Nintendo: DS Lite cracks in < .02 percent of units

[UPDATE] Company says that reported cases of cracked left hinges on portable are very rare, fixes can be arranged through customer support.

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Earlier this week, several owners of Nintendo's new DS Lite voiced concern over a small problem with their handhelds. Reports of a small crack on the left hinge of the dual-screened portable began popping up around the country, indicating that it wasn't just an isolated incident.

Nintendo wasn't immediately available for comment at the time, but today the company released a statement addressing issue.

"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."

By contrast, when the Xbox 360 was released in November 2005, Microsoft reported that approximately 3 percent of its units were experiencing problems. The company also claimed that the figure was less than the average rate for newly released electronic gadgets. Sony has also had problems with defects: Many PlayStation Portable screens suffered from dead pixels, and the company quietly staged a free PlayStation 2 repair program for PlayStation 2s plagued by the dreaded "disc read error."

[UPDATE] There appears to be some confusion about whether or not Nintendo is charging to have the crack fixed. When GameSpot News contacted Nintendo customer support at the time the news broke, a rep said that damaged DS Lites would be repaired for $50, marked down from the standard fee of $75. However, other reports claimed that Nintendo has now changed its policy and will repair units for free. GameSpot called Nintendo customer support again today to find out if there was any change in policy, but the rep on the phone insistend that the $50 fee was still in place.

165 Comments

  • theshadowhunter

    Posted May 31, 2007 8:51 pm PT

    i just got mine sent in for free, no fee at all for this fix plus a extended warranty for another 1 year

  • cjsidler02

    Posted May 7, 2007 4:09 pm PT

    yeah this is ridiculous.

    i got the cracks too now but each time i open it and close it they just get worse. now the right hinge is about to fall off and nintendo expects me to pay 50 bux to fix a flaw in their product?

    that would be 180 dollars into a crappy ds lite. should have gotten a psp. they had defects but they just gave you a ****ing new one if yours had problems. **** nintendo.

  • M4D_pHySiKz

    Posted Feb 20, 2007 9:13 am PT

    Got the same problem,Gameboys were always built to last and so is the fat DS,whats wrong with Nintendo?

  • gord_mose

    Posted Sep 7, 2006 2:00 pm PT

    Both of the DS Lites in our family have had cracks. We bought them the week the Lite went on sale and they just recently became cracked. I wonder if Nintendo will do anything to keep this from happening on future units? I assume the original DS doesn't have this problem?

  • General_Lynx

    Posted Jul 28, 2006 10:43 pm PT

    man...i have a crack....especially since i got if as a replacement for my ps2 which got thrown around (drunk mother) but i didnt have one at first...small....then alittle bigger...its its a millimeter big.......so i stopped playin it cause i think its gonna fall off...

  • ender7884

    Posted Jul 23, 2006 11:45 am PT

    i was reading this and thought "wow that sucks for those people" and then at work i played my dsl and saw a crack. very disappointing, especially because i dont play mine all that much.

  • setatakahashi

    Posted Jul 22, 2006 5:44 pm PT

    Well, I bought a Nintendo DS "fat" and it had two stuck pixels (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuck_pixel). I know that Nintendo would trade my DS for free but I live outside USA/Canada, so I'm out of luck.

    Anyway, I saw this article and thought it was a small problem but then I took a look at the picture and thought: "That little plastic holds DS Lite's screen?". "Only the left hinge is affected?". I don't know much of industrial design but I'm wondering now if it isn't a flawed design.

  • DarthCat

    Posted Jul 22, 2006 2:12 pm PT

    Wow, unhappy to hear about this for fellow DS owners... luckily mine is pretty much okay, except for the fact that the seal around the edges of the case is loose, and so dirt slips in there... but I can live with that. But I guess issues like this are why you buy the optional warranties (when available).

  • TacoJelly

    Posted Jul 22, 2006 11:01 am PT

    you should see what shape my DS heavy is in. Its not worth $50 to fix a stupid crack, and it shouldnt be nintendos problem since it is ONLY cosmetic. If it was something like disc read errors or dead pixels than yes, but if it doesnt effect the gameplay who cares.

    When PSP, PS2, and 360 (not to mention the newer xboxs with cheaper DVD drives) came out much more had serious issues with the hardware (effected use of the console) so why is everybody complaining about a tiny crack? YOU WILL DROP THIS AT SOME POINT AND IT WILL LEAVE A MARK!!!

  • GaaraZanta

    Posted Jul 22, 2006 12:33 am PT

    LAZZOR
    I'm glad I didn't get a Lite. I'll wait to see if the next batch are crack-free.
    ------------------------------------------------
    What because .02% of the DSLites have cracks, don't see the logic in that, should no one drive because they might get in an accident?

