[SteeloDMZ]

Just wanted to update to say that Nintendo's customer service was awesome. No questions asked, they replaced my screen and mailed it back out a day after they got it. Now to keep the screen from scratching again... Hmmm. For now I have this plastic foam sheet that was actually shipped back with my repaired 3ds in between the closed unit. I like the way those Xbox pads look though, might go ahead and try that or something similar.

Be advised, having the foam thingy inside the 3DS doesn't do much and you'll still get marks on the upper screen.

It still pisses me off that Nintendo didn't realize this problem from the beginning, and they haven't fixed it even with the newer 3DS models.

[Sagitario]

Thank you for this. I found a website that sells 360 pads too (don't know if I'm allowed to link them) and my package just came in. Works like a charm. I'm glad I did because there is a small hairline scratch on the left side of the screen that I noticed when playing Revelations. It's not bad but I just noticed it when I held the 3DS in a certain way. Now with these feeties I can prevent more damage. I got 8 of them for like 3 bucks so I have a bunch of backups. Thanks.

Link, please. I would like to buy some.

Be advised, having the foam thingy inside the 3DS doesn't do much and you'll still get marks on the upper screen. It still pisses me off that Nintendo didn't realize this problem from the beginning, and they haven't fixed it even with the newer 3DS models.

Yep :\

[Esura]

Link, please. I would like to buy some.

http://www.xconsoles.com/products/Re...k-of-8%29.html

[Kokonoe]

Underside of the 360 have multiple little pads that work as feet, keeping it slightly lifted. They're easy to lift off, and they have just a bit of adhesive on their backs, so they'll stick right to the 3DS screen. But again, they're easy to remove if you ever decide to do it. I tried 'raising the bumper' trick, with double sided tape, but I didn't like the results. 360 feet work much better.

Thanks for this, I used my Asus Router and it worked like a charm.

[BGBW]

I think my unit has finally succumbed to the dreaded screen scratches. It is a launch unit so it is out of warranty. Going to see if I can waggle a free repair since it is a product flaw and UK customer protection is usually pretty good for these types of things.

[Chopper]

I think my unit has finally succumbed to the dreaded screen scratches. It is a launch unit so it is out of warranty. Going to see if I can waggle a free repair since it is a product flaw and UK customer protection is usually pretty good for these types of things.

Let us know how you get on with that. I'd like to get mine repaired for a second time, but I don't think they extended my warranty after the first...

[Mammoth Jones]

I just a piece of thin microfiber cloth to fit and I put it inbetween the screens when I close it.

No problems so far.

[Item Box]

Huh, I thought Nintendo would've seen this problem and fixed it with newer models already. Guess Grimace Midnight purple is going to have the same problem then.

I just a piece of thin microfiber cloth to fit and I put it inbetween the screens when I close it. No problems so far.

Too lazy to look for pads, guess I'll just go with this method as I have multiple cloths.

[zigg]

I just a piece of thin microfiber cloth to fit and I put it inbetween the screens when I close it.

You're creating more pressure inside the system; you're just blunting it.

[Help Me!]

I just use the paper (?) that came with the system, between the screens, when I close the lid. Seems to work okay, but I do have to wipe off dust, etc. every once in a while.

I honestly thought I was going to be disappointed the 3DS, what with all the complaints about battery life, screen smudges, etc. So glad I just decided to buy one-- all those concerns are non-factors. The system rocks.

[GMUNYIFan]

I just opened a repair ticket for my launch system. When attempting to open the ticket online it told me that I would need to pay $55 USD. I found that unacceptable and called Nintendo directly. After speaking with a rep for 15 minutes he informed me that since I registered my system on club nintendo, I had gained an extra six months of warranty so my system is covered until the end of June. He didn't know why the website was informing me otherwise.

[BigDug13]

I use a rectangular post-it note. Works ok.

[EvilRedEye]

Does anyone know what manufacturer the free screen protectors from the UK repairs service are from? Hori, MadCatz and Power A have all got officially licensed ones.

[Mammoth Jones]

You're creating more pressure inside the system; you're just blunting it.

No I'm not, it's not that thick. It's really really thin. but it's enough to prevent scuff marks. Using my thicker cloths, yea....I tried that and it wasn't working.

[KillGore]

Man, the top screen protector is really scratched up, it's bothering me so much, can't imagine how it would've looked if it didn't have the screen protector.

[GMUNYIFan]

Does anyone have any experience with sending the 3ds into Nintendo for repairs? My buddy sent his in and apparently he claims that he lost all of his find mii, find mii 2, puzzles, hats, basically everything associate with the mii plaza. This is a huge deal to me since I have all find miis cleared, most every puzzle piece and almost 300 streetpass miis.

