Well, I got my DSi on launch and it has usually been working fine without problems. However, something happened to the Left trigger, the L button, that it won't make the usual clicky noise that it is supposed to make and it feels squishy to press. The DSi doesn't recognize that I'm pressing the L button at all. Sometimes the R button is not detected either but it still clicks properly unlike the L trigger.

I really don't want to get a new DSi since I'll lose all the games I downloaded onto the current one. Help would be much appreciated!

On my ds lite, the r button started to mess up a little bit, and on my dsi, i usually have to press on the b button a little harder than the other buttons.

Oh great... not much consolation for you, but I hope that's a rare defect on the DSi. My Lite's shoulder buttons screwed up, as did those of many owners, and so far I've been quite happy with the clicky responsiveness of the DSi, thinking I was finally free of that dead-shoulder-button tendency of the Lite.

I HIGHLY recomend buying a case of some sort for your dsi or whatever DS you have, from experince the L/R buttons on handhelds break way to easaly and a case prevents that.

Smae thing happened to mine....Just Contact nintendo and get them to send you a new one when you send your in.. Exactly what I did
And you wont lose your dowloafded games you can download them again for FREE

And under warranty of course

For the DS Lite, try mounting your lips on the L or R button and blow into the buttons. This will get rid of any dust that's been lying in the buttons. It worked for me, and whenever they stop working, just do it again.

Blowing will work for a while on the DS Lite, but eventually that stopped being effective as well. Or, it would work only for a minute or so and then need it again, to the point where I really couldn't play a game that relied on the shoulder buttons. I sold my Lite before I bought my DSi, however, and got a good price for it even though I explained the problem in great detail.

same thing happened to my Lite's shoulder buttons
The L and R buttons were working perfectly until one day..it suddenly didn't responded!
and i was in the middle of a game called Mario and Lugi:Partners in Time where unfortunately you have to use the R button to do a certain task! (to change the player's action... specifically turn jump action into Drilling Action so you can get underground)
then i sold the game cause i wouldn't able to play it anyway..but then the R started working again!
which is both a good and a bad thing

ARGHHHHH!

Yea, I dropped my lite onto gravel and a week or two later R stopped working. So, I went and traded it in for store credit for a new one. My DSi still works great, even after my "friend" yanked his sweater out with my DSi in it, causing it to smash against the ground and scratch heavily. I am no longer friends with him for this reason and many more. He's a bit of a head case. And a gigantic jerk.

Blow on it. My DS lite's L button stopped working, so I googled around and blowing on it did the trick.

oh my god! it does work !
my lite's L button hasn't been working for ages but now it's working!!!
oh my god!!!
now i'll finally be able to play roogoo attack!!!

Thanks, the blowing fixed the R button that messed up sometimes. The L still doesn't work at all though. I think it's doomed...

@JustYourAverageBleh: That's what I was like when I tried it, LOL.

@zss_shadow: Yay/No!! That's too bad. Sounds like it's really broke. Still, you might try blowing at it from different angles.

My DSi L botton doesn't work so well either. Mine doesn't make the clicky noise, and I have to hold it down a bit to get it to be recognized.

You know, ever since you posted this I started wondering about those L & R buttons. I don't think I ever use mine except to snap photos. I guess I've not come across any games that needed it?

Sounds like, from the discription you gave, the tact switch under the L Button got dislocated.

Blowing on it won't help you, you may want to consider calling Nintendo, or if you don't my voiding a warranty or two, crack open the case and fix it yourself.

Dang. Are you sure it would void a warranty? I'd much rather do it myself than send it to Nintendo, but if the warranty is at stake, I'm not so sure...

The L/R buttons get some use in TWEWY (switching between sub/main pins?), and I know they get use in SMT: Devil Survivor (checking stats during battle), LoZ: Phantom Hourglass (using held item?), and Moon (firing)... there's probably more games that use the L button as something important as well, though there are games where you can use the stylus or a different button instead (the Ace Attorney series, Star Fox Command, etc.). :3

I blew in my l button on my DS (which stopped responding, i think due to pressing l to fire all the time in my craze for metroid hunters at the time) and after blowing a few times it worked, if you dont do it right though, you can damage your system.