DS Daily: A longtime companion calls it quits

by David Hinkle { Apr 23rd 2008 at 9:00AM }

This weekend, we had to do something that made us feel horrible, but in the end, was for the best. Like that scene in Old Yeller, we had to put down one of our DS carts (Mario Kart DS, oddly enough). You see, all of the inserting and ejecting of the cartridge with our DS caused something to get loose in there and now the cart cannot be read by the system.

It got us to wondering about this happening to others, namely you all, who probably play their DS a lot more than we're able to. So have you played a game so much this has happened? Have you never heard of this happening? What's your oldest DS game?

Tags: cart, cartridge, mario-kart-ds, mariokart, mariokartds

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

nil @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:09AM

This hasn't happened to me or anyone I know. If it did, I'd call Nintendo customer service; they're pretty good at helping customers out.

David D. @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:42AM

I'd also try to back up the save data too.

Frastoglegnia @ Apr 23rd 2008 2:01PM

I'd try that, too, if I could find my trusty DS-cart-to-USB adapter. Too bad my wing�d maid's already cleaned the accessories corner in the game room of my imagination.

a @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:32AM

When one of the buttons on my DS stopped working, I called Nintendo and they were willing to help me out... for $80.

Roto13 @ Apr 23rd 2008 10:20AM

Warranties run out and then you have to pay for repairs. It's a fact of life.

Sam @ Apr 23rd 2008 5:35PM

yeah I broke my power button cleaning the screen for my ds (and I wanted to try out my new Trigram screwdriver set) and I sent it off to nintendo. they gave me a new motherboard AND two new screens, they have an awesome repair service, and It's really great, they didn't even complain that I had opened it up.

case @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:39AM

Your situation makes a good case for the r4, as long as you own the game too, of course.

torokun @ Apr 23rd 2008 1:37PM

It's still illegal.

Frastoglegnia @ Apr 23rd 2008 2:09PM

The R4 itself is not illegal. Nor is keeping the backup ROM of a game you own already on an SD so that you can save your game progress to your PC.

The one thing I don't like about the DS is the lack of save options: No one should be forced to limit their saves to a few spots on a single cart. The convenience is ingenious, but the limitation is maddening.

Nightstar @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:50PM

Circuit City was selling a save game backup late last year...

Roto13 @ Apr 23rd 2008 10:21AM

I've never even heard of that happening. How unlucky for you.

I go Mario 64 DS soon after launch and it's still working fine.

shawn @ Apr 23rd 2008 10:32AM

animal crossing did this to me,one day i put it in and the system couldnt read it

phoenix @ Apr 23rd 2008 11:15AM

I hear a lot of rattling around with my copy of pokemon diamond, but oddly enough that has never had any impact on the cart working or not.

gRiMz @ Apr 24th 2008 6:55AM

Only nintendo game i heard of that stopped reading over time was the original zelda nes cartridges. something was said of an internal battery that would die and cause it to loose the ability to have its data read or saved. Never heard it happening to a gameboy or ds cartridge.

Doupi @ Apr 23rd 2008 11:33AM

I heard of this problem in Blackcats's Forums. But I don't know what to do in this situation...

Brent @ Apr 23rd 2008 12:13PM

Did you learn nothing from the NES days, blow out the system and blow on the game

Sam @ Apr 23rd 2008 5:37PM

yeah sometimes my ds games and I do that exact thing, I think the ds/GB sticking with carts is kind of a tribute to the NES days.

Sonic_13 @ Apr 23rd 2008 12:20PM

One of my games (WarioWare) occasionally isn't recognized by my DS, but turning it off and on a couple times always fixes the issue.

