Forget Scratched Screens And Joy-Con Problems, "Warp-Gate" Is The New Nintendo Switch Issue

Edit: It's so obvious now what the problem is. They've been using too much Magnesis in Breath of the Wild while docked forcing the ends to bend.

That also happens with the Apple iPhones, but only when you bend them with force. I believe this is the same when you bend the Switch by force.

Cool! Will match my curved TV!

Maybe they had the console slapped inside their pocket. The shape then gets warped on the part where the pelvic region is

@SLIGEACH_EIRE It's funny because Just Dance is a game on Nintendo Switch.

I believe it's the console used in portable mode. I too notice I put some strenght on my Joy-Con playing with Fast RMX. I hope mine will not end like that but eventually I'm not that strong.
Three culprits: it's large, Joy-Con further enlarge it, it's thin.
I don't think it will be addressed by Nintendo, eventually it's 'misuse' by the player.

I definitely don't see how a plastic dock should do that.

Haven't you all forgot about MIGHTY SWITCH FORCE

I'd have thought that you'd need some serious heat to warp the metal casing of a Switch. If enough heat is generating to warp the metal then surely the plastic dock would now be a pile of melted plastic?

I'm no scientist but I'm sure plastic melts before metal becomes pliable.

Two people claim to have the same issue and suddenly it's a '-gate'. internet. Nintendoomed!
Seriously this company has one of the highest record of quality control of any company in the world. Does anyone really think they let the standard slip for this console? In the Nintendo store NY they have on display an original Game Boy that was blown up in Iraq during the Gulf War. It still works.

Wow, bended by the power of Telekinesis ?

Let's just switch off this heat.

I've played zelda for over 120 hours both in and out of the dock and never noticed any excessive heat. Certainly not enough to warp it without external pressure.

Chaos consume us!

Sounds like another test in the acme labs. We'll get to the bottom of this... this week...later on....eventually...someday...

Okay, I'm getting out my Nintendoom Bingo card, let's see how long it takes.

There's got to be more too this.

I'm kind of an invalid, can't work due to health so games are all I have to do. I put around 250 hours into Zelda in a 3 week span (all I have left are the seeds so taking a break). And In the first week it was rarely off, like 10-12 hour sessions in the first few days, some days even more if I was having a particularly bad headache day (permanent migraines, fun).

On top of those 10-12 hour sessions at least 1 day was a 16 hour session. And I also have double sided tape all over my dock to provide cushioning to avoid scratches and that does increase the temperature of the system I've noticed as it's insulation.

So averaging 10 hours a day in a single sitting running extra hot, I then also often took it out to play on handheld mode to let it cool off and to put stuff on Netflix in the background and my system, is as straight as it was at launch.

So something else has to be causing this, like how much force are you applying to it playing it in handheld mode while it's warm to get it to bend like this?

like many have sad here i think this is more an issue of people mishandling the system than a manufacturing or design issue because you have to think a company as big as Nintendo would have caught something like this in the design phase

looks fake to me

This is going to be a thing where people assume it's widespread because two people bent their Switches. Thus, Nintendoomed.

My Switch hasn't bent. So, to put it bluntly, they should just bring them back and get a new one, if they had warranty, or send it in to Nintendo. They shouldn't be sitting on their computer complaining.

This happens when fools put their Switch in tight pockets of jeans. Not the dock or Nintendo's problem.

Mine's fine too.

Lets run down how the Switch cools itself shall we?

CPU/GPU/RAM - Thermal Paste - Metal Cap - Paste - Heatsink - Paste - Metal Cap - Paste - Metal Frame - Exterior

Key point here is that metal frame. Whatever heat that doesn't dissipate through the heatsink/fan combo, the extensive amounts of thermal layering, or any of the caps, goes into that plate, that covers the entire back of the system. It then spreads, throughout, and disperses.

Additionally, that plate is also in place to preventing flexing, something that affected, I believe, the Xbox 360, where heat caused the motherboard to flex. The Switch's board is a weird curved little thing in the corner of the system. The main heat generating point is located on the edge of the board. If that got too hot and there was no metal frame, it would bend and do damage.

But seriously.

Think about it.

How in hell would a metal frame, that has no where neat the heat on it that the motherboard or closer components do, bend, causing the entire system and its outer plastic to bend, long before any components melted or failed?

Internet at it's most idiotic levels. . . . People not taking care of their consoles. . . . .The Switch is very well made. . . .

I noticed this early on with mine and wasnt sure if i was crazy or not

"I can't take a hammer to my switch without it breaking."

It is a Nintendo product but gently handling it is still a great idea.

Guys — this isn't an issue with mishandling the Switch. The guy played his Switch in docked mode almost exclusively.

I advise everyone to get a straight edge or ruler and place it on top of their Switches facing down, and tell me that the back of your Switch is 100% straight with no warping at all. I know my Switch has the tiniest bit of warp, buts its definitely there. It likely won't damage the system in the long run but it's something to be weary about.

For all we know this person has either sat or stood on the console by mistake. I've played docked for hours and the console doesn't get excessively hot - certainly not hot enough to warp metal. Given it's housed in a dock that KEEPS IT STRAIGHT, where are the pictures of the warped dock?

I don't know what to think. I mean if it's a genuine issue then why doesn't the person just contact Nintendo support, instead trying to create some sort of epidemic online? This filters through to sites like Nintendolife because of slow news days and suddenly it becomes a thing. This is a really negative aspect of the internet.

