Nintendo's DS Lite is going through a pretty rough period. As more and more people are starting to complain about their DS Lite literally cracking up, Nintendo turns a blind eye saying they are not aware of any problems. And all the while, others couldn't care less about a measly crack, as they deliberately tear apart their handheld, trying to overclock the living hell out of it.

Cracks on the left hinge of the DS Lite (close to the charging jack) are being reported at an alarming pace, ever since MaxConsole kicked off the story late last week, with four incriminating pictures and plenty more DS Lite owners confirming the problem on their forums. But despite the overwhelming number of complaints that have surfaced by now on several major websites - including Arstechnica, Digg, GameSpot or Joystiq - what really cracks me up (no pun intended) is Nintendo's absolutely oblivious attitude towards what is clearly more than just an "isolated occurance" - remember Microsoft's early problems with the Xbox 360?

Once again, MaxConsole returns with the following official statement from Nintendo. I'm guessing this must be pretty infuriating for anyone experiencing the same problem:

"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 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)."

Hoping that Nintendo will eventually recognize this as a design flaw and repair / replace the cracked DS Lites for free, MaxConsole compiled an impressive list of testimonials from DS Lite owners who were more or less unhappy about this purely aesthetical problem (the crack does not alter the performance of the hinge, apparently).

And since we mentioned something about overclocking in the beginning, the same website has word that a japanese hardware guru has managed to successfully overclock a DS Lite by 1.7x - including sound and video. Meaning that, instead of enhancing the frame rate alone, the entire game speed and audio playback becomes faster.

"The overclocking mod requires disassembly of the DS, some fine trimming and cutting as well as soldering. But hey at the end of FOUR long hours, you will be able to say 'I have an overclocked DS Lite but no idea why'.

The mod, if completed, can easily alter between 'normal' and 'overclocked' speeds via the flick of a switch. The improvement of speed is not insanely stupid as shown via the video below and who knows, perhaps it could come in useful sometime. For more information on how this was all made possible, head on over to jpn.org."

A video of the DS Lite running at 1.7x speed is also available here in two streaming formats. Obviously, don't try this at home unless you're really fed up with your handheld.

UPDATE: Nintendo told Joystiq that "the reported number of small cosmetic cracks in the plastic hinge of DS Lite systems represents less than 0.02 percent [1 in 5,000] 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". [21.07.2006, 11:13]

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)