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I love playing my Nintendo DS Lite in the bathroom (pre-wipe of course) and it’s something I look forward to each day, especially at work because it’s really the only private alone time I get at work.
Last night I was at work late at Starz Animation in Toronto (ya I know, I completely neglected to blog about coming to Toronto to continue working on 9 and instead I’m blogging about playing video games on the toilet, but that’s just the way I roll…). Anyway, I was at work late and I had to wait to use the bathroom until after the cleaning lady had finished in there. I didn't want to look like a slacker so I resisted the urge to play my DS at my desk, but as soon as the cleaning lady was done, I flicked on my DS and headed into a stall for a little Mario Kart DS action. The toilet seat was still wet from the cleaning lady’s wipedown, so I set down my DS, already open and powered up, on top of the big double-roll TP dispenser and reached down to grab some TP to wipe off the seat. When I pulled on the TP to tear off a piece, the whole side of the dispenser flipped open, dumping my DS and one of the rolls of TP straight into the toilet.
In dazed disbelief, I stood there, staring down through the tube of the TP roll, which was too big to actually fall into the toilet, and I watched my precious electronic device sink deeper into the clean clear toilet water, still displaying the race-track fly-over animation. As the DS hit bottom, I snapped out of my stupor and sprang into action. I tossed aside the TP roll but shock set in again when I saw the beautiful glowing Dual Screens, for which the DS is named, fizzle out and dim to a barely visible frozen image of Yoshi at the starting line, his opponents just starting to speed away.
My heart sank as I plunged my hand into the toilet and snatched up my DS. It was dripping wet, a small piece of TP clinging to the top screen still displaying the same dim frozen frame. I flicked off power switch, grabbed some TP from the fallen roll and started to wipe off the DS, but it just seemed too wet.
"It's ruined," I thought. "There's no point." So I set the DS on top of the sticky Canadian Maxim magazine on the tank behind the toilet (where I should've set down my DS in the first place), wiped off the toilet seat, which was even wetter from the splash, pulled down my pants, and sat down. But nothing happened. It was as if my bowels were telling, "sure we waited a long time for the cleaning lady to finish in the bathroom, and sure we just about crapped ourselves when the DS fell into the toilet, but I'm gonna hold the fort down here while you use that brain of ours up there to figure out how to fix this so stop wasting our time sitting here moping and dry the damn thing off!!!"
So I pulled up my pants and ran out to find some paper towels. I took everything out of the DS that I could (DS game card, GBA rumble pack card, stylus, battery), dried it all off with towels and left the parts out to air-dry. I wished I had the special Nintendo "tri-wing" proprietary screwdriver so that I could fully disassemble it because it was clearly soaked inside and out. I was too impatient to see if it was still working, so after an hour of letting it air-dry, I put the battery back in and turned it on. The top screen was dim and flickering and after a few seconds it faded to black.
I thought for sure that I had just shorted out the DS, but I wasn't ready to give up so I collected the parts and ran back to my hotel room, where I remembered seeing a hair dryer in the bathroom. I used the hair dryer to blow-dry it inside and out for a good 10 minutes and then I left the DS disassembled over night, resisting the temptation to test it again.
I didn't have much hope the next morning as I put my DS back together, but when I turned it on everything seemed back to normal. Both screens were fully illuminated and the flickering was gone. After 30 minutes of testing it out I was convinced that my DS had completely dried out and survived full submersion in water without any permanent damage.
I swear, Nintendo makes a damn fine product.
And I've learned my lesson. I still play my DS in the bathroom but I keep it in my pocket until I sit down and I put it back in my pocket before wiping. I bet no one will ever want to play with my DS after reading this...
0_0
(someone's gotta comment here right?)
R
Thanks!
The reason I'm commenting is because the first time I dropped my DS, it was also in the toilet. I too take my DS into the bathroom, though not at work or public places. (I'm one of those people that doesn't like to poop in public restrooms. =P )
Anyway, I was at home one day in the bathroom, playing Phantom Hourglass. I closed it into sleep mode and put it down on the floor so I could wipe and such. I had done all that and flushed, and for some reason I decided to pick up my DS before pulling up my pants. When I reached back down to pick up my pants, the DS slipped out of my hand and into the toilet. I was like, "Aaaaaaaaaaah!" and I snatched it back with the reflexes of a hummingbird.
I quickly opened it up, and was relieved/intrigued by what I saw. The screen was distorted and almost off, but the game music was still playing like normal. On a hunch, I pushed the start button, and I heard the sound that meant the pause screen had come up. I touched the screen where I knew it said "save", and I proceeded to save and quit the game totally from my memory of where the buttons were on the screen. I then turned it off and took it apart like you did, wiping every little part with a towel. I let it all air dry for a day, then I played it again. The screen started out a little funny-looking, but after a very short time it blipped back to normal and, until my clumsy performance today, it's been working fine ever since.
So, to recap -- it can survive aquatic conditions, but linoleum floors might give it a run for its money. =P
Anyways, I just wanted to let you know you're not the only one who plays your DS in the bathroom, or drops it in the toilet. XD
and goodbye to my R4DS(IF U KNOW WHAT IT IS)...But my Ds didn't survive...
HELP I did too and i can't find a screw driver to fit the back CRY HELP HELP PLZTwo of the screws on the back of the DS fit the special nintendo "tri-wing" screwdrivers, which I didn't have either, but the screw to the battery panel is a regular philips head screw, though it's very very small, so I used a small screwdriver from my eyeglasses repair kit.
Try to find a tiny philips screwdriver (with a X cross tip), take out the battery, dry it off, then use a hairdryer on the lowest heat setting and hopefully your DS will work after drying it out overnight like mine did. Resist the temptation to test your DS while it is drying. Do NOT put the battery back in and turn it on until it has had a chance to air-dry to at least 12 hours.
If it still doesn't work after air-drying for 12 hours, give it a few more hours. Also, you might need to recharge the battery fully.
Good luck,
Josh
I have a nintendo ds i dropped it in my toilet all i did was leave it on my bed i told my mom she said she would buy me one again!It's probably worth it to try to dry out your DS to see if it works. Who knows, maybe it'll work and you'll save your mom $150.
I have taken it apart as much as I can.. banged water out and towel dried and blow dried it as best I can. I guess all I can do now is sit back and wait.. and PRAY we have luck with it still working properly. As far as his saved stuff.. I dont care if it is gone and I dont think he does either.. I just want the damn thing to still work!!
SIGH....
My 4 yr old son just dropped his new DS in the toilet.Wow, Mad Mommy, you're the 3rd person in as many days who's commented on my blog with a wet DS.
...
I guess all I can do now is sit back and wait.
Ya, you'll probably just have to wait for like 12 hours to let it air-dry. I highly suggest that you take out the battery (using a tiny philips screwdriver on the back panel) if you haven't already.
Good luck and let me know if it works,
Josh
PS - the last person who commented a few days ago was happy to report that her DS worked after she let it air-dry overnight, though she had to recharge the battery before it worked.
I called Nintendo, told them exactly what happened. They offered to fix it for $57.50 but suggested I try to return it to the store with the receipt since I just got it.
I took it to the store, they never asked why it didnt work (or I would have said) they just simply replaced it with a new one.
NOW.. consequences of NO DS or Wii time if I catch any of my kids with their DS's near or in the bathroom or kitchen! I am not going through this headache again.
Thanks for the tips though!!! :o)


