Nintendo’s new combination home and portable entertainment console, the Switch, was recently released and is currently in short supply. Some users of the highly-sought after console have reported that the LCD screens of some units contain dead pixels, which is not an unusual phenomenon for consumer electronics displays. Although dead pixels, which appear as tiny discolored dots on screen’s displays, are tough to spot and can be easily ignored, some consider their presence a major distraction and an indicator of a defective device.
Although Nintendo acknowledges that some of its Switch units will inevitably display dead pixels, it denies the significance of their presence. On Nintendo’s official troubleshooting page, the company describes “small numbers of stuck or dead pixels” as “characteristic of LCD screens,” and describes them as “normal.”
As manufacturing techniques have evolved over time, dead pixels are less prevalent than they used to be. But, for a large manufacturer like Nintendo, some number of displays containing defective pixels are inevitable. Different manufacturers have different policies for how to handle customer complaints of dead pixels; HP, for instance, describes in detail its process for differentiating between defective and acceptable displays, and for some displays, the company “guarantees zero bright dots.” And, according to a leaked internal document, Apple has a zero-tolerance policy for pixel anomalies on the smaller displays it manufactures, and a higher tolerance for larger displays.
Although Nintendo officially claims that small numbers of dead or stuck pixels are permissible, unlike some other manufacturers, they do not specify exactly what number of anomalous pixels per display are accepted. Gizmodo has reached out to Nintendo for comment, but as of the time of this writing, has not received a response.
Although Nintendo’s response seems to indicate to users that they should approach the issue of having dead pixels on their displays by ignoring the problem, the exact nature of their response to individual complaints is likely to be determined on a case-by-case basis. As such, it’s in the best interest of consumers who are dissatisfied with the displays on their Switch consoles to reach out to Nintendo’s customer support anyway, despite their vague assertion that dead pixels are largely a non-issue. Depending on how serious the issue is, the company is likely to perform whatever service it deems reasonable to resolve the problem.
Following the 2004 release of the Nintendo DS, a somewhat similar portable gaming device, the company released a similar statement about dead pixels on that device, but conceded that if consumers noticed a problem with their displays within the one-year warranty period, the company would be willing to inspect and, if needed, repair the device for free. It’s likely that disgruntled Switch users would be offered the same treatment, given Nintendo’s popularity and commitment to customer satisfaction.
Nintendo’s announcement about dead pixels has inspired much debate on internet forums such as Reddit. Although many users suggest that dead pixels should be of little concern, others indicated their disappointment at the news, citing the cost of the console and their expectations of quality from a company of Nintendo’s size and reputation. Many users of Reddit suggested that consumers should attempt to bring their devices back to the retailers from which they purchased them instead of contacting Nintendo directly, as retailers are likely to have different policies for dealing with dead pixels than Nintendo.
Consumer response to dead pixels range from not even noticing their presence to considering them a deal-breaker and a major disappointment. Although the issue may seem relatively innocuous to most, enthusiasts of consumer electronics and fans of Nintendo can have strong opinions to the contrary, as indicated by the surprising amount of conversation about the issue generated on the Internet.
Featured image via Wikimedia
