Noob to DS - complaint #1 (pricks keep out)

KaneRobot

KaneRobot

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So I figured since I don't plan on buying a 360 anytime soon...at least until a price drop, I'd get something to hold me over. Not much interest in the PSP, since I've heard numerous tales of dead pixels, and the higher price is kind of a turn off.

So I was kind of disappointed to see the MK bundle I bought last week contained a DS with a dead pixel right in the center of the top screen. No big deal, brought it back to Circuit City and exchanged it.

This one also has a dead pixel in the top screen.

What the fuck is going on? Am I just unlucky or is this a problem that a lot of people had? I'm getting tired of driving to CC, it's not exactly right up the street.

Besides that I'm enjoying MK quite a bit and I like the system besides this obvious pain in the ass. This is the first Nintendo system I've purchased since the full size/green-and-black graphics Game Boy. If I wind up with another screwed up screen though, I'll probably just pass on it or get a PSP.
 
Ive seen several DS and PSP systems with dead pixels. My DS has a single deal pixel too, though it's on the far right edge of the bottom screen so it's not a problem.

From what I understand, Nintendo will repair/replace the DS for free if you call them about it.
 
Mine doesn't have any dead pixels, and I can't say I've heard of many people at all with any. Looks like you're just very unlucky.
 
I just picked up my DS @ a Target this Sunday... thankfully no dead pixels. Gotta just be dumb luck. Hope it turns out well.
 
The deal pixel is a more common problem in the PSP... it was a rarer case with the DS. My brother's PSP has 5 dead pixels and Sony just told him with live with it. My DS has one, but Nintendo offered to fix it for free but I decided it didn't really bother me (though mine is closer to the right of the top screen). But there's the change of getting a dead pixel with any LCD screen. I'm shocked that you got dead pixels in two systems, that's almost unheard of but there is a chance I guess.

You can try with CC again or call Nintendo. As already mentioned, I believe they fix dead pixels no questions asked, or they did anyway.
 
Ok. Going to run up to CC before it closes. I'll cross my fingers...if it happens again I'll certainly post here. I do dig the system quite a bit, I just want what I'm paying for I guess.
 
I had to exchange for a Blue DS six times at Target before I got one without a dead pixel. Four of my co-workers have the DS too and none have dead pixels, un-lucky me I guess....
 
[quote name='iheartmetal']people are such babies about dead pixels, they occur in all lcd products.[/QUOTE]

I thought I said "pricks keep out." Back to remedial reading for you.

Maybe you're willing to settle, that's your thing. If someone has a dead pixel along the edge of the screen and it's not a big deal, fine. I'd rather have something that works exactly how it's supposed to.
 
[quote name='iheartmetal']people are such babies about dead pixels, they occur in all lcd products.[/QUOTE]


It's funny though- I know it's possible to have them in any LCD product but I don't see very many LCD monitors or screens on portable computers with dead pixels. In fact Ive only ever just seen one that had a pair of them. Seems it's much more common with portable game systems.
 
[quote name='trunks982']i have a dead pixel in my lcd monitor. the thing is that i can barely see it.[/QUOTE]
Now that you've said that I'm checking my screen hehhe.
 
I had a dead pixel right in the middle of the screen. Nintendo fixed it without a problem and it only took around 10 days for everything to get done. Not bad considering that's 8 business days for it to ship, get fixed, and then get it shipped back. Umm... they also gave me a free stylus so woohoo right.
 
I'm not sure the why some are prone to dead pixels and what's different. The turbo express was prone to dead pixels, so was the atari lynx, the gba/sp, as well as the psp and ds. I'm sure most other handhelds have been, but those are the ones I heard multiple complaints about. PSP is actually worse from what I heard in regards to dead pixels.

Its really a problem with lcd screens, though I'm sure the quality of the screen has something to do with it. Age of the system also plays a factor.
 
My DS had a dead pixel too. At first it tormented me to no end, but I discovered you don't really notice it during gameplay anyway (unless it's a darker colored game i.e. Castlevania). Since then I've dealt with it, but I always regret not exchanging it when I had the chance.

Oh yeah, and my DS is one of the titanium launch bundles with the Metroid demo. I had assumed the newer models didn't have this problem.
 
its all about quality...the higher quality the product the less dead pixels...that is why some brands have diff rules regarding lcd screens...if it is commercial it is of the highest quality and has a zero tolerance of dead pixels...if it is aimed at the consumer level then it is more acceptable to have dead pixels...obviously nintendo must have a zero tolerance policy for dead pixels which is very commendable
 
[quote name='trunks982']i have a dead pixel in my lcd monitor. the thing is that i can barely see it.[/QUOTE]

There's one on the left side of my LCD screen on my work laptop, but I can only see it when there's a bright high contrast color around the area (read: bright white, etc.).
 
