Hardware 3DS yellowed bottom screen

[wiibomb]

hello, I do not know if this is in the right section, I´m really sorry if it is, I need your help

I have been with problems with my 3DS since sometime ago, cannot remember if the problem appeared since I bought it.

the problem is a yellow-blue discoloration on the bottom screen of my 3DS, this discoloration is not constant, and rarely it fixes alone, but as I said, rarely, and the problem appears in any sofware of the 3DS, buit in, 3DS games or DS games

this discoloration is oddly enough that when pressure (a little above normal) is done on sides of the screen the discoloration seems to either expand or make the problem worse, but when the pressure is not done the problem continues like always.

I have contacted a technical support person from electronics (a cousin) and he told me that it coud be either a bad installed sofware or even that the screen is foulty, so it comes my question, do you have any advice you can give me with this problem (please note that I do not have guarantee from the 3DS anymore)

here are some images to show the problem, I´m showing you the configuration of the 3DS 3D, Super Street Fighte IV: 3D Edition and Pokemon Black
Hope you might help me, that you migh give me

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/97/dsc00313b.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/dsc00003jh.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/14/dsc00004lni.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/193/dsc00012vq.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/638/dsc00017vy.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/850/dsc00021ha.jpg

and thanks again for any help given...

 

[Da Mafia]

You need to get your 3DS repaired or replaced, thats has to be a screen or other hardware fault.

 

[Deleted User]

This really looks like a faulty screen. You should contact Nintendo or the shop where you bought it asap. I think you'll get a new one without further questions asked.

 

[Wizerzak]

This really looks like a faulty screen. You should contact Nintendo or the shop where you bought it asap. I think you'll get a new one without further questions asked.

but, as he said, he no longer has a warranty for it? How come? Did you modify it already?

 

[Pippin666]

DEFECT !!

Pip'

 

[Deleted User]

This really looks like a faulty screen. You should contact Nintendo or the shop where you bought it asap. I think you'll get a new one without further questions asked.

but, as he said, he no longer has a warranty for it? How come? Did you modify it already?

Whoops, sorry, I must've skipped that part. I'd also like to know why. Also, Nintendo does offer repairs even without warranty, but you'll (obviously) have to pay for it then.

 

[Slyakin]

I don't know how the warranty would have already expired.

Yet another problem to the mile-long 3DS Problems List.

 

[hankchill]

There should be a year long warranty on it.

Considering the 3DS hasn't even been out for a year, you're automatically covered.

Go to Ninty's website and fill out a repair request. I did so for my son's defective DSi I got him on Christmas and they had me a new one in 2 days.

 

[wiibomb]

I´m I? I really do not know, I bought it for amazon.com and though that I had only a month of waranty, if I still have the waranty, I might send them, anyone know if I still have it?

please also note that I´m living in another country, so I can only send the system to the place amazon send it, after that I cannot send it longer.

but, if it is a screen, do you know of a place I can buy one? I think that might be cheaper than sending the system back, duties are big...

EDIT: I bought it since day 1, but the problem never bothered me so much until now...

 

[geenlung]

It last 1 year + 90 days if you've registered your system.

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/manuals/warrantyinfo.jsp

 

[Deleted User]

I´m I? I really do not know, I bought it for amazon.com and though that I had only a month of waranty, if I still have the waranty, I might send them, anyone know if I still have it?

please also note that I´m living in another country, so I can only send the system to the place amazon send it, after that I cannot send it longer.

but, if it is a screen, do you know of a place I can buy one? I think that might be cheaper than sending the system back, duties are big...

EDIT: I bought it since day 1, but the problem never bothered me so much until now...

Sorry, but at the moment there are no shops, at least none that I know of, which sell spare parts for the 3DS. Your only option seems to be to send it to Nintendo. If you still have the receipt (you might not need it as the 3DS is not that old) and haven't done anything to your 3DS (like opening it up yourself etc.), you should still have the warranty.

 

[hankchill]

Dude, just send it to Nintendo.

You don't need your receipt.

On Nintendo's website when you open an RMA for it, they pay for the shipping; they give you a courier label to print out and affix to the box, so you don't need to worry about paying for anything.

Don't open your 3DS, you will truly void your warranty then.

 

[Deleted member 473940]

I dont think you would have to worry about receipt at this stage.
I mean, it hasnt been released that long ago, Nintendo doesnt need a proof of date!