Jamie @ Apr 23rd 2008 12:33PM

This has happened a couple of times with my Zelda, Sonic Rush, and Dragonball Z supersonic warriors 2 card.... Zelda and Sonic are pre - owned though... and once my DBZ data got deleted :O It came back when I booted up the game again XD

pr0vidence @ Apr 23rd 2008 2:25PM

What a coincidence. Just last night I popped in one of my current favs, Picross. Turn on my DS, "there is no DS game inserted". "That's odd" I thought, as I turned off the system, removed the game, and inspected the contacts on the game for anything that might cause a poor connection. Reinsert the game...."there is no DS game inserted". A small amount of panic begins to set in. How will I get my pixelized puzzle fix? Ok, step by step, is it the game, or the system. Take Metroid out an pop it in, works fine, take Wario Ware out, pop it in, works fine. "Oh no!" I think "My Picross died!". After a few more panicked inserts, turn-ons, failures, removals, it decided to work. Now I am afraid to take the game out of my system for fear it may never work again. Nothing feels lose in the pack, however. I find that a bit odd.

Ry Guy @ Apr 23rd 2008 2:42PM

That's your DS, not the cartridge. That happened with my old DS too.

Sleepykidd @ Apr 23rd 2008 4:42PM

I sometimes get that with Pokemon and Animal Crossing *I play the latter daily* but they usually play the second or third time.

Penis_on_a_hot_tin_roof @ Apr 23rd 2008 4:44PM

This Sh*t happend to my F*cking madden game...i should sue nintendo because of their F*cking idiocy (using flash cards)!

BlackDS @ Apr 23rd 2008 5:24PM

I would be horrified if that happened to me, since I unlocked everything, and beat all the courses with 3 stars (only beating the staff ghosts remain undone).

Call Nintendo, they'll probably replace the cartridge, but all your game data is lost forever. :(

As bad as losing Mario Kart DS data would be, I worry more about my GBA Pokemon data (since they have a battery for time-based events, like berries). The battery will die eventually, and I don't know how to rescue my game data. :(

Is there any way to save Pokemon GBA data? I asked Nintendo what would happen if the battery on my GBA Pokemon games (Emerald, Sapphire, FireRed, etc.) died, and Nintendo said they would replace the cartridge. However, I would have to transfer all my Pokemon, because there was no way to save the information on the cartridge.

I live in fear of that day (when the battery runs dead), I know you can still use the cartridge, but I want my time-based events (like berries).

If anyone knows ANY way of saving GBA Pokemon data, then please let me know, by replying to this post or sending me a PM.

Thanks in advance.

Peace.

C.R. @ Apr 28th 2008 2:46PM

My clock on Pok�mon Sapphire stopped working, so I pressed Start and Select at the start up screen (Fire Red/Leaf Green doesn't actually have to be linked to it) and it works fine now. I did the same with Pok�mon Emerald, just to be safe.

As for backing up game data, you may want an Action Replay. I can't use mine because the disc snapped in half, but oh well.

Hafk @ Apr 23rd 2008 7:10PM

Meteos does this to me.

I just blow in the slot and on the game, and it works!

Yay Nintendo!

Ryan @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:36PM

Yeah, some of my games did the same thing. All I did was use a Q-tip and damped it lightly with rubbing alcohol, and then rub the "shiny gold" part of the cartridge. Since this, they work fine. The reason why it works because when you click in and click out a game, the metal connector rubs on/off onto the game causing it to get "dirty".

Ethan @ Apr 23rd 2008 8:55PM

I think this is just a thing with carts. My Ouendan is going a bit funny.

moopa @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:13PM

This has happened to me on Mario Kart DS but with me it was down to a corruption in the game saving. I had just unlocked something, it saved and the screen when blank never to return :/ I rang nintendo who offered to replace it as long as i had the receipt (which i didn't) booo.

Gewurztraminer says: R.O.B. is the last Cylon! @ Apr 23rd 2008 9:21PM

I haven't had this happen yet - but I also haven't played the DS much this year. My oldest game is Wario Ware. I assume it works, but it's been awhile.

Brittany @ Apr 23rd 2008 11:39PM

Man, on my ds phat i've been having problems getting my games to come out... like i push down and they pop back out like normal...but past that i have to really pull to get them all the way out...

everytime I do it i just fear my ds is going to OM NOM NOM my game :(

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both my phat and lite sometimes don't want to read a game on the first try... but it's never been anything more than that