So I know consoles which use discs sometimes have unplayable preowned games at Gamestop and such. However, do preowned DS games suffer from the same thing? Do they become glitchy/unplayable over time? Is it safe to buy preowned DS games or better to stick with new?

No, it should be pretty much all or nothing for a cartridge. Either it will boot up and play fine or it won't start at all. Discs are problematic because they can get weird scratches that prevent the laser from reading certain parts of the disc. As long as all of the pins on the cartridge are there and aren't corroded or something, then they should work 100%.

Hahaha.

No they don't degrade. All DS cartridges are just slightly modified memory cards. In fact there's far less chance of a DS cart getting damaged over time than with a DVD/Bluray disc.

Occasionally you'll get a DS cart with a a "save" already on it. But you can delete these and start the game over.

There you go. Enjoy.

Alright, thanks man.

Perhaps duder had heard about the old gameboy and some GBA cartridges going bad when the battery inside them dies.

Either way, no such issues with the DS carts.

No. However, unlike discs, save batteries can die. However, if taken care of well they'll last for quite a while.

DS carts use flash memory, no batteries required.

GBA carts on the other hand... all of my stupid Pokemon games quit working :-(

@toowalrus: The battery can be replaced with the right tools, however. I imagine, however, that you need steady hands for that.

Unless the cart itself is damage, then no. I've had friends who have bought games with fucked up carts before and they not register in the DS at all. So just pay attention to the cart shell itself and you should be fine.

Toowalrus is right. DS carts use flash memory. If there's a battery in your DS cart, it's likely a bootleg. I must have gotten lucky as I replaced an old SNES cart battery and the saves stayed on there.

EDIT: TO answer the OP's question, you're safe buying carts used. Just make sure the shop has a return policy or have them test it before hand if it's pricey. For chains like Gamestop, they have to take it back if it's bad.

Simple, and relitive awnser is no.

Long, and techinicl awnser is Yes*

* = They do, but just like anything will, flash memory can only be rewritten seveal hundred thousand times. But the idea that you would save your game a hundred thousand times is kind of weird. I doubt the guy before you has saved their game a hundred thousand times. This is more of a problem for Cameras or for MP3 players, where people keep changing the songs, and it keeps changing the data every time you play a song, or copying and deleting pictures.

Alright, thanks guys. Helped a bunch. Giant Bomb's community is really friendly and responsive :)

Fixed that for you.

Well my experience has been friendly so far ... Uh oh.

Ooops. I assumed that DS carts saved the same way that GBA carts did.

Oh, well.

EDIT: Also, most used games places - Gamstop included - have return policies. If you buy a game that doesn't work, you can take it back up there and say something along the lines of "yo, motherfuckers, this game don't work."

@bobgnarly: Most people on here are pretty cool, but you're bound to run into the occasional asshole. I wouldn't call the community friendly by any means, but there is certainly a level of togetherness this site has like no other. (Certain unfortunate events that were revealed earlier this week are prime examples of this)

Welcome to the site though!

Thanks! Is this the Ryan Davis guy?