Nintendo Responds: The Only Solution To Switch’s Bent Dock, Scratched Screen
Scratched Nintendo Switch screens and bent docks are abound. Nintendo responds and gives the only solution to the issue.
The Nintendo Switch has just been out for days but issues have already been raised regarding the device. We’ve heard from Engadget about the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons losing sync and connection, about dbrand recalling their Nintendo Switch skins, and the dissatisfaction of users about the Switch’s measly local memory and limiting save game data system.
But one of the standouts in the several issues surrounding the Nintendo Switch are the reports of users, who are finding their Nintendo Switch screens scratched after docking.
Heavy reports that users are turning to various forums as Reddit and NeoGAF to talk about their experience with the docking mode of the Nintendo Switch. If you’re a Nintendo Switch user and haven’t heard of the reports, it looks like some players have noticed scratches on their screen after docking the device.
Interestingly, however, Nintendo’s North American president Reggie Fils-Aimé tells Time that the issue of the scratched screens has never come up in the hundreds of tests and events they conducted throughout the year.
“We have done, as you know, literally hundreds of events, starting with our activity back in January, and most recently the various tours that we continue to take the system out on. As soon as I heard of this report, I asked my teams, ‘Have we seen this in our own experience?’ And the candid answer has been no.
“So throughout all of those experiences, throughout all the docking and undocking we’ve done, we haven’t seen it. So this is one where if it is happening, we want to understand more as to what the specific situation is.”
After much debate and discussion, the general consensus is that the scratched screens are a byproduct of bent Nintendo Switch docks. A number of Nintendo Switch users are saying that they noticed their docks a bit bent, which could be causing friction with a part of the Switch’s screen.
Hey for those who have the #nintendoswitch make sure you check your dock to make sure it’s not bent. that’s what’s been scratching screens pic.twitter.com/2f1CGLkP1M
— BMU | Dingus Joe (@DJdingus) March 10, 2017
Due to the concern building up around the issue, Nintendo Switch users who have been victims of the bent dock issue and those who want to keep their screens from getting scratched went to the IGN boards to discuss some fixes and workarounds they found for their Nintendo Switch TV docks.
Some users are cutting out strips of microfiber cloth or even moleskin foot padding roll, and sticking it the backside of the dock’s faceplate, which is the side that comes into contact with the Nintendo Switch’s screen.
#NintendoSwitch dock can scratch people’s screens. My solution is strips of microfiber cloth with double sided tape.
Fix this @Nintendo. pic.twitter.com/wHwPFNXhSq
— Xbudz™ (@Xbudz) March 4, 2017
Others, however, are cautioning against sticking anything inside the dock as padding as this only makes the space for the dock tighter for the Switch to fit easily inside, in the end, magnifying the chances of scratching.
User appleofenlightenment posts the following on NeoGAF.
“Sticking felt / cushioning to the inside of the dock will INCREASE the potential for scratching the screen:
“1. Over time, felt and textile materials can easily attract and hold dust particles. Tiny particles of dust can on a micro level be abrasive, sand like and scratch the screen.
“2. Cushioning the inside of the dock with textile material will make the space in the dock tighter for Switch to fit inside, and thus magnifying the chances of scratching.”
And the post actually makes sense since the piece of cloth that will be stuck inside the faceplate couldn’t be cleaned, which, in the long run, would cause more friction with the Nintendo Switch’s screen.
This has led to other users asking the following.
“This might be crazy, but has anyone attempted to just cut the front part of the dock off?”
User MrFlooD took the risk and decided to rip the front part of the Nintendo Switch dock off, which didn’t cause him any problems. In fact, he notes that it’s easy to remove “as long as you have a Y-Tip screwdriver.” You’ll just be left with an ugly Nintendo Switch, however, that has its warranty voided.
So if you’re experiencing this docking problem with your own Nintendo Switch, better yet, heed Nintendo’s one and only solution, which is to contact their support center right away.
“At Nintendo, we take great pride in creating quality products and we want our consumers to have a positive experience. It is common with any new innovative consumer technology for consumers to have questions, and Nintendo Switch is no exception. There are no widespread technical problems, and all issues are being handled promptly, including the reports regarding the left Joy-Con Bluetooth connection. To best support our customers, we continuously update the online consumer support site and provide real-time answers to the questions we are receiving. We want our consumers to get up and running quickly to have fun with Nintendo Switch, and if anything falls short of this goal we encourage them to contact Nintendo’s Consumer Service team. For help with any hardware or software questions, please visit: http://support.nintendo.com.”
In fact, that would be the best course of action since Nintendo will replace your Nintendo Switch if you’ve encountered the said issue. Users like r3dflame reports on Reddit that he had a bent dock that was causing scratches on his Nintendo Switch screen and has sent this unit back to Nintendo Support for a replacement.
As Nintendo has clarified, the number of devices that are plagued with the issues are not significant, which means they will not be issuing a widespread recall. And if you’re eager to get a new dock, then you’re out of options as well, as Nintendo has removed the listing for the Nintendo Switch Dock on its online store, due to insufficient stock, Game Rant reports.
[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]
