaku reports that it seems as though Nintendo has now decided they will repair the crack free of charge now:
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/nintendo-capitulates-offers-free-repairs-for-cracked-ds-lites-188778.php
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7-20-2006 @ 7:07PM
Free DS Lite said...
Why don't you guys or Joystiq post a poll (making sure to include an "I don't have a DS Lite" option if you do)?
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7-20-2006 @ 7:24PM
Whim said...
This is worse than they think. I didn't know mine was cracked until I saw the story here. I'd bet there are many DS owners out there that arn't aware of the problem or that they have it. I don't know of any kids who read tech blogs.
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7-20-2006 @ 7:56PM
mike said...
thats like exactly what they told me, hears what they really said.
"Hello,
I appreciate your contacting Nintendo regarding reports of cracks in the hinge of the DS Lite. Contrary to what's being reported by various online fansites, in the U.S. the reported number of small cosmetic cracks in the plastic hinge of DS Lite systems represents less than 0.02 percent of the total units sold. This cosmetic issue in no way impacts the gameplay or integrity of the DS Lite.
Having said that, Nintendo stands behind the quality of its products. We encourage DS Lite owners to contact our Customer Service Department if they are not happy with the functionality of their systems. Representatives are available by calling 1-800-255-3700 any time between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time, seven days a week.
Sincerely,
Nintendo of America Inc."
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7-20-2006 @ 8:17PM
DuuhMojo said...
Well after seeing all the posting about the crack hinge I checked mine and low and behold it was cracked! I would of noticed it sooner or later but glad I checked when I did. My DS Lite was still under the 3 month store policy where I bought it so I returned it with no hassles and got a new one. So far no new crack and I am keeping a eye on it. If this one cracks then I'll live with it as it is cosmetic only.
Cheers
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7-20-2006 @ 11:06PM
Nmaster said...
Let's be realistic for a minute people. You want them to replace a 130 dollar piece of quality hardware because there's a weak spot that's easy to crack which is hardly noticable and has no impact whatsoever on the functionality of the machine? I'm usually the one ranting about stuff like this, but this is so minor that it's ridiculous to expect compensation for something so small.
If it comes cracked out of the box, that's one thing. But considering it doesn't affect gameplay at all, this whole mess is vastly blown out of proportion.
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7-21-2006 @ 1:00AM
Katotetu said...
My ds lite is fine so far...
It's really not that big of a problem.
I'll probably be something like "oh no! my baby!" for 3 seconds then I'll be fine.
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7-21-2006 @ 10:36AM
CrazyJeff said...
I don't see why it would be a big deal, so it's got a crack? I don't expect mine to stay in perfect condition forever, unless I bought it to NOT play it(which of course I didn't do it for that reason). It can be annoying, yes. My regular DS had a few spots where the plastic chipped off due to a few unfortunate spills, but it's bound to happen anyways, it's not like the system stopped working after one fall. As long as I can play unhindered, then that's what I'll do, I didn't buy my DS so that it can look perfectly good and place it as a trophy, I just want it to play games.
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7-21-2006 @ 2:14PM
Clark said...
Yeah, I read this story and didn't think much of it.
"Poor suckers" i thought to myself.
Then I took my DS Lite to a friends house and he noticed it. I was shocked! It's in the same place and is pretty much the same shape as the one in the picture above
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8-01-2007 @ 12:57AM
big E said...
unless a two cracks form and a chunk of the hinge falls off you should be fine...
it happened to my phat:(
i live with my younger cousins...
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