Broken Video Game Consoles/Accessories

[JollyYoshi]

Unfortunately, like all things in life, video game consoles and accessories do wear down and break. Fortunately, I haven’t had any consoles break for me yet.

I could say my Nintendo Switch screen protector has broken multiple times. Screen protectors can be annoying to put on, especially if you don’t follow the directions which I accidentally didn’t do.

 

[MelodicCharm]

my bought-at-launch switch fell victim to feared ~~joycon drift~~. its battery life is also pretty shot, and it can't really run things without horrible lag anymore. she's still technically playable, but i don't think she'll ever get back to her former glory, and i don't have the money for a new one.

 

[Salmancer]

My original sliver Gamecube controller got stuck sending up inputs on the control stick 3 or so years back after too many Smash Bros Brawl games. Oh well. I'm too attached to toss the old thing, so it's sitting along with the other still functional controllers.

I'm not looking forward to the day my Wii U Gamepad finally croaks. Those were never sold separately, so I can't imagine there are many up for sale. I also don't think buying a recreation is reasonable, because a fully featured Gamepad is probably super expensive. That device has so many functions packed into it that I feel like I discover a new one every day. (Did you know the Gamepad can also serve as a sensor bar for Wii Remotes?)

 

[Herbizarre]

I have Gamecube Controller with a non-functional control stick. Because of that, threre are only two games I can play onthe system with this controller : F-Zero GX and Pokémon Colosseum. The former, I've played so much with the D-Pad that I legitimately can't go back to a Control Stick to play it even though I have another, properly functional Gamecube Controller

 

[Catz]

I have a Wii U, which still technically works, but I don't have a charger for it anymore so the Wii U gamepad is as good as dead, and barel any of the disks work for it either, but the wii ones still work fine in both it and my wii, which somehow is still standing strong all these years (had it since I was around 3 or 4 0-0)

I also have a switch pro controller I bought from someone, first few days it worked fine, but damn the Joycon drift hit HARD. I can barely use it anymore, so I'm forced to use only single joy con compatible games, since on top of that, my launch day switch is kind of wearing down a bit. The right slot where you put the right joy con in is loose and a little broken, so goodbye charging right joycons- (I have to charge it with my friends joy con charger at his house when I go there occasionally. everything else still works fine though???)

 

[ReturnofMCH]

just got a sega master system, their first released console in the US (even if the SG1000 predates it) but finding the 3D glasses peripheral where the cords and the plastic on the glasses itself both work/aren’t broken is a nightmare, makes finding a working rob look easy. At least it’s a lot cheaper than the rob as more games supported it so it was on shelves longer.

 

[TheCapsFan]

I've never actually broken a console or controller to the point where it doesn't work anymore or anything like that, but I did break a few hinges on a couple of DS Lites I had as a kid, and the paint is all chipped off the front of my primary New 3DS.

 

[ReturnofMCH]

I've never actually broken a console or controller to the point where it doesn't work anymore or anything like that, but I did break a few hinges on a couple of DS Lites I had as a kid, and the paint is all chipped off the front of my primary New 3DS.

Also same, which only annoys me more as a retro collector when people can’t take good care of their consoles.

 

[Aulos]

I remember the very first Gameboy Advance I got back right after release had some issue, and had to be turned in for a new one.

My Gameboy Advance SP unfortunately must have been bumped at some point as the screen got internally broken. The same thing happened with my Nintendo DS back in 2009 with the top screen and I couldn't play any thing aside from Animal Crossing WW (which almost entirely operated in the bottom screen) until the 3DS came out and I got one. I didn't get to play any Pokemon games released after 2009 until I got the 3DS. =(

 

[TheCapsFan]

Also same, which only annoys me more as a retro collector when people can’t take good care of their consoles.

To be fair, the New 3DS is a red edition, and those are known to have the paint chipping problem. And it's only happened from constant use over the course of 8 years, not mishandling or anything like that. There was nothing I could do once it started :/ But I do have a sizeable collection of 3DS models, the rest of which are in good condition.

With the hinges, it was again constant use, but also because of drops...whoops. I was a kid.

