The L button on my DS broke

It doesn't respond when I press the button. Anyone got any ideas (Do not suggest licking it slightly because I tried that and from what I hear that only brings harm)

hmm..I suppose you could open it up ,and see if any internal part is damaged

I think everyone knows someone that this has happened to. :p

You could always make do for now and then buy a 3DS? Release is but a stone's throw away.

Normally is the R button lol

It just means that the spring isnt in place so just take a q-tip or something thin and clean out the dirt for a quick fix. It only works for about 50 presses till it has to be done again but it worked for me. (Assuming its a DS lite)

my ds has this problem lol, but it's actually on and off for me. it works when it wants to.

an easy solution would be to just emulate it on a computer and find a decent controller to map the buttons too...

This happened to me too, but it randomly started working again. Then it happened to my R button. Then after that, the right hinge on my DS Lite broke somehow. So I ended up getting a new DS eventually

L button on my DS, and DS Lite don't work. Playing Megaman Zero and dashing like hell to get a good time can do that to you DS...Or just pushing the L and R button too much. Both my warranties have expired but I haven't bothered to open them up...

Same thing happened to my DS, makes playing pokemon a bitch

The number of grown men that regularly play pokemon alarms me..

It's worse when you play Metroid: Prime Hunters...

same

I have to slide the switch 200 times until it turns off.

I've heard if you let your mouth dry out and then carefully blow into the shoulder of the DS it can help clean it out. Try it at your own risk though, since I've never needed to try it or anything else, and of course if you really need/want it fixed before the 3DS is released you can always send it for repairs.

If it's within warranty send it off for a service otherwise it's time to upgrade or try to fix it yourself.

btw I managed to partially open up my DS, yes it is a lite. I actually pushed the button beneath the L button during a game. I've got nothing so the operation was a failure and all I got was a stripped triwing screw.

sucks for you, had simillar problems with mine, i have to push the button really hard. and yes many grown men play pokemon, including myself

At first it was spotty then it slowly went to unresponsive. I also fear the same will happen to my R button as well.