[quote name='iheartmetal']people are such babies about dead pixels, they occur in all lcd products.[/QUOTE]
I've got a 1920x1200 monitor with no dead pixels. If you're paying $130 (or $250+) you've got every right to be picky. Would you be happy with a brand new controller with a frayed wire casing? It still works, but looks like trash. You didn't pay for that, and who knows what'll go wrong later.

And especially with a company who's as cool with this as Nintendo, why not press it to get a perfect one? I've own 2 DSs and 2 SPs, no DPs on any of them.
 
My DS has one and a half dead pixels. One is on the center of the touch screen, the other is on the very top of the top screen. The thing is that the one on the top screen pops on and off.
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']So I figured since I don't plan on buying a 360 anytime soon...at least until a price drop, I'd get something to hold me over. Not much interest in the PSP, since I've heard numerous tales of dead pixels, and the higher price is kind of a turn off.

So I was kind of disappointed to see the MK bundle I bought last week contained a DS with a dead pixel right in the center of the top screen. No big deal, brought it back to Circuit City and exchanged it.

This one also has a dead pixel in the top screen.

What the fuck is going on? Am I just unlucky or is this a problem that a lot of people had? I'm getting tired of driving to CC, it's not exactly right up the street.

Besides that I'm enjoying MK quite a bit and I like the system besides this obvious pain in the ass. This is the first Nintendo system I've purchased since the full size/green-and-black graphics Game Boy. If I wind up with another screwed up screen though, I'll probably just pass on it or get a PSP.[/QUOTE]

It stands to reason that all of the DS's at that particular Circuit City are from the same batch and if the screens used in them were bad, then more than one may have a dead pixel. You might try getting one from a different CC or just getting a refund and getting one somewhere else.

Incidentally, I got my DS for Christmas last year and no dead pixels.

And the reason you should avoid the PSP is not for dead pixels, but because it's a dead system. Piss poor games and very few worthwhile titles on the horizon.
 
Some companies won't allow a product to go out even if it has a single dead pixel while others ok a certain amount.

And on larger LCD monitors/displays, you'll be hard pressed to find a dead pixel since there's so much more area to cover and it's not very close to your eyes (unless you sit too close).
 
Third time's a charm I guess...didn't inspect this one meticulously but looks good so far. Picked up FF IV for GBA while I was out as well.

...did get it from a different Circuit City however. Coincidence? I dunno.

[quote name='Tybee']
And the reason you should avoid the PSP is not for dead pixels, but because it's a dead system. Piss poor games and very few worthwhile titles on the horizon.[/QUOTE]

I pretty much agree, I had "and it has no games that look decent to me" originally in my first post but I didn't want to start a big argument in a thread that had nothing to do with the PSP.
 
DON'T TURN YOUR DS ON IN YOUR CAR TO TRY!!

You need to charge it first before you use it, charge it ALL THE WAY, otherwise you risk compromising the lifespan of the battery.

DON'T FORGET! CHARGE IT BEFORE YOU PLAY IT!
 
[quote name='Arkay Firestar']DON'T TURN YOUR DS ON IN YOUR CAR TO TRY!!

You need to charge it first before you use it, charge it ALL THE WAY, otherwise you risk compromising the lifespan of the battery.

DON'T FORGET! CHARGE IT BEFORE YOU PLAY IT![/QUOTE]

That's just poppycock. Or maybe it's not. Some data, mayhaps?
 
[quote name='Arkay Firestar']DON'T TURN YOUR DS ON IN YOUR CAR TO TRY!!

You need to charge it first before you use it, charge it ALL THE WAY, otherwise you risk compromising the lifespan of the battery.

DON'T FORGET! CHARGE IT BEFORE YOU PLAY IT![/QUOTE]

i think there's some truth in this statement, i remember reading something about the "memory loss effect" on lithium ion batteries, think it was from my ipod...i think the real concern is that you should only charge the unit when its low on battery and let it charge completely. turning the ds on to examine for dead pixels should be fine...

and IMO you have every right to demand a dead pixel free DS! apparently so does Nintendo since they have a hassle free warranty for units w/ dead pixels...
 
The reason they sell them with only partially charged batteries is because Lithium Ions are optimal at 40% charged...any higher and the battery loses energy and its lifespan shortens. Lithium Ions are usually optimal when you DON'T fully discharge them repeatedly...so the BEST care you can give it is to charge it fully the first time, especially if you plan on playing the hell out of it.
 
my 1st DS was @ launch... it had 1 red DP... called Ninetndo and got it replaced.. in a week...

