Nintendo's new video game console, the Switch, is barely a week old - the console launched last Friday, March 3.
It's off to a strong start in terms of sales, besting even Nintendo's Wii for the title of "fastest-selling" in Nintendo's history. But this is a brand-new piece of consumer tech that's just gone into wide release - it's bound to have some problems.
Even though most owners aren't experiencing any issues - we've had no problems with the review console provided by Nintendo, nor any of the launch systems our staff purchased - there are bound to be some bad eggs in the batch. That's how hardware launches go, unfortunately.
Such is the case with the Nintendo Switch as well.
As highlighted in a YouTube supercut that's making the rounds, there are a variety of issues that early adopters are running into:
- The Switch's Joy-Con hand controllers - particularly the left one - sometimes have connection issues.
- Some owners have dead pixels on their Switch screens (which is relatively common in LCD screens, unfortunately).
- And some folks are experiencing much more serious issues, like those seen above: broken displays, hard freezes, and outright crashes.
Nintendo hasn't made any statements about the issues in the video just yet, and it's not clear how widespread these issues are. The connectivity issues with the left Joy-Con seem to apply far more widely than other issues; Nintendo issued a statement on its support page specifically addressing the problem:
"Try to decrease the distance between the Joy-Con and the Nintendo Switch console. Ensure that the Nintendo Switch console is placed to minimize interference with the Joy-Con. It is best if the Nintendo Switch console is placed out in the open and that it is not:
- Behind a TV
- Near an aquarium
- Placed in or under a metal object
- Pressed against a large amount of wires and cords
- Within three to four feet of another wireless device, such as a wireless speaker or a wireless access point.
Check for possible sources of interference and turn them off. Interference can be caused by devices, such as:
- Laptops, tablets, etc.
- Wireless headsets
- Wireless printers
- Microwaves
- Wireless speakers
- Cordless phones
- USB 3.0-compatible devices such as hard drives, thumb drives, LAN adapters, etc.
In most cases it will be enough to move these devices three to four feet away from the Nintendo Switch console and/or Joy-Con controllers. However, if you continue to experience this issue, please power these devices off while using the Nintendo Switch console."
Of course, if you're experiencing any major issues with the Switch, we'd suggest starting with Nintendo's main customer support page right here.
Check out the full supercut video right here - and maybe take it with a grain of salt until we learn more: