Gamer’s Nintendo 3DS Case Crumbles to Dust

Sure thing. Here we go:

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Picture this—you’re digging through some old stuff, right? Nostalgia trip. And bam! You find a Nintendo 3DS case, all wrapped up like a time capsule. But here’s the kicker: you open it, and poof! It’s dust. Yeah, really. Just… dust. Kinda like opening a treasure chest and finding it full of sand. Not what you expect from good ol’ Nintendo gear.

Nintendo stuff, man, it’s built tough (mostly). A case for your 3DS was like putting a helmet on a tank. You didn’t really need it, but hey, why not? Protect that baby from a nasty fall or give it some bling without messing up the original look. But now, turns out, you might wanna check on those cases if you’ve kept any tucked away. Just in case they’re secretly planning a vanishing act.

So, there’s this dude, Randolph Co (found it through NintendoSoup, no less). He’s got this Dragon Quest 8 3DS case, sealed up tight since… forever? Opens it, fully expecting it to be mint, and instead, he finds it’s a crumby mess. Like, what happened, right? The outside looks brand new, but inside? Total dust storm. The colors were supposed to be vibrant—slimes everywhere! Blue, green, and brown. But no, gone. Like a forgotten memory, poof.

You gotta wonder, what the heck happened here? Well, let’s see. The thing’s made out of TPU—thermoplastic what’s-it-called. It’s that fancy, biodegradable stuff. Supposedly good for the planet, but maybe not great if you want your gear to outlive the cockroaches. This stuff’s supposed to be compost by year five. Considering this case dropped in 2015? Yeah, it’s been about a decade. Oops.

Biodegradable’s cool and all, but when it comes to collecting stuff, it kinda feels like a jab to the chest, doesn’t it? Maybe they figured no one would actually hang onto these cases forever. I mean, who plans for a 3DS to be a relic? Or maybe they thought the cases would get thrashed and need recycling anyway. Some collectors out there are probably lucky—if their cases were made from, I dunno, something more… permanent? But if you’re holding onto any for old time’s sake, might wanna check ’em out.

Since we’re talking 3DS, it launched back in 2011. Feeling old? Yeah, me too. Could be a lot of other cases out there pulling the disappearing act. Who knew gaming memorabilia could turn into dust bunnies on us? Crazy times.

Anyway—wait… no, I think I’m done here. Go check your stuff. Or don’t. Whatever floats your boat.