I have gone through 5 DS now... (silver, blue, Pink, teal, & now red) and in every color through... lets just say I'm a huge DS Fan... outta 5 system, only the launch system had I got a DP...

Nintendo has done a fine job w/ their Units & policy.. I might add..

I could not say the same about PSP... I have only seen 1 outta 10 PSP that has no DP...
 
I just wanted to point out that there are few, if any, companies that will readily inspect all LCD devices and NOT send them out with 1-2 dead pixels.

When I worked tech support for laptops, I learned that an LCD screen literally has millions of tiny pixels (I can't do the math and I'm not looking it up), so 1-2 dead pixels honestly shows a 0.0001% error/defect ratio, and that's pretty low.

Think of it like this: Rumors are that between 3-10% of the Xbox 360 is having hardware defects. Let's say 3% since that's ballpark for typically all electronics. 3 out of a hundred. Now think about a million 360s and maybe 2 of them having problems. And yes, I realize the metaphor is slightly off - we're not talking about bad products themselves, but a defect with in the product - but it's roughly the same.

Same deal with LCD screens. It would drive costs up on them FAR higher than what they are currently if a company where to destroy all of them showing DPs. There's even industry standards for that sort of thing (again I'm not looking it up).

I will say though that a tiny screen (DS, PSP) shouldn't have any at all and you have every right to complain about DPs on something that small. Obviously a DP there is a much greater ratio than on a 19 inch monitor.

Until manufacturing methods become less erroroneous, it'll be a problem for a while. I'm hoping within 5-10 years we'll be done with DPs. Meh. But the point is that prices would increase substantially if every DP'd monitor was thrown out by a manufacturer. That's the theory anyway. I have no way of proving it other than that is what the industry says. For all I know they could throw them away, get their freakin' act together, and still make a profit. But that requires some degree of work so I can't attest to it ever happening.

Thankfully my launch DS had no dead pixels. My new monitor did, but it only shows on dark colors and I'm not using this one for gaming anyway, so it's cool.

Side note conspiracy theory - I'm beginning to think companies don't test their products anymore. Honestly.
 
Basically, if you're going to store your DS for a while and not use it, make sure its not full. Thats why Nintendo ships them to store shelves not full...so they dont crap out sitting there waiting to be bought.

But if you're going to use it, since they dont like full discharges, its best to fully charge it before playing. I think that's why its in all the manuals, not because its a left over from the nickel-cadmium days...
 
[quote name='swetooth9']wait...i dont understand...do they say that it's better to charge often even when it's only been used a little or to charge only when the battery is close to the cutoff point?[/QUOTE]

No, they're saying don't let it reach or get close to full discharge (run out)... like don't run the battery down to 10% remaining charge and leave it. It's better to recharge it at 50% and then to recharge when it's down to 10%. But if you have only used it down to 60-70%, then you don't need to worry about recharging it.
 
My DS has one dead pixel on the touch screen. Sadly, it's near the middle of the screen. On the bright side, most of the DS games I have played have almost all of the important action on the top screen so I don't notice it that much. It's a teal system so an exchange would be tough and it doesn't bother me enough to mail the system into Nintendo. I still love it, a great system to own! :D
 
That's smart, return a system with one MINOR flaw when the company that makes it will give you a system until you are happy. Then go out and buy a system in which the buttons don't even line up right and if you have any problems at all with Sony doesn't give a fuck.

Yeah that's smart. Send the DS to Nintendo. it's not their fault, it's just how it is and they will give you them until you are happy.
 
[quote name='David85']That's smart, return a system with one MINOR flaw when the company that makes it will give you a system until you are happy. Then go out and buy a system in which the buttons don't even line up right and if you have any problems at all with Sony doesn't give a fuck.

Yeah that's smart. Send the DS to Nintendo. it's not their fault, it's just how it is and they will give you them until you are happy.[/QUOTE]

What?
 
[quote name='daroga']What?[/QUOTE]

^^^ What he (and others) said. That post was weird as hell...it started off as a flame, went into a PSP bash, and ended with Nintendo praise, yet only the most spaced-out of us would even begin to comprehend how they were connected.
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']^^^ What he (and others) said. That post was weird as hell...it started off as a flame, went into a PSP bash, and ended with Nintendo praise, yet only the most spaced-out of us would even begin to comprehend how they were connected.[/QUOTE]

It's connected because you said you would just get a PSP if your problems presisted instead of a DS in the OP. PSPs have been marred by flaws much more than the DS has (some of which Sony won't bother to fix).

Though it was poorly stated (and a fanboyish statement) he had a strong point.
 
Just so you guys know, perfect PSP's do exist, I have one!!! I consider myself lucky by the way you guys talk, I'm lead to believe that I'm the only one that has an flawless PSP.
 
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