Over its debut weekend, Nintendo 3DS users in Europe and the US have hit a variety social venues to report a not-so-fun hardware error associated with the new-fangled handheld’s software suspension functionality. Some users, upon suspending games, are being greeted with a lock-up accompanying a black screen that explains, simply, that there’s something wrong. Now, this wouldn’t be an issue if following the on-screen instructions was indeed a viable solution, but for a minority, it hasn’t been.
If you’re a victim of the black screen, know that Nintendo is aware that this is an issue with the system. Earlier this afternoon, the publisher tossed out an official response to Eurogamer, stating that anyone who has a problem with their software should install the latest firmware update to device and, if problems persist, contact Nintendo customer support.
If anyone is experiencing any problems with their Nintendo 3DS console, we recommend that in the first instance they download and install the latest system update, now available online.
If the problems still persist we recommend they contact their local Nintendo Customer Service centre to investigate the problem further.
Of course, that assumes you can get past the dreaded black screen. According to another Eurogamer post, some users have been able to get past the black screen by reformatting their SD cards, which, you know, isn’t an ideal solution. I’ll also note that Nick over at Destructoid saw his own black screen for the first time after updating to the latest update, so it looks like the current update isn't a cure-all.
Obviously, there’s a ton of Nintendo 3DS units out in the wild right now, so it’s hard to tell just how widespread this issue is. Also, it appears that no one game is behind the issue: several users, according to a now well-publicized GoNintendo report, have reported receiving the screen after suspending a bunch of the current crop of launch games.
Anyone out there seen this issue first-hand?