 

[Insanish Danish]

When I was a kid my Game Boy Color fell off the top of my roughly four-feet tall dresser and ever since then the sound never worked quite right. It did still work but it was very faint, even with the volume all the way up. It would sound normal if I put in headphones, though.

Now I'm tempted to get some batteries and see if it still works at all. I haven't used it in close to 20 years now but I've held onto it all these years because I just can't bear to get rid of it lol

 

[Juliyet]

A couple years after I got it, I left my 3ds in my pocket one day and it got rammed hard. Sure enough dead pixels all over the top screen. It chugged along for another 2 years with an obnoxious splotch blocking the screen but it was still usable. But then one day suddenly if you turned it on it would immediately shut off. Deader than dead. I'll miss you my original 3Ds

I have a Wii U, which still technically works, but I don't have a charger for it anymore so the Wii U gamepad is as good as dead, and barel any of the disks work for it either, but the wii ones still work fine in both it and my wii, which somehow is still standing strong all these years (had it since I was around 3 or 4 0-0)

Oh hey! Welcome to the dead Wii u gamepad club! The charger on mine broke and never got around to replacing it.

 

[colours]

O: i don't think i've ever had a video game console break in the sense that it was damaged to the point of it not working, anymore. i tend to take decent enough care of them that, while they won't be in perfect condition, at least i avoid the scenario of any sort of unfortunate accidents causing them to break.

that said, consoles aside, my joycons, as of a few months ago, decided to join the drifting club (alongside my pro controller). after several years of not doing this, i guess this is to be expected, but i guess i'm out of controllers to play the switch with until i buy new ones (that's on the to-do list soon)

 

[Queen Of Space]

My old 3DS top screen broke (like cracked) and i need to get that repaired, and my first switch randomly bricked while playing animal crossing, the speakers were also damaged and the joycons stopped charging off console. My bad console luck does seem to be running out luckily. (the same cannot be said for controllers though)

 

[Proxima Centauri B]

All my systems except for my 3DS and 3DS XL were lost to flooding in my mother's basement a few years ago. It royally sucks.

 

[Princess Viola]

My PS2 Slim doesn't read discs anymore, I know there's ways to fix it but I haven't gotten around to it in all these years.

Relatedly, like half the buttons on both of my DualShock 2 controllers for said system don't work anymore either.

The hinges on both of my DS Lites (my OG white one that got stolen out of backpack when I was 13 and the replacement blue one I still have to this day) both broke

The hinge on my original 3DS also broke and then one day, I accidentally dropped the console onto the floor while it was open and it broke in two - only console I've had that 100% broke with no way to repair it at all.

 

[mastermind lissi]

Not sure if this goes here but I remember my brother breaking our super Mario 3d world disc on the Wii u and I didn’t trust his with discs ever again and it took a while for me to trust him with switch cartridges. Thankfully, we had close to no save data on it, but it was still really annoying.

 

[Trainer Gabriel]

The battery cover of my old GBC chipped and could not be reattached, but it still fit right on in place and, with my hands covering the spot anyway, it still felt like it was straight on while using it. I don't quite remember if the system itself broke, but I did eventually toss it because the buttons started to feel too rough on my fingers, whether because they were getting worn down or I was just getting too used to later Nintendo handheld system buttons, and I found I could no longer tolerate the dim screen compared to the built-in lighting of later systems. Also, I believe the same issue also happened to my original GBA. Lol

On my first Nintendo DS, the tip of the stylus chipped off, but it was still working otherwise. The touch screen on the system somehow later seemed to get misaligned when using it, too. Otherwise, the system didn't deteriorate completely, though I did eventually turn it in for store credit, since I have a DSi that still doesn't have either of the aforementioned issues to this day.

My first OG Xbox console died after after some time using it. Likewise, my Xbox 360 got the infamous Red Ring of Death, and after a few simple fixes, I eventually just gave up on it. I did buy used replaces for both consoles, which I still own now.

Beyond that, my family's first Wii stopped reading discs, and we eventually got rid of that. But my parents later bought me a new red Wii for Christmas many years ago now.