What Broke First?

[SullyMcGully]

Over the years, I've owned my fair share of different video game consoles, and I've come to notice that, no matter how well-built they are and how carefully I treat them, something eventually breaks. Either that, or maybe something wears off, begins malfunctioning, or gets lost. So, I figured I would make this thread in so we can all share our experiences with our consoles, handhelds, and other devices.

Here's my experience:

Nintendo 2DS: Rubber coating on Circle Pad wore off

Nintendo Wii: Plastic piece covering Gamecube components broke off

Nintendo Gamecube: Piece of exhaust vent cover chipped off

Nintendo 64: Nothing. This console has been used and abused for twenty years and could still pass as new with a bit of dusting.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Developed a weird issue where touching the surface of the console would cause it to erase all save game data on the cartridge. This occurred after it was subjected to water damage during Hurricane Isabelle.

So what was the first thing to go on your favorite console? I look forward to hearing your replies! 

[Shinehollow]

My DS's left speaker doesn't work and on occasion the screen has a bunch of horizontal white lines going across it, which has gotten worse over the years. I dropped it a lot. 

My brother's DS broke along the hinge and the complete right side came off once before I fixed it.

My old 3DS had a broken ribbon that kept turning it off if I pushed the screen past 90 degrees with a popping (sometimes it would at 90, sometimes I could push it the full way and it won't turn off). I had the broken thing for ~6 months before I got a new one, since I couldn't send it in since the warranty had expired and I didn't trust myself to fix it. One of the shoulder buttons, don't remember which, also cut out while the other one would only work on occasion.

Otherwise, I'm pretty good when it comes to keeping home consoles fine.

[Konnor97]

I broke a Gamecube controller by slamming it on the ground too hard because something pissed me off. It just stopped working.
My GBA SP's backlight blew out or something, and the image would stay on for a second or so when I turned it off. Also my dog got a hold of it one day and broke the A button.
It didn't really break per say, but because I kept it on the charger too much the battery expanded and warped the back/bottom panel of my 2nd* 3DS.
A couple generic Gamecube controllers from Gamestop lost the protective rubber on the analog sticks, and one ended up with broken A and Z buttons. One of them doesn't work at all and just vibrates a lot when plugged in.
My PS2 controller has a broken R2 button. I only have a couple SMT games for it though right now, so it's not a huge concern.

*My first one died a week after launch when it just decided to not turn on at all. It wouldn't charge either, and so I had to take it back.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Konnor97

[Rex Glacies]

First DS lite: Touch screen just stopped working. I don't know why, but because we had warranty or something, they sent me a new one.

Second DS lite: The top screen malfunctioned, a hinge fell off making the top part flop up and down, and the D-pad became difficult to use, as did some of the buttons. I don't know why it all broke, but probably just overuse.

Nintendo 64, Wii, and Wii U are all in perfect condition, though some Wiimotes have broken. I don't know what material they made the 64 out of, but they could probably make a space shuttle out of it and the shuttle would survive countless trips to space.

3DS: OK, funny story. So I was on a mission trip to New York City a few years back, and at the end of the trip we visited Coney Island (horrible, money laundering place. Don't visit it.). I had my 3DS in a pocket of my not-very-good pants for pedometer and Streetpass use, and I rode one of the rides- one that went upside down. You can see what happened next. First loop-de-loop, and it fell out. I spent the next hour panicking and filling a useless lost-and-found form (well, my sister did; my hands were far too shakey). And what do you know, one of the mission trip helpers saw the 3DS on the ground just a few feet behind the fence of the ride. He managed to reach it with a conveniently located shovel, and I got it back.

What broke? The SD card reader- and as I had downloaded Awakening, it was quite necessary. One of my dad's friends managed to fix it, but then the circle pad stopped working, and there was a problem with the startup, and a number of other bugs.

New 3DS: Nothing so far. I'm not bringing it on any roller coasters; that's for certain.

