What's that line from Batman Begins, something like "theatricality and deception are powerful agents" or something? Well, Consumerist reader Mike might not have been deceptive, but he certainly didn't do anything to stop the Nintendo rep from sending him a brand new DS Lite to replace his existing one that was rendered inoperable due to negligence.

Nintendo ended up sending his new DS Lite out by 2-day UPS Air, asking that he only send back the damaged DS Lite to them. All of this, considering it was a friend that spilled beer (he wouldn't be our friend after that, as we can't abide by wasted beer) on the DS Lite. Kudos to Nintendo customer service, we suppose, for not inquiring how the unit became damaged and leaping to the rescue, no questions asked.

[Thanks, Tracy!]

Reader Neal is a man on a mission. When hearing that Chibi Robo: Park Patrol was a Wal-Mart exclusive, he got on his computer and fired off an email to Nintendo questioning Wal-Mart's commitment as a "green company" and Nintendo's press release stating as much. Well, Nintendo cared enough about his email that a Nintendo rep actually called him to discuss it.

The Nintendo rep, one Ryan Stoffel, turned out to be a polite guy and very concerned with Neal's thoughts. While his promise to pass along Neal's concerns to the higher-ups can be seen as empty, the fact that Nintendo called him up directly to talk is just astounding to us. Even with some of you informing us of your own dealings with Nintendo customer service, we're surprised they went this far.

When it comes to adding troops to the DS Fanboy regiment, we make sure to fill our ranks with only the manliest of men. (Uh, and womanliest of women.). As far as bloggers go, we're as Ford tough as they get. Even in birth, we exited our mothers' wombs uncomplaining, ready for the hardship ahead.

Still, our eyes welled up when we saw this broken and battered Nintendo DS Lite. According to an employee at Best Buy, the handheld was returned after its owner claimed that it had just "stopped working." Customer service must have neglected to give the DS a good look, because we can't imagine any store taking back a product in this condition. The right hinge has been knocked out of place, every recess is filled and marked with grime, and one of its corners bares the teeth marks of a childish fit.

The two VeggieTales stickers marring the Crystal White's once-glossy finish are the worst offenses. Is there any hell that this DS Lite wasn't put through? Head past the post break for more unsettling photos of this portable's mistreatment.

[Via Digg]