I guess it was kind of funny the first time someone hijacked the term... but can we stop adding "gate" to the end of every tiny problem? Especially before we even know if it is a widespread issue or not.

Why must everything have to have "gate" attached to a word to make it sound like deceit or a huge widespread issue?

My car didn't work, it hates me. Jeepgate.
My boss yelled at me over not cleaning up the break room after lunch. Foodgate.

Seriously, we need to think of more clever words to describe things. Take this bendy Switch issue as an example. Switch U confirmed. Beware the Switch U folks.

I feel like an obvious cause of this would be putting pressure on the top edge of the console while it is laying on its back with the joycons attached. In that setup, the top of the console is raised in the middle due to the triggers on the joycons. Pressure in the center along the top would definitely cause a bend similar to the one in the picture.

You guys have to stop posting this crap. I'm here for gaming news not post's about people who can't take care of there stuff.

This would have never happened with Iwata in charge.

While not a problem with my Switch I had issues with my new 3ds just a few months in. The system while charging got so hot that it would drain the battery and turn itself off. This happened 3 to 4 times before I finally said I need to send it in before my house burns down. Even though Nintendo said they couldn't find the problem they fixed a certain component and it worked fine from that point on. I believe this is happening but I'm sure with a small amount of systems.

I also like how everyone just assumes it's user error. In this internet age we post things all the time when something bad happens to us and yet if we see this and don't want to believe it, it automatically becomes the users fault. Not everyone is trying to make stuff up!

Another quality garbage article brought to you by NintendoLife!!

Plenty of commenters getting bent out of shape on this one...

Fits perfectly in one of those broken, bended docks, I don't see the problem.

@Azooooz It doesn't happen with iphones lol! That was just a story made up by Samsung to get negative press around the new (at the time) iphone release.

Let's keep it real.these are people mistreating the switch.i take mine to work everyday.i. And out the dock and my pocket.no issues period.It's just trolls hateing that the switch is doing well without being as powerful as the other 2 consoles.grow up people

@Spoony_Tech bereal here.you can make a post about the switch knowing it's a lie.and people will say they have the same issue.90 percent of what you read on the net is bs

Wouldn't it have been easier for that one person (before putting it on the internet and getting more people to follow), call nintendo themselves to sort out the issue. To me, it seems like someone was playing the system for a long time (several hours where anything that is played for several hours will get hot), get frustrated at a game, grip the system at great force to show frustration at the game, and bend it themselves. Doesn't seem like it's a system fault, just seems like it's plain stupidity in not caring for something.

I don't doubt that people have had genuine issues with the Switch, even if uncommon. The internet just allows for these things to flame out as if they were happening to everyone, they're not, but that doesn't mean Nintendo shouldn't at least look into them to see how possible/or even just HOW these things can happen in the real world, better to test than be silent on the issue.

@JLPick people like attention, internet gives them that attention, so no that would only be LOGICAL, but we no longer live in that era.

Kind of odd. I've played at least 100 hours exclusively in handheld mode and my system is straight as the day I received it.

As far as NintendoLife posting about this, I don't think it was just made to start trouble or drama, just putting it out to see if anyone on the site had the same issues regarding their own consoles (which seems to be no one else so far but who knows)

@Goob I mainly play mine docked.only time I dont is work.pol mine is fine lol

@ottospooky My Wii U just randomly decided to stop recognizing my gamepad after only 1 year of moderate use the other day so I'm inclined to believe it. Modern consoles seem to break easier in general, no exception from Nintendo.

Nice to see another unverified claim getting widespread coverage in the gaming press.

Look at ISO 75 and ISO 306. Do people really think that the materials of construction are not specified correctly?

SOMEONE didn't install the stability update....

Jokes aside, is the dock also bent? And if so, how did it fit in in the first place without scratching the screen to oblivion? Because if they played predominantly in the dock, and the dock completely covers the device, I literally don't understand how this could happen. I mean, I don't understand anyway, but their story comes into question under even the smallest amount of scrutiny.

Between me, my wife, and my kids our Switch is almost constantly being used. In fact I'll be buying a second one one just for this reason when I can find one. Have not had the scratched screen or this, and I just checked it, absolutely no loss of shape.

Exactly how many is "some?" Again, social media leads to ambulance-chasing by lazy reporters who want to make the news cycle. I doubt there are more than a handful of "cases" that, I'd wager, have more to do with mistreatment than with the design of the system or its dock.

@ottospooky Let's blow up a Switch and see if it still works, then!

It's worth noting that even when docked, they could have been a bit too forceful with it when removing the joy-cons from the system... they would most likely have been attaching them to charge them, and considering you have to press the button on the back of each joy-con to remove them, this would match the direction of the bend shown.

@Goob yeah I put the flattest thing I could on it and you're right, almost invisible to the naked eye unless you're really looking for it but it has a tiny curve now.

Nothing like the pic above though. And as mentioned above I think I'm in the category of extreme use, so for it to bend as vastly for him, he has to have done something extra to it.

@JLPick @RoomB31 Did you read the source? The Switch was apparently bent while docked. Blame the news sites for blowing this up and posting it everywhere.

@DragonEleven That's one flimsy system if it bends that easily...

@boz exactly this my friend

@Octane aka the internet.

Another random report from the Inter-blue, it's either someone clamouring for attention and have given their unit some serious abuse, or an actual defective (Friday afternoon) product - which Ninty will replace. Either way it's not exactly a widespread issue. Maybe they'll fix it with system update Move along, nothing to see here!

