Reader Kirk Winters has a problem. His DS Phat has succumbed to crack. As we previously reported, those of us who were still clinging to our Phats lost the high ground when they began to suffer the slings and arrows of cracked hinges, but we never thought it would come to this. Nintendo, it seems, is not repairing the Phats for free, as they are with the DS Lite.
Ninty, where's the love? We thought we had something special.
Kirk was heartbroken when his DS developed the same crack that raised such a stink with the Lites, but when he called Nintendo, he expected to get the same deal. No dice -- they'll haggle, but it's still not going to be a free ride if you end up in the same boat. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel. At first, Nintendo planned to charge for Lite repair, so maybe if we raise enough stink, we'll get the same treatment for the Phat.
[Thanks for tipping us off, Kirk!]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-11-2006 @ 4:38PM
Artie's Evil Clone said...
These stories are so pointless. Waahhhh i dont know how take care of my stuff and it breaks. Waahhhhhhh Nintendo won't take responsibility for my clumsiness. WAAAAAAHHHHHHHH.
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9-11-2006 @ 4:53PM
DoktorWho said...
when users die in game, get pissed, and decide to violently jerk down thier hands, the top screen will move violently as well and cause the crack, this is entirely user error
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9-11-2006 @ 4:55PM
BillBix said...
No judgement or anything, but what're you guys doing with yours to crack them? I've thrown my across the room, fallen down the stairs, stepped on it, and mine is solid. Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones.
Anywho, I prefer phat to lite. So nintendo should give love to lite's big boned older brother too.
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9-11-2006 @ 5:26PM
OM said...
Is the DS with the crack out of warranty? If it is, why would you expect Nintendo to fix it for free? The warranty says its guaranteed defect free for a year.
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9-11-2006 @ 8:00PM
Alisha Karabinus said...
Well, OM, that's the thing. The warranty doesn't cover physical damage. So technically the cracks wouldn't be covered... unless they were a manufacturing defect. So it's something of a sticky issue.
I'm one of the lucky ones, too... no DS crack in my house. And I'm clumsy, frankly. Plus we have pets who like to nose things off the tables. I'm surprised that we haven't turned up with a crack yet, but who knows.
-Alisha
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9-11-2006 @ 9:57PM
K said...
The old DSes are practically indestructible! My two year-old nephew violently opens mine, steps on it, and bangs it against doorframes.
I assume Nintendo figures that the older models have been owned longer and more susceptible to damage from regular wear, as opposed to the new and flawed design of the Lite.
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9-11-2006 @ 11:29PM
awesom-o said...
If the Phat develops a crack after a week of use, that's a defect. If it develops one after a year of use, that's called wear and tear. Good luck getting Nintendo to fix it for free.
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9-12-2006 @ 5:42AM
Shockwave said...
my phat is not cracked , learn to take care of your portables stupid kid , waammbulance asshole up your fucking ass.
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9-12-2006 @ 8:37AM
Ka' said...
"my phat is not cracked , learn to take care of your portables stupid kid , waammbulance asshole up your fucking ass."
Stunning maturity.
---
My DS Lite formed a small crack after weeks of _normal_ use (unless you want to tell me different, followers of flawless Nintendo). It's gotten bigger, but it really has had no large effect on the systems. Still..The DS phat? That sucker must be pretty worn out. Instead of paying the repair cost, put it torwards a black DSL. :D
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9-12-2006 @ 12:11PM
Andy said...
A week or two after I got my phat, my brother was playing it and dropped i on the cement, it got a couple scratches on it but nothing big. I guess I figured these thing were pretty durable then, I hope my phat doesn't get cracked. I don't feel like getting a DSLite, I think its too much money to spend to get basically the same machine, plus a few extras. I felt the same way about the GBA, I stuck with the original until I got the DS.
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9-12-2006 @ 1:03PM
DS said...
I am suprised people still have the old phat ds...ds lite people thats the future
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9-12-2006 @ 4:59PM
truplaya said...
My DS Phat is in perfect condition. My little sister on the other hand.....her's has that infamous crack. Actually, her DS Phat looks like it was run over by a car - even though it wasn't.
I'm keeping a real close eye on mine...
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9-13-2006 @ 2:28PM
Alastor said...
"11. I am suprised people still have the old phat ds...ds lite people thats the future"
.............................
What hell are u talking about? I mean the Phat DS was the first one on tehe market, why shouldn't there be some people still using it?
BTW: I've got a japanease Phat DS that I bought at the launch and it still works perfectly.
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9-14-2006 @ 6:33AM
Garrett said...
I'd say some of these cases may be due to molding flaws. That would explain why some DSes are abused and yet intact while ones in reasonably good condition suddenly crack.
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