# Anyone else have an “old” 3DS XL model with a cracked hinge?



## Holla (Oct 20, 2018)

I “retired” my “old” 3DS XL model back in 2016 after 3 years and over 3600 hours of gameplay. (I still use it on occasion as a secondary device). I now use a New 3DS XL. 

Upon “retiring” my old 3DS XL I noticed it had a rather nasty crack by its right hinge. I’ve also heard of other people who have had this problem, but I haven’t actually seen any other pictures. If your “old” 3DS XL has a similar issue please feel free to post about it (with pictures too if you can!)

Here’s what mine looks like:


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## Jason Voorhees (Oct 20, 2018)

I was sent a new one under warranty after my charging port broke, then I discovered the charging dock. 

I bought the dock and my broken 3ds xl charged perfectly.

I didn't need to get rid of it at all. 

I did get a new one out of it though.


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## Stella-Io (Oct 21, 2018)

Eesh, that is nasty crack. From what I can tell we have the same exact model, mines just red, and it doesn't have a crack. Mine has had not even a year of play time on it yet thou, so it might be a 'wear and tear' thing. I wonder what could have caused a crack in that spot thou.

This reminds me of my pink DS lite, it has a crack but on the hinge thing to open it. So does my sisters'.


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## Cress (Oct 22, 2018)

My entire right hinge completely broke off lmao. It's also the New Leaf special edition which would probably scare some people here but o well. So I got it in June 2013, the hinge broke sometime in 2014, and I dealt with it until getting a New 3ds XL in 2015. There's several layers of tape ALL over the hinge, because again I could just pull it off (I used to have some pictures of the hinge clean off and me wobbling the 2 halves of the system around a bit but I think they got deleted and I'd rather not spend 10 minutes getting all of this tape off). And speaking of pictures...








Yeah it looks pretty ugly now. And back when this was still my main system, I'd replace all of the tape every month or so, and it was a bit of a chore. It was also a bit difficult to use the R button with the tape going right over it, plus replacing the tape there meant I had to make it tight enough that the hinge wouldn't pull itself off, but not too tight so that I could still use the R button.

And if anyone asks, no I never dropped it and I never pressured it in any way that would cause that. I was as gentle with it as possible. Old 3ds XL's just have really fragile right hinges (specifically the right hinge, I've never heard of anyone having the left hinge break).
AND if anyone's curious about if you could play without the right hinge, you absolutely can. The right hinge only stores the notification light, everything else is sent through the left hinge. Not something I would ever recommend trying, but ye.


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## Stalfos (Oct 22, 2018)

Mine has a cracked hinge on the right side as well. The crack is pretty small right now but I'm afraid it's gonna break one of these days.


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## Holla (Oct 22, 2018)

Sorry to hear that Cress! I can only imagine how annoying that must have been to deal with on a regular basis.

I am glad to hear that this is a common problem. I felt like it was my fault or something for not taking good care of my 3DS. 

I’m lucky that mine isn’t completely broken off. It definitely wobbles a bit when opening and closing the system but I try to do so with care. Hopefully it won’t completely snap off one day. Thankfully I don’t use it much now that my main system is a New 3DS XL.


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## princepoke (Oct 22, 2018)

i didnt realize that this was a problem with the consoles :-0a
i dont have a crsck along the hinge itself, but i think i do have a hairline crack right by my R button (either that or im seeing this weird, and the crack is underneath the shell) 

its still working just fine, but it clicks/snaps weird once before I click the R button down (slightly like if its crscked and lifted, and has a corner getting held off by a corner in the shell that it clicks thru before i push it down?)

ive noticed it for a lil while, but honestly have no idea where it came from since i hadnt used my console for a yr before this, and it was fine last yr. (i bought it arnd 2014 or so tho)


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## Flare (Oct 22, 2018)

I still have my old 3ds xl which has it's entire right hinge destroyed along with the top screen not functioning anymore.

Now I have a new 3ds xl which has a very wobbly top screen with backlight leaking out, I expect the hinge to begin deteriorating n a year or so.


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## koopasta (Oct 24, 2018)

Mine has a cracked hinge, too, along with a huge crack on the front of it. It's still my main 3DS system and unfortunately my family doesn't have the funds to buy a new one, so it's a bit frustrating.


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## MozzarellaSticks (Oct 24, 2018)

This was an issue back with the original D.S. You’d be able to completely swivel your top screen 360degrees on one hinge. My old one is somewhere like that, and the top screen is tinted yellow.

- - - Post Merge - - -

https://m.imgur.com/r/gaming/TxfmbfP


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## ali.di.magix (Oct 24, 2018)

My brother's one has become like this too. It started off with a small crack on the right hinge, which slowly opened more and more until the right side of the screen became unattached. Except I don't think my brother's console has been used nearly as long as the OP's, it's failed a lot earlier in its lifetime. I wish I had taken a photo of it, it's quite amusing to see part of the top screen detached lol. At the moment its got tape over it like Cress's, and the top screen does still function in it's current state.


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## Mr_Persona (Oct 25, 2018)

I have an old 3ds XL but its really still in good shape, nothing is broken.
But omg for you guys having really bad problems with your 3ds consoles, sorry for everyone who has to deal with a broken console.


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## Croconaw (Nov 1, 2018)

I hate the hinges on the 3DS and any of it?s predecessors. They can even break from opening and closing it too much. The hinges are built so poorly, it?s like Nintendo wants them to be broken. I hope I?m not the only one that feels this way. These hinges are weak. I?ve had three hinges break, and not even from me dropping it. It was from opening and closing it, they became loose and collapsed. This is coming from someone that has never broken a phone. I?ve has three hinges break on me, and a few DS systems break.