@Rocossa that sounds like either a software issue, or an internal hardware issue. It's not a hunk of metal physically bending.

I'd also like to add that if this was due to the tablet unit overheating, I'd imagine the system would've broken down due to melted BGA solders (YLoD, RRoD) way before the outer case would have warped.

Jet fuel can't melt steel Switches

My Switch was warping...but it was my own fault. I put a thick piece of felt in the dock to prevent any screen scratches, and after a few days I noticed my Switch was getting curved a bit.

I made the felt less thick and my Switch is much straighter if not back to normal.

At no time was any functionality compromised.

@AlexOlney lol so true

One reported case of the console bending and we're calling it "Warpgate"? I've played over 120 hours on my console, most of it docked, and it's in perfect condition. Seems like a case of idiotic user error or a smear campaign to me.

@Octane I doubt it was easy to do... but repeated pressure across the same points could do it gradually over time.
It also looks as if it may only be the top edge of the console that has bent, which would be consistent with what I'm saying.

I could see this as a possibility only if they had the dock located in a way that didn't have any sort of airflow. The dock would surely be warped as well. Also, could've left it in their car, on a dashboard. Out in the open, highly unlikely.

I just checked: Mine is bent too. Not as severe as in the picture, but it's definitely not straight. I played 110 hours BOTW docked, maybe an hour or two in handheld mode.

Impossible to tell if the screen has always been this way or if it really bent because of whatever issue could cause this.

The Long And Winding Switch

Reddit wants every little issue that someone has to be the new RRoD. If Reddit is the source, I am not concerned in the least. Idiots can break anything, and they all run to Reddit to cry about it.

I saw a quick blurb about this last night and looked at my dock and had no clue how this could possibly be accomplished.

Some phones do this as well if they get too hot and people mishandle it (putting too much pressure on the edges) while its hot. iPhones specifically are known to do this. It's kind of a bummer that comes with new and thin tech like this. As long as it still works and isn't further damaged, I'd say it's a minor annoyance at worst

Me every time a handful of reddit users get a problem and it causes a new controversy:

@Azooooz My thoughts exactly. People are just looking for issues now and manufacturing their own to discredit Nintendo. I'm not saying there aren't legit gripes or the odd defective unit, but I have yet to experience my Switch getting so hot that the plastic would bend...or my dock scratch up my screen. And I've been docking/undocking every day for a month now. People just need to be careful with their Switch and treat it like a $500 piece of tech...because it is.

Wow. Well, once again throw me in the non-problematic Switch side. Mine STILL hasn't given me ANY issues. Yeah, knock on wood but I play mine for about 3-5 hours docked and will go to bed for about another hour b4 sleepy time. Sucks these people are having these peculiar issues with their Switch.

It shouldn't be possible for this to happen in the dock. The very supports causing the "scratches of doom" would also keep the console straight.

As others said, some phones do suffer from this kind of issue as well, but that generally requires applying pressure (like in a pocket) to cause, and involves bending the glass as well (sort of do-it-yourself-glassblowing)

The only likely theory is as a few here said, applying force while playing handheld while the machine is hot, HOWEVER there's a metal, presumably aluminum, plate in the back of the unit for reinforcement and a metal frame around the bezel that acts as the Joycon reinforcement. Aluminum's not the heartiest of metals, but you'd have to be applying some serious heat and/or force to bend both ends of the plastic frame AND the metal reinforcement. I'd also question which game exactly is pumping out so much heat that it's causing the machine to bend considering the graphical peak of the platform at the moment is BotW, and pretty much every Switch sold has been running that for hours at a time. Unless it's a machine with a defective fan and the heat built up internally maybe. That could make sense in which case the real problem is a faulty fan, not a warping console.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE LOL, that post alone should appease your anti-fan club for a month or so. You won the site!

1 person has proof of this issue so not really losing any sleep over this....

I'm guessing these people also have curved docks?

Banana-gate.

As delightful as the term “Warp-Gate” might be, please stop using it. At best, you’re comparing a possible manufacturing defect to a historic nationwide scandal; at worst, you’re personally escalating this to be far larger than there is any evidence at the moment to suggest and giving the issue far more memorability and headspace than it currently deserves. Not very good journalistic practices. Besides, tagging “gate” at the end of anything remotely controversial was tired and overused when gamers started doing it in 2014. I don’t enjoy being “that guy” who picks on articles, but this is a practice that needs to end.

I think its people trying to make a Mountain out of a Molehill and get their name in a headline .

My Switch looks totally straight to me. Bought it on launch day, and have kept it in the dock like 98-99% of the time.

I'm pretty sure you could start a thread on Reddit saying that your Switch had turned into a potato and others would reply saying the same thing had happened to them.

It's not a heat issue.

The thing never gets above 50C on the die, which is really quite cool. Certainly not hot enough to spontaneously bend the metal backing plate.

Been using my Switch a lot and not had this issue (BOTW is my witness for that. XD). Like the reader has done, I've always turned it OFF as opposed to SLEEP after gameplay (Just preference and the fact my HDMI Switcher gets a little confused when the Switch is in sleep mode) and never take it outside or out of the dock much.

Nintendolife will make a article everytime that some dumb people damage their consoles and write like is a mass problem. You guys are really giving too much credit to pirates and dumb people on forums in the past months, this site is changing and for the worst.

People need to take some L's if they believe this happened on accident

So we're just going to believe everything that anyone on reddit says about Switch now? Great, should make for engaging "news".