  • PiMacleod_basic

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 2:26 pm PT

    no crack on mine. Played almost everyday, too. and it travels in my pocket to work, while at-work, and home from work (just for the purposes of boring breaks).

    So, I'm just going to assume that I don't have a bad DS, and that Nintendo's HARDWARE quality is top-notch, like it has always been.

  • Microsoft1234

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 2:17 pm PT

    mines not broken or cracked =D

  • LAZZOR

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 1:27 pm PT

    I'm glad I didn't get a Lite. I'll wait to see if the next batch are crack-free.

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 12:00 pm PT

    This should be free like 360 replacements........

  • aznsmarti

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 11:50 am PT

    mine is cracked, and upsets me a lot. i paid lots of money for this handheld, and i wanted it to look perfect or in good condition at least until i've had it for a month. two days ago, when i checked if i had a crack in the left hinge, i saw that you could barely see it, and then the next day, it got a little bigger even though i took the utmost care to prevent it from splitting or anything and it got bigger, until it looked exactly like the picture shown above. crud, i hope nothing else happens to it. i practically baby the thing and would bite off someones head if they dropped it( which sounds a bit crazy but i've always wanted one of these things since it came out). i hope nintendo can fix this for free, because i cant afford to fix it for 50 bucks, cause i wasted all my money on buying it, and my family's against games, so they certainly wouldn't loan me a 50 to fix the crack.

  • miggidy24

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 11:13 am PT

    Why should Nintendo have to pay for those who break their DS?

    Babies....
    Reminds me of the Xbox 360 owners who crack their game dvd's and then want Microsoft to replace them....

  • OfficialBed

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 10:26 am PT

    mines still good

  • littleshorty546

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 10:18 am PT

    man mines cracked!!!!

  • homegirl2180

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 8:54 am PT

    They should be fixing them for free....

  • GCN49

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 8:45 am PT

    if it doesn't adversely affect gameplay than who cares really... just be careful and don't drop it... keep it in its case (if you don't have one, get one) and just make sure that you always have a firm grip on the thing...

  • cesarotromundo

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 8:38 am PT

    now im not gonna buy it, if it cracks out of nothing then when i drop it its gonna tear appart!

  • Willdyer10

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 7:49 am PT

    thats a tiny percent. i hope my ds does'nt crack

  • rome0061

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 7:35 am PT

    Just take it back to the store you've purchased it at- there is no way it has been 90 days since it was just recently released, and most places will exchange a defect (especially if you purchased it at target or walmart)

  • shamarke

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 6:56 am PT

    WTF it should be free to fix!

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 6:47 am PT

    it should be free, especially if it is less than 0.2 percent of units

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 6:44 am PT

    I hope it is free. I would be pissed to have to pay $50 for a defect that wasn't my fault.

  • shizwill03

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 6:11 am PT

    I got that same exact crack.

    I feel utterly depressed now.

  • chgallen

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 3:02 am PT

    I just took my cracked Lite back to HMV this morning. The assistant went to ring Nintendo, came back looking really mad and said that Nintendo were being "rubbish" and exchanged my Lite for a new one. Hope this one doesn't break...

  • tetraswarrior

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 1:33 am PT

    watch out!!!!!!!!
    sum of the cracked 1s snap in half like my m8s did
    i told him to buy a psp but instead he bought 2 DS's that he has broken

    PS: The first 1 broke becos he stabbed the touchscreen with the stylus
    PSS: Hah built like a tank my *rs*

  • Black_Sage89

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 11:46 pm PT

    Just say your DS had major dead pixel and you want a new one, then send them your cracked one.

  • MrPuzzlez

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 11:42 pm PT

    Meh....

  • lotsofgunfire

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 10:19 pm PT

    the same thing happend on the original DS launch when some small percentage of units had a dead pixel.
    nintendo had on the support webpage and said on that page they would replace the unit at the cost of your warrenty. so i don't see why you would do such a thing unless this is their way of starting a recovery fund form the gamecube or lost repair payments from the original DS.

  • NinjaFoot

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 9:51 pm PT

    Since Nintendo tells it's fans what they like instead of listening to them, then all they have to do is their usual Jedi Mind Trick and tell their fanboys that the crack doesnt matter. They have swallowed much more than that before. It still wouldnt be as outrageous as Nintendo telling us that people dont want online gaming, like they did a couple of years ago.

  • ice_rocman

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 9:45 pm PT

    If you spend $150 on a hand held it better not crack.. Unless you're an uber nintendo fanboy that can't admit nintendo screwed up here you would care.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If you spend $250 on a hand held it better not have 5 or so dead pixels and crappy games... Unless you're an uber Sony fanboy that can't admit Sony screwed up here you would care.

    Fixed ^^

    Btw Fenrir it could be where you shop. Different stores handle their products better. Be a sad waste of cash for you to try your alternative.

