I tried to prevent it as much as I could.
I put my limited edition Pokemon DS Lite in a clear support case almost immediately after I bought it.
Excuse the poor image quality.
I always opened it only up to the first “click”, and never the second or third.
Even when playing “book style” games like Hotel Dusk or Tokimeki GS, I pretty much kept the DS half-closed because I was afraid of putting too much pressure on the hinges.
Now, one year later, ONE WEEK after my warranty expires, I get a cracked hinge on the right side.
And there was no tell-tale signs of it before. No hairline cracks, nothing. My hinge just suddenly blows out while I’m opening up the DS to get started on making my sugar crepes (which were delicious, by the way).
I’ve read that Nintendo isn’t doing free repairs on the “cosmetic” cracks anymore. That, and my warranty’s over, anyway (Funny how things always seem to break a few days after the warranty expires). I really haven’t got the 75 dollars to shell out right now for a repair, especially during times like these.
Plus, it’s the LE Pokemon DS from last year. I don’t want them to pop off the shell and then put on a plain Onyx one. I like my gold and silver Pokemon design on the top, thanks.
So what should I do? I was thinking of trying my own super glue repair, but I don’t want to screw up the system anymore.
Right hinge is has detached from top screen.
The “crack” itself isn’t on the middle of the hinge. It’s actually like the hinge itself cracked off from the top casing. I tried pushing the hinge back in place, but it just won’t budge.
If you compare the left and right hinges, you can sort of see the "detachment" on the right that I'm talking about.
I’m wondering if I’m the odd one out since most other hinge cracks I’ve seen are thin and stretch across the middle of the hinge.
Since my camera memory is full right now, I can’t take any pictures, but I’ll probably upload a close-up of the hinge problem later Uploaded for reference, and for people to give suggestions as to what frugal home remedies can be applied to this unfortunate issue.
In an attempt to make the crack clearer, I am shining an LED light on the crack itself, so that the dislodge can be better observed.
And no, buying a DSI as a replacement is not an issue. In fact, I even wonder if the hinge crack issue is resolved with the DSI.
It affects gameplay when I’m laying on my back and holding the DS up. The top screen doesn’t stay open. There are no more “clicks”. I have to hold the top screen open with my left index finger, essentially killing any use of the L shoulder button or D-pad.
The only way to enjoy the DS now is to lay it down. And sometimes that just isn’t ideal.
…I know I’m whining. But man, looking at that cracked hinge really hurts.
Edit: I read on some old old forum posts that if you register your DS with Club Nintendo, then your warranty should be extended for a month? Eh? I already registered with Club Nintendo long ago, but even so…
Product Warranty Expired
Ehhhh? I bought My DS Lite at the end of August last year, so if I really did get a warranty extension, I should still be covered, but…guess not.
Update: Here’s a new image of the aftermath of the hinge crack…
And here, you can see that the hinge has completely popped off...revealing the naked white underside.
Well, I don’t mind too much…I’ll see how the 3DS pans out, but I’m excited about the crapload of games announced for it, and it’ll probably be my next “go-to” system. Let’s hope the hinge crack issue is resolved by then.
I actually just had the same problem as yours. What’s even funny, I have the same Pokemon Limited Edition. The crack is nearly on the same spot; only a little farther ahead. Thought my mom (she plays a few games on it) broke it. However, reading on DS Lite hinge issues on the net — especially when I came across this post — it might be weak design issue after all. I was thinking of having it repaired (or replaced) at a network of game shops not too far from my area. As long as they don’t touch the cover, I’ll be okay with it. If the entire top cover needs replacement, I’m fucked.
@gamerisms: Thanks for the comment!
It’s funny that you commented on this post today, because just about a week ago, the actual hinge on my Pokemon LE DSL actually completely popped off.
Yeah, when I first got the DSL, I had already read about hinge crack issues and thought that if I was careful and kept it protected with an outer shell, that it would be fine. As it is, I agree that it’s probably an underlying design issue that places too much stress on the plastic, which just isn’t enough to withstand the repeated pressure of the open/close clamshell design.
It’s still playable with a busted hinge, but man, it really kills the fun factor when I can’t lay back and play or adjust how far back the top screen goes to my own personal liking.
As for fixing up the cover: I would have sent my DSL to Nintendo if it had still beeen under warranty, as I’ve read on other blog and forum posts that Nintendo is pretty good about keeping on LE covers and that expensive Day 1 shit. For example, there was this one guy who had lovingly modded and sanded his DS to perfection, only to get the dreaded hinge crack. He sent it off to Nintendo for repair and then got worried that they’d throw out his modded case and replace it with a generic one. He gave them a call, they made no guarantees, but needless to say, the painted case still came home safe and sound, albeit fixed up.
On the other hand, if the repair costs $75 and there is no guarantee of your LE cover remaining intact, I would rather just try to find a cheap used DS or wait and see how the 3DS pans out and go from there.
Right now, I’m just praying that the top and bottom of my DS don’t just completely disconnect like some of the gorey pictures I’ve seen on Google Image Search.
I took a couple of pictures of the now-currently-popped-and-gone hinge, and I’ll probably upload the photos in this post later on in case you want a reference of how the cracked hinge MIGHT end up half a year later or so…
I can’t believe I just found more people with the IDENTICAL crack on their Pokemon DS.
http://techforums.nintendo.com/thread/4527
Guess reading the comments here kinda answers the question I posted there. I never did get to calling Nintendo today but after seeing your Pokemon DSs crack too I REALLY don’t want to pay $75 bucks. I am carefully using my DS now to play Pokemon Black… I know I shouldn’t be using it but I just imported this game. ; ~ ;