I call Shenanigans.

I read this article with a big grain of salt... but then I checked my Switch and it does have a slight curve. My initial thought was frustration, mostly because I play in handheld mode (75% of the time, at least). But then I was thinking... how do we know the shape is from heat and not the design? I don't know for sure, but I'm waiting to hear more from the source - Nintendo.

Damien McFerran seems to be infatuated with reporting on Switch 'defects'. The bogus screen scratching stories and now this. Two people claim something on reddit and boom, that's a news story for Damien.

This ''issue'' is obviously a fabrication since it doesn't even make sense with the battery placement in the Switch.

And the dock screen scratching "defect"? Totally bogus. The dock has padding to protect the screen on the bottom front part. Disappointed in NintendoLife.

If I want reddit, I'll go to reddit.

By the way, i never go to reddit. lol

I thought I was imaging my switch curving after 3-5 hours of use since launch but Nintendo support is aware of the problem because they are in the process of replacing my defective dock. Last week I called Nintendo support to get the joy con desync fix and I explained that my dock was bent and that after a few hours of gaming I would pull the switch out of the dock and notice the system curving in the same location that the dock was bent. After letting it cool it seemed to straighten out but I noticed the issue a few days after launch and kept my eyes on it. Nintendo told me to return the dock immediately because it's possible the system is swelling because of the lack of space between my dock and the switch caused by the bend in my dock. I'm 100 percent sure that if your dock is defective your system will curve. I'm also pretty sure that screen scratches are due to a defective dock and not a lack of padding because I had to apply a considerable amount of force to dock my system and if I hadn't had a screen protector since day one my switch would have been scratched because my screen protector is scratched in places. My point is that people should try the penny test and if the top of the dock holds the penny in place then you sure call support immediately or at least keep an eye on the system after every hour. I could clearly tell my dock was bent. If your dock is bent I also suggest leaving the plastic that covers the hdmi cables open because that may have saved my system in the long run.My switch is fine but I caught what was going a few days after release so I was very careful before receiving confirmation by Nintendo support a week ago. I should have my replacement today or tomarrow

According to Gamersnexus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAEgP7qsfvc&ab_channel=GamersNexus
the NS starts downclocking its processor around 60C outside the processor. Inside the die (ripping off the casing) may provide higher temperatures. So then....how hot does the plastic have to be to start easily bending like this?

Also no, the dock has nothing to do with the heating of the NS. It acts as a port and a charging dock, how exactly would you overheat a system that already has a hard imposed limiting temperature?

And NintendoLife.....what does an Aerospace Engineer have to do with an electronic product? Yes electronics involved a lot of physics understandings...but an Electrical Engineer works in this field. Why wouldn't you ask a person like that instead? Your logic makes no sense.

I laughed when I saw this article.
I checked mine and I have the same issue. Although the front side is flat, but the rear side is bowed similar to the picture.
I played mine mostly docked.
Has anyone checked a Switch fresh out of the box, to ensure this is not actually the design ? (I haven't read all of the comments yet)

Edit: just read the comments. I can categorically say I have not mistreated my Switch. I have had no issues with system so far. No scratched screen etc. Mostly played Zelda docked. Longest playtime about 6 hours. Mostly use pro controller. I have treated it with kid gloves. My dock is approx 2.5 inches from the wall. I do not leave the Switch in dock when not in use, it gets put in a carry case.

If I hold a rule edge to the rear face, I get approx 1.5mm gap on the RH side. Bend looks to be starting at the Last vent hole from the left side. Looking at front side, there is a little gap (approx 1mm). My Dock measures 19mm gap at top, 19mm at bottom, and appears to be straight.

I will contact Nintendo directly to ask.

YES! This happened to me!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE The solution is Cryosis

My iPad and kindle fire never did this. Obviously Nintendo doesn't belong in the tablet market. So how about we go back to real game systems now, and focus on the still strong 3ds XL?

Don't know how wide spread this so called problem is, but the switch doesn't need this sort of bad publicity all over social media sites. Those that are gullible to this sort of news, it would put them of buying a switch, stuff like this be it true or not is a sure way to discredit Nintendo. Let's hope all this negativnes about switch doesn't go viral

I'm beginning to thing it's just a manufacturing hiccup regarding the first wave Switches. A lot of people claim that a new Switch is actually very slightly angled out of the box. Nothing about heat warping.

This system has a lot of potential, it's just too bad all these type of things make it a piece of crap. Get these problems fixed, get some games, and lower the price on the system and accessories, and I'll become interested in buying this system, til' then, I'll just play other ppls Switch

@CheezIt The 3DS may have sold a lot of units up to now, but there's no ignoring that it's ancient tech. I've recently gone back to finish up some 3DS games after playing the Switch in handheld mode and its miserable resolution makes it a strain on the eyes by comparison. Don't get me wrong, I love my 3DS and I always will remember it fondly, but it's time to move on. I mean it was dated technology when it launched, for crying out loud, never mind over six years later.

@SCAssassin can you link to this?

Just because I would like to know if brand new switches have this 1.5mm curve that it seems most now have upon checking

@SCAssassin

Thank you for saying something. I was beginning to worry something was wrong with mine, because as others have noted, mine does have an ever so slight warp as well. Absolutely nothing like what is pictured above, but it is not perfectly flat. Probably off by about 1/16 inch or possibly a 1/32 inch (sorry for the measurements all, I'm from the U.S. and we're weird like that).

