The defect isn't detrimental to the enjoyment of DS gaming, and in fact it doesn't look like the crack does anything but put a blemish on your system's sleek exterior. At IGN, we have several DS Lite systems from the Japan, US, and European release. Only one of these units has the crack defect.
Still, this appearance is steadily making gamers uneasy, and it's a problem that's risen so much in the past few days that Nintendo of America has issued a statement concerning the problem:
"In the U.S., the reported number of small cosmetic cracks in the plastic hinge of DS Lite systems represents less than 0.02 percent of the total units sold. This cosmetic issue in no way impacts the gameplay or integrity of the DS Lite. Nintendo stands behind the quality of our products and encourages DS Lite owners to contact our Customer Service Department if they are not happy with the functionality of their systems."
Nintendo can be contacted at 1-800-255-3700.