I think the little nub just wore down or something. I never ever lost it once for four years straight, but one day it just fell out and after that I'd occasionally pick up my DS to find that the stylus wasn't in the slot, but somewhere on the ground nearby. One day it got lost forever. It was annoying because I couldn't find any that would fit the bulky gray DS in any stores and at the time I didn't have the means to shop online. I just cleaned out a mechanical pencil and used that.