I have permanent scratches on my screen so I have to send it in, but am I basically just screwed when it comes to the mii plaza progress?

[salpa]

You're creating more pressure inside the system; you're just blunting it.

I've done what he does since the system came out.

Have had no screen issues. Ever.

I make sure the folded part of the cloth is not toward the hinges though.

[Cannon Goose]

I've had my 3DS since February and there's not a single scratch on it. I haven't put anything between the two screens when I close it and the only cleaning I've done is an all over wipedown with a lint-free cloth when my hands get a bit sweaty. Been using it almost every day and when I do throw it in my bag I put it in this 'Executive' Case that I got, which has a very snug fit on the 3DS.

Do people who experience the scratches keep their 3DS in their pockets?

[abasm]

I've had my 3DS since February and there's not a single scratch on it. I haven't put anything between the two screens when I close it and the only cleaning I've done is an all over wipedown with a lint-free cloth when my hands get a bit sweaty. Been using it almost every day and when I do throw it in my bag I put it in this 'Executive' Case that I got, which has a very snug fit on the 3DS. Do people who experience the scratches keep their 3DS in their pockets?

It might be a combination of that and the quality of the build. Some 3DSs get it worse than others, regardless of how they're carried. I'm inclined to believe that it occurs less often in more recent units.

My first 3DS (launch) got lines, but I kept a screen protector on it, so they never turned into scratches. Around early January (this year), the A button stopped responding, so I got the system replaced. The new one doesn't have a screen protector but still gets lines, though they wipe off easily with a microfiber cloth. I don't have a screen protector on this one since I figure that, if the lines develop into scratches, it'll happen before the renewed warranty is up.

[MNC]

Big thread, so I'm wondering how can it actually cause a scratch, while the 3DS is supposed to fold? so technically there shouldn't be any movement between the two surfaces except for rotation at the hinge axis. Is the hinge loose?

[abasm]

Big thread, so I'm wondering how can it actually cause a scratch, while the 3DS is supposed to fold? so technically there shouldn't be any movement between the two surfaces except for rotation at the hinge axis. Is the hinge loose?

Slightly, yes. I'm not going to go shaking my system to check, but I'm sure there's a teensy amount of give that could contribute to friction between the top and bottom.

One of the main problems, I think, it just how much top-heavier the 3DS is compared to the DS models. Most of the weight in any DS revision is concentrated in the bottom, while the 3DS is closer to (but not exactly) 50/50 between the two halves.

[zigg]

I'm inclined to believe that it occurs less often in more recent units.

My recently-bought unit, about two weeks old, is far worse than my launch unit ever was. I realize this is anecdotal, but there you go.

[deviljho]

Have they fixed this with the 3DS XL? I would hope so.

[chertipros]

Have they fixed this with the 3DS XL? I would hope so.

Some of the posters in the 3ds xl thread are saying different things on the subject

[Phife Dawg]

Have they fixed this with the 3DS XL? I would hope so.

Mine doesn't scratch, you can clearly see from the side that there is enough room between both displays due to the positioning of the new rubber feet. Others said theirs scratch but it might have been a manufacturing/transport issue which was not apparent at first.

[Jarsonot]

So I have an ambassador 3DS and have the scratches on the upper screen. I sent it in via UPS on Monday and today received an email from them saying that they won't fix it!

"Our technicians have evaluated your system and determined that the problem is not covered by our warranty because it was not caused by a manufacturer's defect.

Technician's Notes
Our technicians found that the top housing of your system is cracked, broken or scratched. This damage is the cause of the problem with your system."

What. The. Hell.

The thing is pristine except for the damned 2 vertical scratches on the upper screen, just coincidentally right where the ridge of the lower screen meets the upper screen. Not a manufacturer's defect!?

My options are to spend $65 to have it repaired or they'll send it back to me.

Anyone else experienced anything like this from Nintendo? I'm planning on calling them tomorrow and trying to level-headedly find out why in the hell they don't consider this a manufacturer's defect.

If anyone has had any experience with something like this I'd appreciate any input on the matter.

(sidenote: I did also buy Walmart's 2-year extended warranty, so if Nintendo won't fix the damn thing I may have a shot there, but I've heard nothing but good about Nintendo's customer service and am flabbergasted as to why my system doesn't meet their criteria for manufacturer's defect. Pretty pissed right now.)

