It wouldn’t be a console launch without some kind of hardware problem, and it looks like one is popping up for the Nintendo Switch. First reported on the Switch subreddit, user supportdevil says their console is dead:
“Played a bit BotW (Breath of the Wild) then the Screen went white and the Switch got very noisy then i restarted the Console and now only Blue Screen of Death,” the post reads, while “supportdevil” notes that the console had already downloaded its “day one” patch.
Another user, SpecterCody, commented that they noticed their console’s fan “went into overdrive for about 2 minutes but it tapered off” while in handheld mode, and another speculates it is most likely due to “a defective RAM chip or some kind of heat-related failure, since BotW does run at near maximum of what the system can put out.”
So far, a hard reset, which involves holding down the power button for 12 seconds, didn’t fix the issue, which has caused some on the subreddit to question whether or not they should download the patch. At the moment, it’s unclear if it’s the patch that caused the issue or just an isolated and unrelated hardware defect. Another user reported getting an orange screen error, which is exactly what you think it is, but that was fixed by holding down the power button for a minute.
It’s unfortunately not the first time a launch has been problematic for Nintendo, as the Wii U had an error that “bricked” a few consoles, and the New Nintendo 3DS XL had a few problems as well. Of course, Sony and Microsoft are no stranger to launch defects of their own, some of which took a while to fix.
As far as the Switch goes, these incidents appear to be isolated, for now, but obviously we’ll keep an eye on the situation.
Published: Mar 3, 2017 10:57 am