Homebrew DSi (not XL) poor build quality typical?

[romanaOne]

I got another DSi off ebay for like $20. It came with some nice accessories but needed to be downgraded from 1.4.5U.
(My old DSi has contact problems with a lot of carts and both shoulder buttons stopped working long ago. It is also completely unhackable without a hardmod b/c there is no DSi ware installed.)

So after thoroughly testing L anr R, I carefully downgraded my new old DSi to 1.4.

I tried out some olde flashcarts:
iTouch2 black screens with the blurb about an error having occurred. iSmartDS is not seen at all. Gateway Blue (R4 something with wood-looking UI) works perfectly. DSTwo+ works perferly. I get pretty much the same results as in my old DSi stuck on 1.4.5 but it does not see iTouch2 at all and DSTwo+ intermittently black screens at startup (contact problem?)

About half of my real DS games work in the DSi units. They all work in two different DSi XL units I tested. Seems like DSi slots (and R and L buttons) just fall apart faster than DSi XL?

 

[windwakr]

Are all the games the same region as the DSi? Non DSi-enhanced games are all region free, but (most?) DSi-enhanced ones are region locked and won't show up in a DSi or 3DS of a different region.

 

[MiguelinCrafter]

Are all the games the same region as the DSi? Non DSi-enhanced games are all region free, but (most?) DSi-enhanced ones are region locked and won't show up in a DSi or 3DS of a different region.

You sure bout that?

 

[tozevleal]

To be honest i see my New 3ds XL and the materials used look more cheap and easy to break than my DSi XL, the main issue i have on my 3ds its the speakers, if i max it out... the sound gets a little distorted... not a big of deal, if i slide the volume to 80% the sound turns ok, but generaly i like plastic used on the bottom part of the DSi XL... feels rigid.
And still in 2018, my DSi looks almost like new... well the backplate has some scratches but its totaly normal for a portable console that stays on your pocket everyday for playing games.
Another thing i would point out its the battery! The battery on the DSi XL is great! I still have the original one and the battery can last +- 8h or 10h (depending if i have my power hungry DSTWO flashcard)
Comparing with my New 3ds that i bought in 2017 the battery only lasts the same 8h... the funny part is, when i got my DSi XL brand new, the battery could last more than 15h... Ohhh boy, great times


I don't know if its interesting to say... but i got my DSi XL brand new in 2011 (yep... i choosed to get a DSi XL than a 3ds)
PS:. my 3ds is OK, i didn't smash it xD
PS2:. i know that was for the normal/tiny DSi ... but i found out interesting to point out i guess :S ... and sorry if it got really off-topic

 

[SimonMKWii]

I got another DSi off ebay for like $20. It came with some nice accessories but needed to be downgraded from 1.4.5U.
(My old DSi has contact problems with a lot of carts and both shoulder buttons stopped working long ago. It is also completely unhackable without a hardmod b/c there is no DSi ware installed.)

So after thoroughly testing L anr R, I carefully downgraded my new old DSi to 1.4.

I tried out some olde flashcarts:
iTouch2 black screens with the blurb about an error having occurred. iSmartDS is not seen at all. Gateway Blue (R4 something with wood-looking UI) works perfectly. DSTwo+ works perferly. I get pretty much the same results as in my old DSi stuck on 1.4.5 but it does not see iTouch2 at all and DSTwo+ intermittently black screens at startup (contact problem?)

About half of my real DS games work in the DSi units. They all work in two different DSi XL units I tested. Seems like DSi slots (and R and L buttons) just fall apart faster than DSi XL?

Absolutely! The original DSi was terribly built. The shoulder buttons usually wore off after ~2 years of use!

DSi XL fixed the problem, it uses a much more rigid button mechanism.

 

[Arnold0]

Well about DSi L/R buttons, I replaced them in mine in November and didn't play the console that much (Most time I played it, it was for Mario Kart DS on wiimmfi, yeah that uses L/R a lot but anyways the buttons are meant to be used) and the buttons are already starting to break... Well maybe it was a bad quality replacement part but still for it to be breaking in 2 months...

But L/R buttons breaks on DSLites and 3DSes too, so unless you consider DSLites and 3DS to be low quality, I guess DSi is not worse (nor better) in that regard. This kind of small buttons breaking also happen on phones, even expensive ones.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I got another DSi off ebay for like $20. It came with some nice accessories but needed to be downgraded from 1.4.5U.
(My old DSi has contact problems with a lot of carts and both shoulder buttons stopped working long ago. It is also completely unhackable without a hardmod b/c there is no DSi ware installed.)

So after thoroughly testing L anr R, I carefully downgraded my new old DSi to 1.4.

I tried out some olde flashcarts:
iTouch2 black screens with the blurb about an error having occurred. iSmartDS is not seen at all. Gateway Blue (R4 something with wood-looking UI) works perfectly. DSTwo+ works perferly. I get pretty much the same results as in my old DSi stuck on 1.4.5 but it does not see iTouch2 at all and DSTwo+ intermittently black screens at startup (contact problem?)

About half of my real DS games work in the DSi units. They all work in two different DSi XL units I tested. Seems like DSi slots (and R and L buttons) just fall apart faster than DSi XL?

I don't think it's really related to build quality. Whoever had it before probably slammed cartridges in there or inserted them wrong causing the pins to be bent. You can try to bend them back carefully.

 

[romanaOne]

To be honest i see my New 3ds XL and the materials used look more cheap and easy to break than my DSi XL, the main issue i have on my 3ds its the speakers, if i max it out... the sound gets a little distorted... not a big of deal, if i slide the volume to 80% the sound turns ok, but generaly i like plastic used on the bottom part of the DSi XL... feels rigid.
.
.
.

Amazing how things keep getting shittier: the New 2DS XL speakers make the N3DS XL ones seem wonderful.