  • messin18

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 9:12 pm PT

    If you spend $150 on a hand held it better not crack.. Unless you're an uber nintendo fanboy that can't admit nintendo screwed up here you would care.

  • TaintedTimmy

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 9:01 pm PT

    My DS lite has the little crack on it. And I say S.F.W. it doesn't mean I'm going to give up my baby for two weeks for a tiny crack as long as it stays together who cares.

  • Aura

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 8:50 pm PT


    *I'm VERY rough on my NEW DS... and I haven't had a single issue*

  • ghostadv

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 8:48 pm PT

    wow, people are complaining about that? that's nothing to worry about

  • EMH88

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 8:27 pm PT

    At least Nintendo takes care of the consumer. And it's not like the ps2 where at least 50% had disc errors and sony wouldnt give a **** about it.

  • geo888

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 8:02 pm PT

    does it really matter? wouldnt the top screen only come off if you pulled on it or there were 2 cracks?

  • fenrir26

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 7:53 pm PT

    This happened to mine. Went and exchanged it for another, that one had the seals on the touch screen loose so dust was getting everywhere under it. I'm now on my third lite, if this one is screwed I'm switching to a PSP. I'm very disappointed with the workmanship on this machine, not even close to Nintendo's usual standards. The crack was no fault of my own, I baby my equipment. Very anal about getting scratches and nicks on all my stuff.

  • h4xx0rz

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 7:40 pm PT

    Maybe only certain locations in the US will do it for free... the rep first needed to know I was in Georgia before it was said to be free. And if that's the case, shouldn't all the Nintendo repair companies charge the same price?

  • Andy639_basic

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 7:36 pm PT

    Wait, the article never said the "Fifty Dollars" thing was definite. Gamespot doesn't know. One poster here said they got theirs fixed for free.

  • metdevthegamer

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 7:15 pm PT

    .02% error is not a problem. I imagine they're charging $50 for it because they probably recognize that a lot of these DS Lite cracks were caused by abuse and not from a "design flaw". Even so, if Nintendo's so cheap as to charge $50 for a cosmetic fix, then don't pay for it and live with the crack.

  • anonymous3456

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 6:43 pm PT

    well .02 percent is the amount of REPORTED cracks so it's probably quite a bit more than that since most people probably won't call Nintendo. Nintendo needs to repair/replace these ds lites for free because i'll be very disapointed it this happens to my lite and i have to pay $50 dollars for it.

  • h4xx0rz

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 6:36 pm PT

    I have a DS Lite with a crack almost exactly like the one shown in the picture. This crack does absolutely nothing to the gameplay or the system, other than make it look like it's been hit. Just today I called Nintendo Customer Support, and the representative said that although it wasn't covered by the warranty (even though it applies to manufactured defects, which it seems to be, as I take good care of my gaming hardware (DON'T ask me what happened to my GameCube, though.)), Nintendo would repair the unit for free. It takes several business days for it to be sent, fixed, and sent back, so I would rather be playing my DS than waiting for some minor crack to be fixed. However, should the crack worsen, I'll definitely get it repaired.

  • Rambo_Potter

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 6:24 pm PT

    Meh. Still way more durable than the PSP in my opinion. I feel like I have to baby the thing anytime I hold it.

  • simpsons_tv

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 6:12 pm PT

    Wait! Ds owners have to pay $50 to fix that little hinge? No wonder Nintendo "encourages DS Lite Owners to contact" them.

  • mrblah00

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 6:01 pm PT

    Someone explain why this is a cosmetic problem. Just because Nintendo said so since they dont want people shipping their units in to get fixed?

    That split down the middle of the hinge is obviously a problem. Its not going to stay like that forever, its going to get worse and youll end up with a ghetto DS with a crooked wobbly screen hanging on by one hinge. Its not a scratch, its not color fading, its broken plastic on a crucial part that holds the thing together. Am I the only one who ate my brain food this morning?

    Pretty soon we're going to see car companies say a crack in a wheel axle is simply cosmetic and will cost $3,000 to fix if you dont want your car to crash later down the line. Or chair makers saying a crack in one of the legs is simply cosmetic and youll have to pay to get it fixed if you dont want your chair falling apart some day.

    A crack is not cosmetic, ESPECIALLY in an area that keeps the unit from falling apart. And even if it was cosmetic, since when do cosmetic defects not matter? Nintendo could have shipped some of them without a front cover and that would have been considered cosmetic and not qualify for replacement. Theres a difference between getting the screen scratched and wanting a replacement and having a cosmetic defect due to manufacturing.

  • battojutsu

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 5:34 pm PT

    I am sure the actual percentage is much higher than that, but what concerns me is not that they are hiding the actual number/percentage, but the posibility of charging DS owners for Nintendo's mistakes. Cosmetic or not, nobody likes shelling out $129 for a broken DS.

    Tsk, tsk, Nintendo! Dont do this to the fans.

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