[Magical Glace]

My Wii stopped being able to read discs several years ago.  Not that I really need it anymore, I can play Wii games on a Wii U and  GCN games on an actual GCN.  I just can't save transfer FE9 - > 10.

[The DanMan]

DS Lite: right hinge broke and screen progressively became worse.

Wii: Bricked itself trying to get Project M 3.5 up and running.

I'm a young chap, so that's all I can contribute here. 

[Slumber]

I started gaming with the SNES, and my SNES is still in my garage somewhere, probably 100% functional. My original PlayStation (I got the year it came out) is with my sister, my N64 is with my little cousin. I sold my original GameBoy to get my parents to buy a GameBoy Color (Which I also sold). I had an old Tiger Handheld, and my dad spilled Coke on that, but I didn't have much of an attachment to it.

My first, like, real console to ever break was the PS2. I got the dreaded "Disc Read Error" on three separate PS2s. I never got a fully functional PS2 until the Slim came out and finally fixed the problem.

My original GameCube's disc tray got stuck, and it takes a lot of effort to open/close the thing.

My original Xbox's disc tray broke.

My GBA lost sound.

My friend stepped on my first DS, cracking the screen.

My PSP's screen cracked because ???.

Two 360s RRoD'd.

My Wii bricked as I was 75 hours into Xenoblade, cementing my hatred for the game as the idea of replaying it filled me with existential dread.

After that long run of busted consoles, everything's worked fine for me since.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Slumber

[Cetanosaurus]

I've only had 2 console break on me, and it was the PS1 and a PS2. For the ps1, the lens didn't move on the disc anymore no idea how it happened. I've dropped a Snes down a set of stairs, not a scratch, still worked like nothing happened. Those machines we're extremely tough. 

And for the ps2, no idea what happened to it, I was living with 2 other brothers, maybe they know. Came back and it was completely open. I was told  the fan got jammed  or something. 

Oh, and gameboys...at least 2. The screen was so easy to break with an accident, I was a clumsy little devil.

But I'd be less scared to drop a SNES than any other consoles, they seemed to be made with the same materials as a military tank.  I've got a good idea of what would happen if I dropped a PS4 on the ground...Everything seems so frail. Ps3 looks even more fragile.  

Other than that, the ones I owned to myself, didn't have one break. 

[Limstella]

Black Gameboy advance sp - backlight burnt out 

White Wii - I think someone stuck some quarters in the disc slot

Blue 3ds - Back light broke (transferred data to black 3ds)

Blue DS - Still works, just very unstable

Wii U- Wouldn't turn on [repaired]

A ton of gamecube controllers were also broken 

[saisymbolic]

I only have three: my old Sega Genesis, my beloved PS2 and my PS3.

1. Sega Genesis was essentially an heirloom from my uncles. One year, my apartment building caught on fire. Fortunately, our particular apartment only had severe water damage so a majority of our belongings were still usable/safe/undamaged. All my game systems managed to survive even though they were unprotected on an entertainment center. I hadn't bothered to plug the SG for several months, sure it worked as all my other systems still functioned normally. Went over to my sister's house to spend the weekend with her, plugged up the SG and the bastard refused to work anymore. It was trashed with reluctance as I did cherish it.

2. My PS2, however, I am still mourning and it's been about eight years since it's death. I don't know what went wrong, but I think it may have just been time for it to pass away. One afternoon, I attempted to play P3: FES. Disc Read Error. It didn't work, but I brushed it off as the disc was pretty scratched. Tried playing another game. Disc Read Error. Again, I brushed it off as the next game happened to be pretty scratched. One more game - one that was in pretty good condition - and it still didn't work. Disc Read Error. I knew my PS2 that had been with me since 2001 was gone, but I held onto that system, futilely hoping it would play games for me again one day. #RIPS2

3. The PS3 was insult to injury. I managed to get one of the earlier models that could play PS2 games. After years of not being able to play PS2 games, it was a godsend. I got it from Gamestop, and something in the back of my mind told me to get a warranty. Took the thing home and played all my PS2 games on it happily, excited for the years to come. Two days after buying the thing, I decided to play Catherine. When I played it, the game acted like a complete fool - lagged, stalled and locked up on me. I pulled the game out and stopped playing for the night, fed up with it. A niggling feeling bothered me at that time, but I ignored it. Woke up in the morning ready to play. I popped in a game and left the room to make some breakfast. Came back into the room and the screen was still blank. The system turned off or something. Turned on the system again, noticed that it wouldn't stay on. I looked at the light. Saw the Yellow Light of Death. I cried. Took the system back for another newer PS3. I hate the game Catherine now for what it did to me.