[Mairu]

So I have an ambassador 3DS and have the scratches on the upper screen. I sent it in via UPS on Monday and today received an email from them saying that they won't fix it! "Our technicians have evaluated your system and determined that the problem is not covered by our warranty because it was not caused by a manufacturer's defect. Technician's Notes Our technicians found that the top housing of your system is cracked, broken or scratched. This damage is the cause of the problem with your system." What. The. Hell. The thing is pristine except for the damned 2 vertical scratches on the upper screen, just coincidentally right where the ridge of the lower screen meets the upper screen. Not a manufacturer's defect!? My options are to spend $65 to have it repaired or they'll send it back to me. Anyone else experienced anything like this from Nintendo? I'm planning on calling them tomorrow and trying to level-headedly find out why in the hell they don't consider this a manufacturer's defect. If anyone has had any experience with something like this I'd appreciate any input on the matter. (sidenote: I did also buy Walmart's 2-year extended warranty, so if Nintendo won't fix the damn thing I may have a shot there, but I've heard nothing but good about Nintendo's customer service and am flabbergasted as to why my system doesn't meet their criteria for manufacturer's defect. Pretty pissed right now.)

They should just pull an Apple and sell Nintendo-branded rubber things to put on the top case to fix their hardware design ;|

[Chopper]

So I have an ambassador 3DS and have the scratches on the upper screen. I sent it in via UPS on Monday and today received an email from them saying that they won't fix it! "Our technicians have evaluated your system and determined that the problem is not covered by our warranty because it was not caused by a manufacturer's defect. Technician's Notes Our technicians found that the top housing of your system is cracked, broken or scratched. This damage is the cause of the problem with your system." What. The. Hell. The thing is pristine except for the damned 2 vertical scratches on the upper screen, just coincidentally right where the ridge of the lower screen meets the upper screen. Not a manufacturer's defect!? My options are to spend $65 to have it repaired or they'll send it back to me. Anyone else experienced anything like this from Nintendo? I'm planning on calling them tomorrow and trying to level-headedly find out why in the hell they don't consider this a manufacturer's defect. If anyone has had any experience with something like this I'd appreciate any input on the matter. (sidenote: I did also buy Walmart's 2-year extended warranty, so if Nintendo won't fix the damn thing I may have a shot there, but I've heard nothing but good about Nintendo's customer service and am flabbergasted as to why my system doesn't meet their criteria for manufacturer's defect. Pretty pissed right now.)

That is outrageous. Nintendo fixed my launch unit without any queries. Give them hell man...

[Jarsonot]

That is outrageous. Nintendo fixed my launch unit without any queries. Give them hell man...

Gave them hell. It will be fixed for free - a "one time exception."

I'll bet there are a lot of people out there who are a little more timid, or who don't read up on message boards, and are going to accept the first response. I think it's shameful of Nintendo.

[Agent Unknown]

Great, after a year of using a combination of 360 feet (still attached) and the foam packing that came with the system, I have my first permanent scratch on the right side of the screen. It's very faint hairline quality and not noticeable in gameplay at this point so I don't know if I'm going to send it to Nintendo yet. Should I just try to find some thicker plastic stoppers? Any ideas? I'm so mad this still happened after I did everything right. Does the XL still have the defect?

[CronoShot]

Someone on the 3DS board of GameFAQs seems to be having the same issues with their XL.

[Agent Unknown]

Someone on the 3DS board of GameFAQs seems to be having the same issues with their XL.

Unreal, zero desire to upgrade now. How can they not have fixed this yet??? Someone in their Quality division needs to be fired hardcore. GET RID of the border ridge around the touch screen, you fools!

[Rm88~]

I used to get those lines with my 3DS. I took out the bumpers, put a tiny stripe of card stock on both slots, put both bumpers in their place again and I never got them again. I can put my 3DS in my pocket or anything without worrying about pressing it too much or getting those lines again.

[abasm]

I used to get those lines with my 3DS. I took out the bumpers, put a tiny stripe of card stock on both slots, put both bumpers in their place again and I never got them again. I can put my 3DS in my pocket or anything without worrying about pressing it too much or getting those lines again.

You'd think that, when the fix is as simple as "bigger bumpers", the issue would be resolved by the second crop of units.

[Agent Unknown]

Checked our local Target for bumpers, all they had were the useless felt kind or big plastic sorts that are used for funiture. There was one set of clear plastic bumpers that might have fit but they were still too wonky.

[IdreamofHIME]

Have they fixed this with the 3DS XL? I would hope so.

See the little bubbles to the left and right of the camera lense? When the console is shut those little bubbles close down just to the left and right of the start and select buttons.
This keeps a little gap between the top screen and the sides of the bottom.