I'll keep an eye on it, but you saying that comforts me more. Not gonna worry about it as long as it doesn't get worse.

Off the bat I'm saying balls... My switch is beyond perfect, my mates and a couple dozen peeps i know who own one have had zero probs, a mate of mine has hammered his switch with accidentally stepping on it, dropping it leaving it out in the sun, he even dropped it in the bath and it works like a a dream so i don't understand how people are having probs and i keep ow lots are doing it and trying to pass it off and faulty switches

@thesilverbrick being dazzled by technology is what kills most game systems at launch. As you get older, you'll realize it's the game play itself that matters and endures over time. If this were not true then there would be no such thing as a "virtual console". 👌

Read about this online and checked mine. Yep, it's warped, ever so slightly. And I'm an old guy who's been super careful with mine. I suspect many switches are warped and people just haven't noticed yet.

I guess I'll just have to limit my docked play time a bit to reduce the heat until they replace our docks or something.

Wow that is interesting. I just checked my system and it is warped slightly on the kickstand side just like the photo above. Slightly I mean like 1 or 2% warped. I mostly play in docked mode and have close to two hundred hours of Zelda time. And no I did not bend my Switch system. I always take care of my electronics..

This is real interesting. System still works though

Perhaps they turned off the "press same button 3 times" feature, which could make it turn on in a bag and get really hot.

I just can't take this seriously after the scratched screen stuff. Before I was back to work I have had my switch on for sometimes up to 20 hours in row(on not sleep mode) and the console has never gotten hot.

Has it happened to some people? Maybe. Have some people done some stupid things with their console? Absolutely.

Nintendo fan logic: Its lies because its not happen to me, just like the Joy-cons (oh wait Nintendo fixed that). Still lies to make Nintendo look bad, if you lie like this we'll just have to kick you out of our fanboy cult.

@CheezIt I believe you're misunderstanding my meaning here.
For starters, I'm not exactly a child. I'm a married man in my thirties and I've been playing games since the NES. And I will absolutely agree with you; gameplay is paramount and the single most important factor when it comes to the enduring quality of any software. I own all seven Nintendo home consoles and they all are actively used. In fact, the titles I tend to replay again and again are for the most part on the SNES and N64 moreso than any other console.
That said, I think your statement about Nintendo sticking to the 3DS over the Switch was a bit shortsighted. Like it or not, gaming is a technology-driven business, and tech ages pretty quickly. And while people like you and I might enjoy older titles, the market at large is interested in prettier and prettier games. Case in point, look at Pokémon models in Pokémon Sun and Moon and compare them to the high resolution models on Pokémon GO on iOS or android. The difference is night and day. Granted, Sun and Moon are astronomically better games than Pokémon GO, but I often hear comments from casual gamers that they aren't interested in the mainline Pokémon games because they're "ugly" or look "last-gen". Like it or not, the incredibly dated looking 3DS is off-putting to some, and as the months and years go by, the vast graphical difference between modern games and those on the 3DS will only grow and become more apparent. And sure, these games are fun, no doubt, but we live in a world where people judge by appearance, and it will only become increasingly difficult for Nintendo to advertise and sell games that are running on comparatively ancient hardware. It can't last forever, regardless of how well designed or entertaining the software is. There's a reason Nintendo (and everyone else) eventually dumps old hardware, no matter how successful it is commercially. The public moves on, and as soon as the Switch hit the market with portable capabilities, the 3DS with its low-res screens, pressure-based touch screen and incredibly dated graphics began to wind down. Supporting hardware like this instead of newer tech (that the media is hyped about mind you) would be commercially unwise. And Nintendo is completely capable of replicating the same fun, gameplay-driven experiences on the Switch, and they'll look nicer, too. Everyone wins.

There is also the obvious, it is a 3D printed replica that someone warped to make Nintendo look bad... a couple of reddit users out of a couple million people this console has been sold to, and people are believing this junk... The worst case scenario is that it is real, and it is a defect that only a small amount of people experienced.

Goes to show how gullible people can be.

more likely this guy didnt take care of his system properly.

That's nothing. I caught the switch in bed with my missus last night.

Jeez I can't imagine the little Switch gets that hot?? Mine has been docked since 3/3! And I Don't plan on using it for portable reasons at this time. Cause for concern nonetheless!

I've babied my Switch since its launch day. Anytime it has left the dock it has been in its case, and any time it has been placed back in it is gentle to avoid any unwanted scratches. So far I've been good at avoiding any issues with the Switch, including the joycon connectivity issues a lot of others have been having.

I do, however, have a slight bend in the console. Mind you I've played in handheld mode 3 or 4 times at a few minutes each time tops, and any other time has been in kickstand or dock (majority has been docked). I cannot say whether the bend was already in the console when I purchased it or not as I had no reason to check it when I first got it. It might be worth noting that my Switch has been docked for 3 weeks now as I've had no reason to take it out and have been playing it on my TV.

I do not believe it to be an issue with handheld playing as I highly doubt my 3 or 4 10 minute sessions of Breath of the Wild while on the pooper have been enough to bend the console. It's more likely a faulty console issue or a faulty dock issue.

This is the ultimate proof the console was poorly designed to work attached to the dock. With so many problems, I'll probably never risk my (future) unit.

I'd be happy with a portable-only version once the 3DS is discontinued.

