Some 3DS units getting 'black screen' error
The Nintendo 3DS is experiencing its first hardware error, and it even already has a nickname: the 'Black Screen of Death.'
The Nintendo 3DS has just come to North American and European shores, and already users are sporadically starting to report a system error. A user on the popular gaming forum NeoGAF noted the error, which states simply:
An error has occured. Hold down the POWER button to turn off the power, then turn it on and try again. If the problem persists, please contact your local customer support centre. For contact details, check the Operations Manual or visit support.nintendo.com.
Other users chimed in claiming they had experienced similar difficulties, some saying the system still worked fine after resetting as advised. Matt Peckham, a writer for Yahoo News, experienced the error as well. The collective mind of the internet even gave its a nickname, as it is wont to do: the 'Black Screen of Death.' Despite the name, the error doesn't seem to render systems permanently unusable.
We aren't seeing a particular rhyme or reason to when it happens. Nintendo issued a statement to Eurogamer, advising users to update the firmware. Peckham said it worked for his system, but that's no guarantee that it's fool-proof.
We've contacted Nintendo for more details on the error, and we'll update as more information becomes available.
[Image from user taku on NeoGAF.]
-
Shacknews
replyComment on Some 3DS units getting 'black screen' error, by Steve Watts.
-
Summary: The Nintendo 3DS is experiencing its first hardware error, and it even already has a nickname: the 'Black Screen of Death.'
-
"Hello, IT; have you tried turning it off and on again?"
This is what scares me about console hardware, with the increasing complexity and addition of components prone to physical failure (i.e.: hard disk drives, flash memory, hot-running chips, etc.). And the error codes are usually completely vague (like this one), or cryptic diagnostic codes that only sometimes get translated, and almost always end in "ship the unit to the vendor for servicing" (it is a closed system, after all). The other scary thing is that the frequency of failure in a generational lifecycle seems pretty high relative to past generations (ignoring the XBox 360's drastically high failure rate due to early revision design problems).-
-
To be fair, the NES was prone to freezing (especially on games that pushed it to its limits), the 90's was a good time for console hardware in general though (at least, the more popular stuff).
-
-
-
-
Look up the word, junior.
-
-
-
Scernos questions vocabulary, as he is wont to do.
-
-
-
-
-
a little application of saliva too.
-