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## Stella-Io (Nov 4, 2018)

This entire thread scares me. Now I gotta examine my XL again.

Looks fine. But if it does happen, what model should I buy next? I was thinking the purple New 2 (3?)DS XL cause it's purple.


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## AngelBunny (Nov 4, 2018)

i didnt know there are so many people with this problem! i have the same thing, repaired it with superglue though, but i lost a piece and there is a big hole in it now. light cap is missing too



Spoiler























i also have this problem with my circle pad, my mayor wont run left anymore XD


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## Cress (Nov 4, 2018)

Stella-Io said:


> This entire thread scares me. Now I gotta examine my XL again.
> 
> Looks fine. But if it does happen, what model should I buy next? I was thinking the purple New 2 (3?)DS XL cause it's purple.



The New models are just better so get one of those for sure if it does end up breaking. If you like the 3D, then get the N3DSXL. If you don't like it, then get the N2DSXL. I have the N3DSXL and the hinges on it are much better and haven't shown any signs of breaking, but I'm still wary of them. Not sure how the N2DSXL is though, but it should be better than the original 3DSXL as well.


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## honeyaura (Nov 24, 2018)

Absolutely. Actually that's how it looked a few months ago. Not the right hinge is completely off unfortunately. I called around to see how much stores would repair it for, and they admit that it would be cheaper to just get a new one. So now until I get a new one, I literally have to hold it at a certain angle and fix my right index finger to hold the screen up if I'm laying down lol.


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## Holla (Nov 26, 2018)

Stella-Io said:


> This entire thread scares me. Now I gotta examine my XL again.
> 
> Looks fine. But if it does happen, what model should I buy next? I was thinking the purple New 2 (3?)DS XL cause it's purple.



Definitely buy either a New 3DS XL or New 2DS XL. I care about the 3D so I got a 3DS but a 2DS is just as good if you never use 3D. If you love purple I’d suggest the Galaxy 3DS (it’s really pretty and the one I have now) or the purple 2DS like you are considering.


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## Saga (Nov 27, 2018)

Yes! My 3DS XL hinge was cracked for over a year, and just last month the plastic in between the crack and the right shoulder button came off. Luckily the shoulder button works perfectly fine, but the hinge now feels a little floppy and loose when I go to close my 3DS (it still stays open without any issues). I'm worried that the looseness could get worse with time, so as soon as my next paycheck comes in, I plan on buying a refurbished New 3DS XL from Nintendo as a present to myself.


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## GoldenKaraSus (Nov 27, 2018)

I have a fracture on my pink 3DSXL, it has been there for a while now. Reading this thread, I was looking at it. I opened and closed it a few times and saw that closing the console opens the fracture a little bit. (yeesh) I better get a job so I can afford a new system.


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## Stella-Io (Dec 12, 2018)

This isn't a 3DS system, it's my lite. I JUST saw this, like I swear that wasn't there before. Guess it's time to finally retire it, considering the A and R buttons don't work normally either RIP.


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## neoratz (Dec 19, 2018)

Holla said:


> Spoiler



omg mine JUST broke in the same spot shown here but on the backside. i didn't even notice it was cracked til a few months ago though ! i thought hinge cracks/breaks were just a big issue with ds lites, i didn't realize old 3DS XLs had the same problem


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## Reyrey (Dec 22, 2018)

I did, and everything went downhill from there for my 3DS?s life. RIP.


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## Paperboy012305 (Dec 22, 2018)

I do.

I got a 3DS XL for Animal Crossing: New Leaf just for that. A year and 4 months later the hinge broke and I was being brutally careful not to snap the 3DS in half until I got a new one for Christmas.

It still works now, I just use it for when I’m getting Welcome Amiibo or regular items on my used to be Cycling Town in my other towns quicker than day by day.

The thing is though, is that it shuts down on me and sometimes resets itself to New Years of 2011 at Midnight.


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## Romaki (Dec 24, 2018)

Haha, that second picture was my 3DS last year. Seems like a common issue. Now that piece fell off and I can't close my 3DS anymore. At least it plays normally, though I do miss the times when we could destory our DS and get a GBA out of it. xD


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## AngelBunny (Dec 28, 2018)

update on my 3ds, my right hinge officially broke...


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## Alienfish (Dec 29, 2018)

Nope, although I remember 3ds XL were kinda fragile... I did however own ds lites and the hinges and screens broke way too easily on those.


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## oath2order (Jan 5, 2019)

Thankfully I don't! It's my most important video game system, I would hate if it got damaged.


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## Croconaw (Jan 22, 2019)

Those hinges break so damn easily, to be honest. I have had my fair share of cracked hinges. If you literally open and close the hinge too rough, it will break. You have to be super careful, unfortunately. I have literally broken, like, seven DS systems and that is no exaggeration. I like to think it wasn?t my fault for at least six of them, but I was young. I played them a lot. Those things are so fragile, I swear.


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## ILikeFroakies (Jan 23, 2019)

No but my sister has a DS Lite with a cracked hinge


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## Bluebellie (Jan 26, 2019)

My only 3Ds is good and doesn’t have a broken hinge. Though I did have this problem back when I had the original ds where I used to play wild world. I sold it a couple of months ago broken hinge and all for like $10 lol
It still worked perfectly but it was wobbly because of the hinge.


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## jvgsjeff (Feb 2, 2019)

Yeah, my old 3DS XL had a cracked hinge in 2015, but I didn't take a picture of the initial crack. But I did take a picture when it soon got worse...to the point of falling off.





I got a New 3DS XL to replace it, and fortunately, I haven't had the same problem with it.


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