It's like Nintendo looked at all the homemade fixes people did for their 3DS's and copied it.

Some guys have said their XL's had scratches when they opened the box, but it seems that's probably down to poor delivery practices and the boxes they were in were treated badly in transit.

My white 3DS was always getting a line down it and I feared it would scratch. My XL does not have this problem.

[Agent Unknown]

So I guess it has been fixed on the XL, per AndyMoogle who replied to my question about this in the XL discussion thread:

It's not going to happen as long as you don't keep some kind of pressure on the XL. With the 3DS you only have to close it and the screens will touch, but that's not happening on the XL.

[Ragus]

Ok people, I'll make a little experiment. As you may now, I am one of those, whose 3DS XL came with those little dots which would eventually become regular scratches (I know this, because that's how it started with on my regular Aqua Blue 3DS). What I am going to do is I'll remove those sillicon rubbers which I have applied to my system:

Now, for one week I will be using my XL in a normal way but without putting too much pressure on it. 7 days from now, I will post if the screens stayed the same or are scratched as fuck.

[Agent Unknown]

Ok people, I'll make a little experiment. As you may now, I am one of those, whose 3DS XL came with those little dots which would eventually become regular scratches (I know this, because that's how it started with on my regular Aqua Blue 3DS). What I am going to do is I'll remove those sillicon rubbers which I have applied to my system: Now, for one week I will be using my XL in a normal way but without putting too much pressure on it. 7 days from now, I will post if the screens stayed the same or are scratched as fuck.

It's been a week, have you had a chance to check for scratches/lines yet?

[Agent Unknown]

Ok, so as I posted before, last year I used some rubber feet from my red ringed 360 as a fix but apparently they wore down just far enough because the grease lines started coming back. So for months I've been using the foam pack in and got sick of it. Then I realized I had an old router. The router's feet by themselves were too thin on their own, so I innovated and removed all four and then stacked each one on top of each other. They have plenty of glue/adhesion and stick nicely. Yeah, it ain't pretty but I'm already used to it and it works perfectly, I'd like to see any grease lines or scratches get through THIS gap:

[zigg]

That looks terrible. :-/

[VARIA]

Hate to bump old threads but I'm wondering how many still have this problem and if it persists in the 3DS XL.

What were once smudges on my launch day 3DS have turned into scratches, anyone know if Nintendo is still addressing this?

[Chopper]

Yes, it still happens, and yes it happens with the XL too. I'm currently in the process of a repair. It's actually a bit of a battle, cos my 3D slider also broke, and that wasn't covered by the warranty(?!), and they've charged me a ridiculous amount for the repair. They wouldn't even leave the slider broken and fix the screens once they had my console. It was an all or nothing deal. Very unimpressed, and I've sent an angry email.

[Lachie007]

Its inexcusable that this is still a problem. The ridge shouldnt even be there. You would think it would be fixed already.

Tend to use screen protectors on my system which seems to have stopped the permanent scratches.

[Jawmuncher]

I was wondering where the hell the 2 vertical lines came from on my 3DS.
Sucks that this still isn't fixed especially with the 3DSXL which I am really interested in grabbing.

At least I have screen protectors on since I'd hate it if it was any worse than it currently is.

[VARIA]

Yes, it still happens, and yes it happens with the XL too. I'm currently in the process of a repair. It's actually a bit of a battle, cos my 3D slider also broke, and that wasn't covered by the warranty(?!), and they've charged me a ridiculous amount for the repair. They wouldn't even leave the slider broken and fix the screens once they had my console. It was an all or nothing deal. Very unimpressed, and I've sent an angry email.

Wow, sucks to hear. This is really making me reconsider purchasing a 3DS XL.

[Duxxy3]

Making the screens different sizes was just cost cutting and poor design. If they were the same size this would not have been an issue.

Hopefully Nintendo learns their lesson.

[Pineconn]

I have an OG 3DS and have no idea how people's screens are scratched. I guess I have clean hands/don't slam the 3DS shut?

[zruben]

I have a 3dsXL, and I don't have the scratch problem.

[Chopper]

Wow, sucks to hear. This is really making me reconsider purchasing a 3DS XL.

To be specific, the slider came away from the mechanism inside the top screen, so just ended up rattling about. According to Nintendo CS, the unit must have endured "physical damage" in order for such a thing to happen. In fact, I've never dropped my XL, nor do I let it rattle around in a bag. In fact, I would argue that very few people take as good a care of their console as I do. I just pushed the switch upwards with my finger, like normal, and it broke away. It was a hardware fault.

Oh, and £77.50, btw.