Nintendo: "We are not aware of any problems with the hinge of the DS Lite"

MaxConsole has received Nintendo's response, via Cake PR, to reports of the DS Lite's hinge cracking. The official statement is as follows:

"We are not aware of any problems with the hinge of the DS Lite, however if someone experiences a problem with their DS Lite they should contact their local customer services department. The DS Lite carries a one year warranty for manufacturing defects, if the fault is covered under the warranty it will be repaired free of charge if not then customer services will provide a cost for repairing the product.

For warranty repair information, all technical enquires [sic] including servicing products, guarantee information, troubleshooting, part orders and release dates in the UK, please contact our Customer Service department (Monday - Friday 8:30am-7pm)."

In an effort to make Nintendo 'aware,' MaxConsole has compiled an impressive list of DS Lite owner testimonials, scooped from the pages of Arstechnica, Digg, GameSpot, and, yes, even Joystiq, each representing a unit with a near-identical crack, located on the left side of the hinge. While for most, the crack remains merely a cosmetic nuisance, some reports claim that the damage can worsen, resulting in the loss of the hinge's plastic casing, which in turn, affects the stability of the top screen.

Regardless, Nintendo should investigate this matter further, in order to determine if the crack is, as speculated, a design flaw. Currently, customer service representatives are attributing the crack to misuse ("you dropped it"), and repair is being offered for a $50 fee.