@RedChu this the same situation with me. I wouldn't have even noticed if it hadn't been for this article. My Switch is also working fine.
I can't rule out that it wasn't like this out of the box

Why is no one talking about the fact that the rubber nub inside the Joy-Con grip leaves a mark on the outside edge of the Joy-Con through constant sliding in and out?

as a young child i was diagnosed with warp-gate syndrome and have been living with it ever since. ive learned to accept it, thus it has made me see through the challenges and to realize i am just as normal as the next person.

Based off of all the comments from people with the issue the dock may have something to do with this...

I just laid my Switch on it's back on a flat glass table and sure enough the system is not 100% flat .

Although I mainly play it on a television, I have been carrying it a lot with me lately since I now have a screen protector and feel more secure having it around Mii. Also, I have a history of not ever buying screen protectors nor carrying cases for all my portable Nintendo systems I've owned. The Switch was the first one I bought a screen protector for. But just to be secure, I may well buy a carrying case as well.

As of now, I'm not worried. The system is fully functional with no problems. As a precaution, I'll probably get in contact with Nintendo to let them know of the issue with my system. My past experiences with Nintendo warranty in regards to issues with older systems has been good so far and I'm sure they'll repair/swap system if needed .

This is photoshoped. I know this because I took a class on it recently at school. You can clearly see that the gamecard flap is so obviously warped/scewed it is rediculous.

@idork99 There is a little curve on the back of the switch. The front screen is flat.

@Rocketjay8 Exactly. I took pictures of mine. The edge where the screen meets the top side is flat, but the edge where the back meets to top has a curve to it. One where on both left and right sides, it curves out a little, then in, where I'd estimate about 70% of the backside is flat. It seems more design than error, and I use my Switch in the dock the majority of the time (a good 90% if not more).

http://i.imgur.com/uyu0kXQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/f3eo7G7.jpg

If this were because of heat, then it would only affect one side where it would actually get hot because that's what components do when under load. But, the "battery" side not only has a little curve in it, but it's basically uniform with the other side.

My dock is slightly bent, but with a screen protector I've gotten no scratches even when I accidentally put it in roughly. Hopefully this isn't caused by the slightly bent dock issue, as otherwise I fear for my switch.

EDIT: Just looked at my switch. When I rest it on it's back (not on the screen) on the table the ends of the switch are very slightly off the table. Is this warping or how it is normally?
When laying on the screen it is perfectly flat, so I assume the back is just very slightly curved for everyone. Can anyone check theirs to confirm?

@Discostew @Rocketjay8 Agreed, the whole shape of the shell should show signs of misuse if it were truly warped. (Try saying that ten times fast!) I'm no aerospace engineer, but I've seen enough warped computer components in my line of work to recognize this as a fraudulent pic.

@FlameRunnerFast CPU's and GPU's often have a safe lock of shutting the computer down at around 90° C, which is a danger point. However, even that is not enough to start physically warping plastic (and obviously not silicon or metal). You need to go into the over 100° C range to start doing that like the picture suggests, and modern computers will shut down before that happens as a safety feature. It's a tall tale. Don't need to be an engineer to figure that out, just experiment with a soldering iron.

@Podoboo It stems from government coverups like WaterGate that happened before I, and I would assume a lot of us were born. So the meaning is lost on many. Still it's interesting. My Switch is docked 99.9% of the time and has a slight curve to it, so if you laid it on it's back it could teeter slightly. I recall setting it on my table while setting it up when I first got it and it wasn't this way. Instead it was very solid, sturdy and flat. It's not as noticeable as the photo above but still exists to a lesser extent. Now the question is if I want to do anything about it right away...

@MarioPhD Ha, suppose I'll just wait for further stability updates to release.

I call B.S.

Thats why a clam-shell design of 3DS and DS is the best for a portable.

What about the "real" battery issues? Why not Reporting on that?

You got a big topic about it in the Switch forums and it's one of the hottest topics on the Official Nintendo Forums, with Nintendo ignoring it completely!

@Damo I just ran the image from Reddit through a a freely available Photo forensics program called JPEGsnoop. Download it and see the result for yourselves, it determines that based on the analysis of compression characteristics and EXIF metadata for the .JPG file, it is a Class 1 case. In other words, the image has almost certainly been processed/edited.

If you do try it out, note the Compression Signatures table near the bottom of the read out. It says that the camera used may have been a Sony Cyber Shot U. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sony_Cyber-shot_cameras#U_series

The image may have been primarily altered through Adobe Photoshop 7.0 (a really old version from around 15 years ago). Quicktime, Digital Photo Professional, and IJG Library (which includes GIMP) also may have been used for touch ups.

This Reddit case is probably some kind of hoax. Whoever _NSR is, they probably thought they were being smart, using an old digital camera and an old version of Photoshop. They also claim that they won their Switch for free from "a convention." (Which one would that have been, anyways?) This claim can be seen from their overview feed.

It might be worth it to contact someone experienced in photo analysis to confirm.

I wonder if warped systems could lead to scratched screens when docking; otherwise, it doesn't seem too major. Mine seems to be okay so far.

If there were some Note 7/RROD-style massive fubar with the Switch Nintendo would have come out guns blazing to protect their most vital asset: corporate imagery.

When I worked in retail we had a woman bring back a DS that looked like it had been ran over by a bus. The hinge was barely hanging on. But it was still in warranty and the issue was with some faulty wiring so Nintendo still replaced it as it wasn't her kids fault.

They do actually have impeccable customer service.

@RadioHedgeFund Well, this guy isn't getting any customer service, because his NS is most likely unwarped in reality.

Problems...problems...problems with the Switch. It says enough...