Edited May 11, 2017 by saisymbolic

[Wist]

This is a sad thread.

I lent my GBA to my half-brother for a trip, and his father managed to drop it down stone steps. It was a birthday present too...

My father's 80GB PS3 (the mostly PS2 backwards-compatible one) died. The disc drive failed and we replaced it. A year later it died again. Two weeks after the second replacement and the PS3 never booted again. He went all digital with his systems after that.

Oh yeah, my the disc drive in my wife's slim PS3 stopped working literally last week. Nearly forgot because we just swapped in my one.

Everything else seems to still work fine. I'm very careful with my Nintendo handhelds though. I know a lot of people for whom the shoddy hinges failed unnervingly quickly.

 

[Anacybele]

I haven't had a console break or stop working completely, actually. It's because I take good care of them. :)

But the N64 and my original DS came close. The N64 barely works at all while the old regular DS has a half-broken top screen. I dropped it on a hard floor once. But it still works like nothing happened. :P

[Skynstein]

My venerable Sega Genesis purchased in 1991 still works, and my SNES purchased in 1993 still works, too. I sold the SNES, though.

[Skfoos]

I dropped my GBA SP 3 times and now the casing has bits missing from the corners and sides.

But hey, it still works!

Though it can take multiple tries to get games running (and a lot of times the Nintendo logo below GAME BOY is corrupted into pixely bits...), not to mention the battery light now erratically goes from green to red for no reason at all.

[Moblin Major General]

Nintendo DS Lite: Non-functioning L and R Buttons

Nintendo 3DS XL: chunk of plastic missing from beside R Button

Wii: Cover for Gamecube controller ports broke off.

[Magical CC]

My hope, my dream...oh you mean the game consoles. My ps2 controller always die after a while while the machine itself is very long lasting.

[Punished Dayni]

DS light: First the L and R buttons broke. Unfortunately the hinge broke and it no longer works.

PS1: The power lead was eaten by the rabbit.

GBC: The battery connectors don't work. Not sure how to fix.

Pretty sure the PS1 cable broke first.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Dayni

[Armagon]

My Wii's internal fan broke and the system overheated. That's how it broke.

[henrymidfields]

Oh yeah, well my Binding Blade died after 30 uses, and somehow I managed to break Lucina's Falchion in half...

Serious answer: Actually, I don't remember if anything I broke anything myself... I had a SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, N64, a Wii (albeit not used very much), and my 3DS. I did buy a DS which happened to be broken, however - the system registered one of the buttons on the D-pad being perpetually pressed, and having Hilda/Rosa running in one direction when I didn't do anything in Pokémon Black 1/2.

[Reality]

GBC

Nothing went wrong with any of these ever. Internal battery of stuff like Gold/Silver running dry doesn't count.

GBA

Shoulder buttons don't work on 2 SP models. Have a standard model in good condition though. Chargers, link cables, GCN adapters, and a back-light in good condition.

N64

Once had some plastic shrapnel fly out of the console due to overheating. Still functions though. Many memory cards rendered unusable. Pretty sure all game carts work fine, although they occasionally require cleaning/air blowing. Controllers destroyed- 1 Standard Black, 1 Funtastic Purple, 2 third party. 2 standard Gray

GCN 

Discs destroyed- Super Smash Bros, Chibi Robo. Controllers destroyed 1 standard Black.. 1 standard purple. 1 third party. 1 other standard Purple has stick that no longer resets to neutral position. 

