I mean yeah, I know you don't buy a game system because of how it looks (I may have never owned a Saturn or TG-16 if that were the case, not really the prettiest systems out there...not to mention my woodgrain-paneled 2600!), but a DS Lite is just so damn sexy for a gaming system, that it of course ties into the desire to own one. Nintendo knows that, and have played that angle since it was released, marketing it in a way as the ipod of portable gaming of sorts.I know I kept mine pretty clean most of the time, I like the nice clean look of a shiny DS Lite, what can I say. So yeah, I guess I can see how this would be a really big deal to some really image-conscious people, but really it doesn't bug me much, although when I see it sitting there in the closed postion its the first thing I see when looking at it for some reason. If anything I'm more mad at myself, and a little bit @ Nintendo, that I broke it, as I think it could've been avoided.
I like to play my DS with it open to the 'first click', that is, not totally flat and open to the 'second click', but with the top screen slightly at an angle. I've always figured that not only is this the optimal way to view the two screens, but it just felt like that was where it was supposed to stop. My wife, on the other hand, has always liked to play her pink DS open all the way to the 'second click', flat-style, and I've always wondered if her DS would show more wear on the hinge over time than mine did.
While playing Planet Puzzle League online the other night, I had decided that I was gonna play with the DS flat on the table for whatever reason. I also just happened to have the case for PPL nearby me on the table as I was about to do this, and I noticed that the DS pictured on the cover appears to be open all the way to the 'second click'. I kinda thought for a split-second there "well, if Nintendo is showcasing that style of DS play on the cover of a 1st-party game, it must not be bad for my DS after all," and I opened it to the second click, something I've only ever done twice before (once when I first tried it then thought I went too far, and once when a friend had opened it that way and handed it back to me), and played for a little bit.
Upon closing my DS after this particular session I noticed the crack. At first I wondered how long it had been there, and why I hadn't noticed it until now. But quickly I realised that "oh yeah, it was just open to the second click. Damn! Did I just do that?" A quick internet search later leads me to believe that yes, I probably did inflict the crack on my DS myslef by opening it all the way, as many others have reported this kind of crack on their white DS Lite's (same spot on the hinge), and some of those reporting the crack have suggested that it was from them opening the DS too far as well.
Time for a recall? No I don't think so, not at all in any way, but it would be nice if Nintendo admitted that there is a small design flaw in their otherwise marvelous little unit. That many other people experiencing the same thing in the same spot, is not likely some random coincidence. Its something that would be nice if they addressed anyways, maybe just as small a gesture as say, recommending that you don't play with your DS open all the way to the 'second click' (I'm 100% certain this is what caused it). That, and I think it would be cool if they didn't actually show the unit being played that way on the figgin' cover of the box (look for yourself here, doesn't it look totally flat?), when its pretty much known now at this point (even if only by a select "lucky" few of us) that this type of playing can cause the DS's hinge to crack.
Just needed somewhere to complain about that, that's all. If this has happened to you, I feel your pain, plus, it kinda helps me forget about it to know it wasn't just me and my own dumb fault (at least I don't think it was). But a the end of the day, who really cares, as it doesn't affect my DS in any way really, so excuse me while I go find a battle.
-Kimo
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