Nintendo Doesn't Fix DS Phats Anymore - I am saddened

Edit to the main story: The date of my Phat completely biting the dust in terms of playability was actually sometime in late September or October at some point. I can't be sure. Thus, I just leave it at the time that I made the repair order to keep it simple.

A story to start:

Back in August of 2010, my DS Phat finally bit the dust. By that I mean, it suffered a blow to the top that cracked the top screen to hell. The touchscreen had been kinda screwy for a few years from just overuse with games such as Elite Beat Agents and the like. I got this DS, titanium colored as they called it, Christmas 2004. I was ecstatic to get it, as I knew if I did get it, I would be getting Super Mario 64 DS as a game to play. Me and my DS had good times and bad over the six years I had it. By the time it got sent in, both screens were messed up beyond usage for their individual reasons, the battery could barely hold a two hour charge at best (no sound on too, with sound, it was a little over an hour), the L button was to the point that I had to blow it out to use it every time it went unused for more than an hour, and the Slot 1 was freaking out on me a little.

Needless to say, it had it's share of problems, and I wasn't surprised since I got the first model of DS only a month after the system launched in the US. Well, I gave in and went to set up a repair order with Nintendo. I had looked for parts around the internet before thinking that maybe, just maybe I could undertake the more complicated task of replacing DS Phat screens. Needless to say, it was a fruitless search. The only way I could get any parts were to buy lots of old DS Phats that may or may not have any working parts in them, much less the ones I needed. This led to me emailing Nintendo and telling my tale of woe and disappointment in their inability to create a handheld as long lasting as say, the Gameboy Color.

I ended up actually setting up a call time late August of 2010. Now, I didn't get a free repair (I wish :3), but I did get $25 off and free shipping via FedEx leading to a $50 total. This was all fine and dandy, but I had another problem. I had no money. I had maybe $0.50 in change at the time of making the repair order. I was in minor despair at the prospect of losing this deal until I saw the repair orders lasted for a full year. Long story short, I managed to scrape together $50 by December through selling an account on an internet game I play (not a penny in, got $60 out).

Basically, I shipped it at the end of December, thought all was good, and waited. Well, this last Saturday, I get a phone call from Nintendo asking me to call regarding my repair order that they had received. I go to put it off until a little later, next thing I know, it's 6 at night PST and I can't call that day. The weekend goes by, I come home from school today and they called again. I figured it HAD to be kind of important. I called them on my friend's cellphone on the way to his house, gave my name, order number, address and such to verify it was my order, then I got the bad news.

They no longer can even service Phats. They are dead in the eyes of Nintendo. Instead they offered me a free, new DS lite of my color choice. I went with the red and black, but am sad. I enjoyed the sound quality of the Phat, the firm hinge, and the generally well working shoulder buttons. I've used a lite before, and am not impressed by the cheap build in the slightest. Still though, it was a money order I had sent, $50 I couldn't get back in their hands, so I wasn't just going to get that and my old broken Phat back.

Thus, I accepted their deal and now have a new red and black lite on the way. Here is to hoping it will last. I guess it isn't that bad though. New lite with a fresh one year factory warranty for $50. I suppose I could have done worse.

 

...sure the phat being dead and all is bad, but despite the poor hinge on the lite I say that's a good deal.

I however still have my phat somewhere gathering dust...

 

Maybe I should send in my old Phat for repairs and then trade in my old Lite for a DSi and then swap the new Lite for a 3DS and then...

 

It's good that they offered you the lite for free though. At least that shows they give a shit.

I'm not sure about service over there, but where I am, if you turn in some unusable old model, they tell you it's no deal and that's that. You might not even get your skeletons back. I know that was what happened with my TV. The Lite IMO, isn't too bad. At least now you can play again.

 

Nintendo is actually preety good in most cases, though...it's best to ask before hand, dont just send it in, make the calls...if it fucks up=lawsuit

 

It was understood exactly which model of DS I had before I sent it in. I made it quite clear that I had a 2004, launch model, titanium colored Original DS. I guess the person helping me set up the repair wasn't aware that Nintendo couldn't service those anymore due to them no longer having the parts, or else they were just trying to help me out. I mean, a $25 discount and free shipping was already pretty awesome.

I think the fact that it's a new lite and not even just factory refurbished is because I had a system that they were unable to service after I had basically been reassured that they could after setting up the entire repair order.

 

I have a ds phat with a broken hinge and dodgy colours on top screen this has also happened to my ds lite and broken L button and I also stole my brother ds lite and the L button broke on this aswell. Also I have no warranty on all of these any help?

 

Holy crap! You really used that ds lol sound decreases battery life by an hour

 

If they tell you they can repair it, then send it in and they'll give you a new DS.
I'd like to try that, actually. I've got a DS Phat with some weird scratch in the touch screen that could only have been made with a knife, of which nobody could had because we were on vacation when it happened and the DS never left the hotel room, and the only knives we could get hold of were plastic and aren't able to cause such a scratch. Plus, there's a circular scratch right next to that that came from me losing my stylus and using a Q-tip to play Pokemon Ranger. Plus, the battery life's crap. Plus, the coloring on the back of the DS is half scratched off. Only plus side is that it still works. Sort of.

 

That's pretty sweet and sad at the same time. I would have personally rebuilt it from the inside out with phat parts and the sort, but that's just me.
I love building systems I don't know how to build.

 

Aww, that's pretty cool. Nintendo were decent to me too, I brought a Phat from eBay... 2006ish. Fairly cheap because the touch screen didn't function properly and I calculated that even with repairs, it would be cheaper than buying a new one. Sent it to Nintendo, who fixed it free of charge and it's still running well today. Now I have hope that when it eventually kicks the bucket, I won't have to spend a fortune on a replacement.

 

I've replaced a top screen before. not entirely easy, but not hard either. just be very careful. and also, screens are not that expensive at all.