Nintendo Switch console a disaster, say users

Nintendo was under fire over the quality of its new ‘Switch’ games console on Tuesday, less than a week after it hit the shelves.

The device, which was released at a suggested price of £280 on Friday, was billed by Nintendo as being the first of a next generation in gaming devices, allowing the user to play on either the device’s portable screen or on their television, via a docking station.

But just days after its release, a number of users had posted their complaints to YouTube, complaining about a number of perceived design flaws and quality control defects.

Among the most complained about issues was that of ‘dead pixels’, whereby a small rectangular section of the screen appeared black when the device was in use.

Nintendo’s official reaction was that it was “characteristic” behaviour in LCD screens, and should not be treated as a defect, but a number of users pointed out such claims had not been true about liquid crystal displays for a number of years.

Other complaints included the fact the docking station, which the device slides into allowing on-television play, was leaving deep scratches in the screen through normal use.

The joysticks were also the subject of complaints, with other users finding out parts would become stuck together if accidentally connected in the wrong way.

Several customers also noted poor performance from the wireless joystick, suggesting the antenna inside was not designed correctly as it failed to connect to the console from six feet away - a typical distance between a couch and a television.

Nintendo’s stock price suffered substantially in late 2016 after it announced the Switch console, with investors initially unsold on its merits, though it had picked up in recent weeks ahead of the launch.

The video game giant’s fortunes had been mixed over the last year, with its Pokemon GO mobile game achieving runaway success before suffering a serious decline in active users after its first few weeks.

It also re-released its Nintendo Entertainment System console before Christmas in a bid to cash in on the nostalgic dollar, but failed to anticipate demand with some UK retailers reportedly selling out of each shipment in minutes.