Nintendo's official Japanese customer service Twitter account throws up some wonderfully odd bits of advice and help from time to time, and today it's attempted to clear up any confusion over that odd little shape found just below the console's screen.
We wouldn't blame you if you hadn't really noticed it before - we knew it was there but hadn't really given it all that much thought before now - but you can see it highlighted in the image above. As some of you may already know, Nintendo explains that this is actually the sensor for the console's automatic brightness setting.
Essentially, when you have automatic brightness turned on, the sensor will check the surrounding brightness and adjust itself to meet your needs. Nintendo notes that if you cover that sensor with your finger (again, making sure that you have automatic brightness turned on), you should notice that the screen will become darker.
If you're interested in checking it out, you can turn on automatic brightness by heading to 'System Settings' on the Switch's main menu, going to the 'Screen Brightness' tab, and making sure that the feature is set to 'On'.
So there we are, an interesting fact for anyone who didn't know about the sensor before, and an admittedly odd reminder from Nintendo's official customer support for those who knew already. Right, as you were!
[source twitter.com]
Comments 62
Wow, I literally never noticed it before now. Neat.
Well, I learned something today. And the more you know...
Since it has the sensor maybe they could re-release or better yet release HD remakes of the Boktai games on the Switches. They’d have to forgo needing people to play outside but I don’t think too many people would be upset.
It's the light sensor. They told us that before the Switch came out.
Yeaaaah... the was pretty obvious no ?
Cool to know, I guess?
I knew this from the first day I had bought it and brought it home. I mean, it was obvious when screen protectors had cut outs for it
Looking at my Switch lite even though I already knew it had no sensor
I never noticed it until I put on a tempered glass screen, I knew what it was but what did confuse me why there? Surely it would be better placed at the top? Or even centred in the middle rather than off to the side
I notice it everytime I install a screen protector . . . and at no time else! Good to know though!
I learned that a long time ago.
@GrandScribe Don't you dare give me hope on another forgotten classic.
This is used by Labo VR to detect whether the console is in the VR headset or not.
@GrandScribe Well, technically capcom has talked about Battle Network in the near past. I guess we could at least expect an collection from that as even freaking ZX got that. So... Maybe BN Collection could remind people that Boktai was a thing back in the day... =/
Just like smash introduced many to earthbound and fire emblem.
I just thought it was some built-in camera or something that would only work with some upcoming accessory kinda like how the Wii U gamepad had that port for the proposed Wii U Zapper.
@DeathUriel Seems like a stretch to say Battle Network might remind people of Boktai
I knew that was there the whole time, are people just figuring this out?
I thought that was an air bubble from my screen protector...I am dumb
I'm not tech savvy but found this one quite obvious FWIW.
And automatic brightness has a tickbox shortcut right in the quick menu (the one accessed holding Home button).
EDIT: and I done goofed, too. It's not exactly a box to tick.
I always assumed that's what it was.
I thought this was a given. If it's not a camera, it's a sensor. Most smart phones have them next to the front camera.
@Anri02 I don't know if you don't know or if you don't think it is enough. But I kinda only know Boktai because of Battle Network, there are many references to Boktai and I don't know exactly how but I read once that the games had some link cable connection or something.
@Anri02 Boktai and Battle Network crossed over repeatedly though. Plus, Battle Network includes Django as a character, and the GunDelSol chips are great.
You didn't mention Switch Lite doesn't have one. And that's why it doesn't have the Automatic Brightness option
To be sincere i have known this feature.
Hmm, neato. Now, when I go on my ninja missions and play my Switch in the shadows, I can turn this off to make sure the Switch stays dark and doesn't give me away. Cool.
This is obvious enough to most people!
Wow I've known that for years
Old news passing off as new news is bad news.
Isn't it true that they don't have one of these on the Switch Lite? I swear I read that somewhere
I've wondered from time to time how they handle auto-brightness. Never put two and two together
how is this big news? most devices these days have brightness sensors on them.
Also, the thing on the back that looks like a thin mesh, is actually the fan air intake for cooling!
And if you didn't know what that was for then you probably have never had a smart phone or tablet device at all, since it looks exactly like a light sensor on any of those types of devices. LOL... thanks nintendo!
I'll gladly take any nearly useless Switch factoids you can dish out, thanks
I thought it was a camera so the world governments could watch me play switch on the toilet.
i wonder if it could've help with pointer controls if the doc had a hole, it'd work like the opposite of the wii sensor bar which emitted light though.
I honestly thought everyone knew
I noticed it when I installed my amFilm Nintendo Switch Premium Tempered Glass Screen Protector.
@GrandScribe YES!!!!
THANK YOU I always wondered!
Aw I was hoping for it to be a camera...
I'm pretty sure that's not what the blob on my screen is.
l never noticed that
@GrandScribe Such a great game! And with the built in light sensor wouldn’t even need the chunky cartridge poking out the top!
Gawd how did no one see that before I saw it on launch day! Ugh
Reality: never saw it before this post
Anyone who has a phone from 2010 onwards knew what that was
I feel brighter now that I know.
Lol how could you not know that? It looks exactly like any other light sensor used in various devices over the past two decades.
Anyone who's used a smart phone in the past several years knows what that is, lol.
Now tell me what the two little indents at the bottom of the screen are for?
I never really wondered, because it was obvious.
I just assumed it was a brightness sensor. I mean, the system has auto-brightness so it needs a sensor.
@Gravitron you mean those that, when covered during audio playback, kind of mute the audio?
Sounds like Fake news. This is not only obvious but well documented.
I thought that was an air bubble underneath the screen protector I installed, the more you know. 😄
http://chng.it/z855VjYv5L Invert Y axis petition for Luigi's Mansion 3
As for the topic at hand here, do people not learn about the console before/after they get it in their hands? You always do that before plugging it in to play for the first time. I noticed it when I took the screen protector off... Worthless products.
Well whaddya know?
My initial answer was "no", but this turned out to be useful, as I had wondered about the automatic brightness setting.
@DeathUriel hopefully it can because a lot of people never got to enjoy the series.
Just like every other mobile device with a light sensor...
I don't understand what lead people to believe it wasn't a sensor.
WTF. We all knew what that was. How can anyone be so dumb as to not know that?
@Elvie If you mean that port on the bottom of the Wii U Gamepad, that's used for the charging dock, zapper or no zapper!
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