Crash 3 Warped confirmed for Switch and Bowser's Warped Orbit will be available in Mario Party 11, obviously.

Any chance the user has their lovely switch stood next to a PS4????

The heat coming out of that thing has seen my PS4 being relocated to the other side of the TV from my beloved Switch.

The G-force, and noise vibration coming from my PS4 was also a potential risk to other consoles in it's local vicinity.

@Baker1000 nice pic..how did you get it in the post?

@Snow-Dust
Oo-er missus 😆

@Nico07 Yeah I knew the origin of the gate tag, I just think it's the easy way out and is just way too overused. When I see it attached to literally every issue, my soul dies a little bit more.

I should probably check my Switch when I get home from work today and make sure it's not slightly bent. I've really only used it once out of docked mode because I've yet to purchase a screen protector.

@TheSpeedyMouse
Mine does the same as yours. It's just slightly curved on the back. The front is perfectly flat.
I've seen people around release asking this on Nintendolife. So the Switch probably comes right out of the box like this.

@Henmii See comment #141, you're being taken for a fool with that response.

They should have ate the cost and upgraded the CPU to the latest Nvidia's Tegra. They run cooler for a start and provide more performance.

I will had a good laugh when all people conplaining here realize that the back of the system is a little warped in the back by design.

@VENOMVSCARNAGE There is absolutely no need for that tape and it's a shame you believed the fake news. Now your machine is getting improper temperatures while playing and harming the normal function and life expectancy of your hardware.

I've said it time and time again in this website; the Switch has padding on the front bottom part of the dock. It's small, so you'll need a flashlight to see it since the dock is black. All the screen scratching BS was done for YouTube views and clicks. Nintendo planned ahead to fix this glaring issue and it's a shame NintendoLife reported on fake news without checking their own console to see the padding on the dock.

Ballzillas right. I posted yesterday because my dock was bent and switch was curving at the same location on the bent dock. I sent my switch in last week and they replaced my dock. Got the replacement today and the new dock doesn't bend inwards at all. I'm now 99% sure that some docks are defective which is causing screen scratching and curved consoles. The dock I sent in for replacement was slightly bent inwards at the top. I advise anyone who is having screen scratching issues or notice their dock isn't completely straight to call Nintendo support. My new dock is perfect. Just wanted to let those experiencing the issue know that Nintendo support is aware of the issue and it only takes a week for a replacement, possibly less if you send it on Thursday or Friday.

Some people don't deserve nice things... They don't know how to take care of nice things... leave their console in the sun all day in 100 degree weather... Have large clumsy hands and tend to force things with no care, this is what happens... My Iphone screen broke!! I want a new one, but failed to mention it was dropped 100 times before then.

Seems like Apple has passed the Bendgate torch to Nintendo. I wonder who Nintendo will pass the torch to in the future??

Whoever took that picture should be more careful: the object under the Switch is an iPad cover, which has magnets in it. You shouldn't keep magnets near the Switch or most electronics

@FlameRunnerFast
Hi FlameRunnerFast! I am the guy mentioned in the article. I actually contacted the author via linkedin to give my inputs/concerns regarding the article, but didn't expect to be quoted directly (or even that my input would be used!). I made no claim to be an expert on these types of electronics...he must have seen my linkedin page and just threw my title in.
If I had written more than the quoted blurb, I would have noted that I don't know that the heat is really causing the issue related to warping, but that I've had heat issues when traveling with the Switch in a case. I think the issue occurred when I plugged the Switch into a portable battery after having put it to sleep (apparently this will kick the screen on). I didn't notice it, as I just barely opened the case to plug in while I was on the train from work. An hour later I opened up the case and was surprised that it was on and very hot (no temp measurement available).
I would assume that Nintendo has hardware measuring the temperature internal to the unit to shut it down in case of overheat, but I'm thinking that they might want to put in some additional logic beyond a maximum temp allowed. While a single event at max will probably be OK, a lot of hot events below the maximum might reduce the life/reliability of the hardware. My autosleep is on, but it's possible the action of my moving bag caused minor inputs from the analog sticks, killing the protection of the sleep option. Some additional heat protections via OS coding might be a good solution for this, as the Switch can see inputs in a travel case that the 3DS never would when folded shut.
I will say I have never had a significant heat event with the switch docked...it gets no hotter than an iPad when pushing its processor.

Just my two cents.

@CollinRoche Ah, yeah I wish NinendoLife contained more relevant information then. Thank you for the clarification.

A simple sleep mode toggle, using some button combination (or just a black and white screen with the combination shown) would easily fix this problem if your console did overheat while being shifted around in your bag. I guess I'll have to add on a carry case to my already planned $500+ expenses to buy the switch -_-.

Nintendo, presuming they included some form of temperature measurement in the Switch's die (which since the video I linked showed a max temperature limit around 60C), should like you said provide additional coding to limit the temperatures of the switch to the lowest it can provide. Though I hope this wouldn't affect a game's current state by despawning entities in an effort to lower the maximum output, but I don't know enough about how Nintendo's operating system works to provide speculation on that.

I hope Nintendo takes these cases to heart instead of ignoring them. They appear to have improved the dock and repaired for free left joycons with connectivity problems, but I'm still a bit put off that saves are tied to your console. I'll wait until Nintendo gives online storage or frees the user to save them as a backup. If a user such as yourself can so easily accidentally damage the Switch, I fear what I would do to it.

My nvidia shield tablet bends easily, my lg optimus g pro did too and my medion life windows tablet also. Thins plastic hardware will bend easily but can be bend back without issues.