Nintendo DS

Shoulder buttons no longer work.

DS lite

3 inoperative. 2 chargers inoperative.

PS1

1 controller broken. 1 multi tap broken. All discs and other hardware remain good condition.

PS2

Discs destroyed- Graffiti Kingdom, Ratchet and Clank: Up your Arsenal, Ape Escape 3.  GTA: San Andreas, and Bully. Additionally Twisted Metal Black. Steambot Chronicles, and World Destruction League: Thunder tanks are heavily scracthed and prone to Crashing.

Wii

3 remotes inoperative. 

Wiii U

Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warriors stuck in a "cannot load DLC, abort load" loop. (This may just be due to using a USB storage device though)

[Nobody]

my OG ds ended up completely wrecked. I got a ds lite to replace it, and it's perfect to this day, though.

My OG 3ds's cicle pad's rubber fell off, but honestly, it didn't make any difference.

My nintendo 64 controller's analogue sticks tended to get broke, but that's usual considering how terrible they were.

Never had any other console of mine break in any way.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Nobody

[The Malign Knight]

PS2 slim and fat: I had both models of the PS2 and both of them died because they couldn't start my games at all.

NDs: I had an original DS, which resisted for quite some years, but I broke it in half: the superior and inferior screen weren't together anymore and, as you would expect, It couldn't be opened anymore. There was also a Ds Lite, which initially just had the screens with a "blue color" (It's hard to explain, but basically, instead of having no colors other than the ones from the various games, It had a strange blue color that mixed with the colors of the games), but due to my child self constantly playing it(I used to play around 6 hours in a day), It eventually stopped to function.

I still have no idea how was I able to give that blue color to my DS Lite's dual screens tough

[Spoiler Alert]

Nintendo DS Lite:  I played for about 6 years before it finally broke.  I tried replacing the battery, but that didn’t help.  After doing some research I figured the wiring had probably loosened inside of the hinge causing the system to fail it’s start-up test.  I'd gone through enough trouble sending for a new battery so I eventually got a new one.

Sony PSP:  This one broke my heart because it was a complete accident.  It was death by water damage.  I placed my PSP down next to my glass of water after deciding to take a break.  I thought it would be better to move the glass, but instead of picking the glass up I knocked it over onto my PSP, which was still ON.  I feel like an idiot to this day over that.

Playstation 2:  I knew it was a matter of time before my PS2 went.  I got it used as a present and it lasted a good 10 years.  I knew it was going after I moved and I tried to play it for the first time since unpacking.  It took a couple of tries before it started, and I figured that my PS2 was probably on it's last legs.  Sure enough, the next time I tried to turn it on it didn’t respond.

Honorable mentions go to my Gameboy Color and my Gamecube.  Both have taken a serious drop onto hard surfaces, but they still work like it never happened.

[Cute Chao]

I've had many different consoles in my time. 

With the ones I still have:

Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Colour, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy SP, DS, 3DS, New 3DS, New New 3DS, PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, PSP, PS Vita, Wii, Wii U, Gamecube...

The only ones suffering issues are the DS and 3DS (not either of the new ones). The shoulder buttons don't always work as they should. Apparently it's a known issue but there's no real cure. I blow into them to make them work temporarily, but it stops working before long. The rest of my consoles are fine :D 

[Zanarkin]

Nintendo Wii: My Wii's disk spinner broke halfway through playing like my 16th run of FE:RD.

Other consoles haven't really broken (they still work really well, even the hinges on my ds lite are still pretty good). I have had really bad luck with gc controllers, but that might be because i never had one of the original nintendo controllers so :shrug:

 

If pc counts, I have fallen many times with my laptop in my backpack (winter is slippery)... they caused a few parts of the cover to break off (one got stuck in the fan and you'd hear it rattle every now and then). I replaced the laptop after a long 4 years of abuse... tried turning it on a few months later, and it was really slow to do anything (might be because the new one has an SSD instead of a hdd).