Call them up, they will send you free posting tag(at least in the UK).

 

[osttrumpet]

How did this develop, did you send your 3DS for a repair? I've just had the exact same problem and I havn't even owned my 3DS for a week...

It started with yellow flickering lines (looked kinda like sound in a sound editing software) and after a minute or so the entire bottom screen was solid yellow. I've two pictures, the comparison photo really shows how yellow it is.

The weird thing is that when something is fading in or out of the screen (for example when I start Zelda and get into the menus) the color appears normal for a split second, so the screen is probably not busted. Seems software related somehow.

Have you tried a system update? I will try one in the next few days to see if it fixes anything.

Here are the pics:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/109/comparisonew.png/

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/yellowscreen.png/ (Doesn't appear yellow enough through my camera, check the contrast in the pic above)

Edit: When I apply some pressure on the left side of my screen (kinda at the height of the thumbstick) the screen goes back to normal as long as I keep the pressure on. Just like OP described.

Edit 2: I rage-pressed the same spot and it returned to normal color again, even after I let go. I don't know if I should accept this from Nintendo though. Imagine the customer support telling people to do this -_- lol. Screen returns yellow from time to time though.
(I can acually toggle between yellow and normal mode by pressing the left side of the touchscreen. Thumbstick height press = normal screen, bottom left press = yellow screen)

/Osttrumpet

 

[wiibomb]

omg.. yes.. you have a problem pretty worse than what I had, some time after the OP I made here I send the 3DS for a replacement to the seller (in my case Amazon), remember that every 3DS must have at least 3 months of waranty, because of the country, the waraty may change, standard is 1 year, in that period you can ask the seller for a new 3DS.

anyway, I have had my new 3DS since more than a month ago and it is perfect, however, I asked a trully skillful electronic repair man about what could that mean, and he told me is no way other than a damaged screen, he had the same problems with other devices he repaired, and he told me that despite sometimes the sofware solving the problem it is not permanent, and the problem will always come again soon after the sofware reinstall, the only way to change it is to replace the screen.

I really think you can send the 3DS back for a replacement to the seller, remember, first contact the seller before nintendo, do not skip reponsability of the seller, it must have provided a waraty for the product it sold no?

 

[wolffangalchemist]

looks like a defect, on another note i noticed if you turn on power saving from the brightness menu it makes the screens look yellowish with it off they look fine though.
i think some people complaining of yellowish screens are using the power saving feature but i dunno how many if any.

 

[bahamut920]

It started with yellow flickering lines (looked kinda like sound in a sound editing software) and after a minute or so the entire bottom screen was solid yellow. I've two pictures, the comparison photo really shows how yellow it is.

The weird thing is that when something is fading in or out of the screen (for example when I start Zelda and get into the menus) the color appears normal for a split second, so the screen is probably not busted. Seems software related somehow.

Edit: When I apply some pressure on the left side of my screen (kinda at the height of the thumbstick) the screen goes back to normal as long as I keep the pressure on. Just like OP described.

Edit 2: I rage-pressed the same spot and it returned to normal color again, even after I let go. I don't know if I should accept this from Nintendo though. Imagine the customer support telling people to do this -_- lol. Screen returns yellow from time to time though.
(I can acually toggle between yellow and normal mode by pressing the left side of the touchscreen. Thumbstick height press = normal screen, bottom left press = yellow screen)

This sounds like a hardware problem. I'm no DS expert, but I know a lot about computer hardware, and, specifically, this sounds like a connection problem. Probably, the ribbon cable which connects the bottom screen to the 3DS motherboard is loose, and that faulty connection is why the coloring on the screen is wonky. It also might explain why pressing on the screen fixes the coloring; if you press hard enough on the right spot, you pop the cable in fully, which causes the display to function as intended. If you press in another spot, it loosens the cable, which may mean that the cable itself is too short or not properly fitted to the connector, and is easily loosened. You can have similar problems with desktop computers if the cable that goes from the monitor to the graphics card isn't tightly connected - colors flicker and display improperly. I've even managed to get a yellow tint like the one in your photo.

Long story short, I'm afraid you're going to have to make use of your warranty already. Send that puppy back to Nintendo and have them either fix it or send you a new one.

@Wolffangalchemist - That affects both screens, though, correct? If someone's suffering from only one discolored screen, it's probably a defect.