@Discostew

I found the same thing. I honestly think this is the design... and I'm going to check the thickness of the machine with calipers when I get the chance (need to borrow them!). The Switch seems to be equal thickness to the naked eye, but it could be that they thickened the center up to accommodate for something (I'm not a hardware designer, so I have no clue) or for other reasons.

I also feel that if this were due to heat, it wouldn't be so symmetric, especially across the board. Some might experience twisting, warping, bending or other issues, but nothing so perfect every time...

@fastharryDOTcom just grabbed the link and used the [ img ] tags. Didn't even know if it would work, but it did

So after reading this (and not believing it) I went and looked at mine and low and behold it does have a soft bend on the right side of the system. I couldn't believe it. I have played with mine in dock mode maybe 10% of the time and the rest has been handheld.

@subpopz

There are people who do that?

@Baker1000 ..huh...who knew, lol...Thanks, I'll give it a whirl..

I've played way too many hours of Zelda to admit to, both docked and in tablet mode, and I've carried the system in my BotW carry case multiple times and never seen this issue. I also haven't had the system just randomly be on and hot while in the case, either.

One thing to note, however, is that the system will sometimes respond to controller buttons being pressed even when it's in tablet mode and they're not docked to the system. Obviously, this is so that you can set the thing on a table and play it with JoyCons or a Switch Pro controller remotely, but it is a bit concerning that the system might switch itself on because a button gets jostled on a controller sitting nearby in a suitcase or backpack.

However, my understanding is that only the Home button should work, and then you have to "confirm" the action by pressing the same button three times, so I doubt it's really that big of an issue.

figure i would check mine...100% straight on back side..and that's after sitting in a slightly warped dock for 3 weeks with average playing times in dock and handheld BOTW

Pretty sure its just people with unlucky defective ones. It's gotta happen when you mass produce shrugs

@thesilverbrick well, I'm perhaps one of the oldest gamers here, and I was a game writer/programmer in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. I own more than 30 console systems and roughly 5000 games (yes, that's true), and I've been a gamer and game collector for nearly half a century. I've watched countless systems and games come and go and long be forgotten. But in the end, the ones that gamers like and remember the most had little to do with graphics or gimmicks and everything to do with enduring and engaging gameplay. Stretching too far into the flashy or gimmicky realm is a dangerous territory as Nintendo has seen time & again. Only a few survive and the rest are cast aside. And with the hardware problems plaguing the Switch, along with the almost zero physical games to choose from for that system is just leaving many gamers in the cold. And like I'd said before, the virtual console is proof that gamers want more of the older games. Every week that is blatantly obvious even if just in the complaints on here regarding Nintendo NOT releasing more games on the virtual console. That's never an issue for me personally as I still have all these older systems and games that I love and can play anytime. And that's where the bulk of my gaming has been lately because the new stuff coming out for the most part is just awful. Even the new Pokémon sun and moon, I have moon, and I hate it. I was so distraught with everything they ruined in that game, that I went back to playing Pokémon Soul Silver after having beat it nearly 7 years ago, and it's a much more enjoyable experience than Moon could ever aspire to be. Graphics do little to inspire this old gamer. It's solid gameplay that always wins.

@Blur_Escalation Thanks for responding! I've been pretty stressed out recently so this made me just even more stressed. Thanks for responding! Even if it is slightly warped since it is so hard to tell it doesn't matter, but it sounds like it normal.

@PlywoodStick,

Fake news you say? Maybe.

@Goob 70 hours into zelda about 50 of that docked and i can say using a metal yard stick that is also a level and it think heavy dudty construction grade i have 0 bend to mine, but i also barely ever play handheld mostly tablet cause i hate the joycons for zelda.

@FlameRunnerFast
I hope Nintendo works to improve things where they can as well. They've been resistant to changing in accordance with fan input for so long that I am hesitant to believe they actively try and research the issues people are bringing up online. However, given the positive aspects of the Switch and what seems to be an honest effort to engage 3rd parties, maybe Nintendo's management is really changing their approach...lord knows they took enough of a whooping with the Wii U that they had to know to change at this point

@FlameRunnerFast lol. More to the point we are all aerospace engineers, astrononauts, Kings, Queens, billionaires, biochemists, computer scientists, materials experts Lol.

This aerospace engineer is probably just another spotty teen who watches too much porn lmao!!!

I'D SAY NINTENDO WILL FIX IT WITH ANOTHER OS SOFTWARE UPDATE.

SOUNDS LIKE SWITCH JUST NEEDS A LITTLE MORE STABILITY.

@liveswired .....I think saying that is highly disrespectful to those in high positions. These people take hard college classes for something they are passionate for and their opinion is held high in a relevant situation. If I had a problem with a project that I am trying to make with a mechanical problem, as an upcoming Electrical Engineer student I would ask a Mechanical Engineering student for help. I hope you can see these differences someday and would try not to stereotype different kinds of people.

@FlameRunnerFast lol, I'm merely point out the majority of people here online are pretenders....If that is offensive you need to get a life or a sense of humour!!! You sound very 'passionate' lmao 😁 😁 😁

@liveswired ....then you brushed off my comment and said "get a life" after saying your comment shouldn't be offensive. I just pointed out a flaw in your logic according to my perspective. Could you please be less whimsical and more respectful?

@FlameRunnerFast please don't take anything I say seriously...I have a warped
sense of humour sometimes! 😂 😂 😂 💯