Sony isn't replacing dead pixels?
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Mar 23rd 2005 at 6:14PM }
According to an email allegedly sent out by the online retailer, Video Games Plus, Sony will not replace dead pixels
in the PSP's LCD screen. The malfunction is not under warranty.
The following email was reproduced in this forum:
"To all customers that have preordered a PSP unit,
There have been significant issues regarding the PSP unit and software which have arisen in the past 24hrs that we
must update you on. We have already started to receive inventory and begun processing and getting orders ready to ship.
The issues are as follow.
DEAD PIXEL WARRANTY AND TESTING…
We have just been infomned by Sony that they will not be warranting any dead pixel units. They are only warranting
hardware defects ie broken buttons, malfuction with drive and so on. Dead Pixels are not considered a defect by Sony of
America and will not be warrantied. With this new developement, Video games Plus will no longer be testing PSP units
for dead pixels before shipping.
...Videogamesplus.ca sincerely apologizes for any inconveince this has caused any of our customers. Unfortunately with
the late Sony announcements and decisions we have been left in a position to do our best to serve you under these
unforseen circumstances. As always we appreciate your business and look forward to continuing to serve you in the
outmost professional and courteous way.
Sincerely,
Steve Fiocco
President
www.videogamesplus.ca"
Is this a hoax? That's still up for grabs. But if the message was cut-n-pasted to the forum, it's curious
that there are so many spelling mistakes….
[Thanks, Andrew]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
icespide @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
sounds about right to me. replacing a unit because of one dead pixel is a bit ridiculus. I can understand if its like 3 or more. I wonder if there is a certain number of dead pixels that must appear before sony will do anything.
EvilHayama @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I got this email too as I've bought stuff from videogamesplus before, as to whether this is just canada, or they're mistaken in some way, who knows.
Dom @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
If I'm dropping $250 (more with a bundle), I want a perfect PSP, and I don't think that's asking alot. It's not like the DP goes away, it'll stare at you for the rest of your life.
Saying "get over it" is the most assinine thing you could ever say to this. If you get a product and it's defective (and having a DP IS defective), you should get a replacement.
moe @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
i'm going to buy the psp tomorrow and if i have one dead pixel i will call sony and if they refuse to replace it i will contact the BBB(BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU). i'm paying the full price of a MINT condition system and not a deffective system. i think everybody should do the same if they have a dead pixel.
Kamalot @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
If a company makes a product, they should be willing to stand behind it.
Pixels:
130,560 - PSP
1,920,000 - Laptop (1600x1200)
That's more than 14 times the number of pixels. I can understand if your laptop manufacturer can't guarantee if every one of the almost 2 million pixels is perfect. We are talking about guaranteeing a little more than a hundred thousand. Sony, with all of their manufacturing might, should be able to do that.
If this is true, it is a damn shame.
w0rstnitmr @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I don't know....
I just don't see why Sony wouldn't replace them when Nintendo has been doing so, no questions asked. Interesting, though.
longlivethefunk @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Just return it for a refund at your retailer. When they ask for the reason for the return, tell them you don't like it.
Then go buy another one. Rinse and repeat if necessary.
Laurens Holst @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Nintendo IS replacing units with dead pixels! Hah!
My DS had one, got a replacement without much trouble at the store I bought it, and when I phoned Nintendo earlier they said I could also send it to them and recieve a replacement unit if the store didn’t want to do that.
When I buy a PSP, guess I'll be making sure to have seen it running before I pay for it!
~Grauw
Joey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Dead Pixels on PSP = Stupid retarded sony fanboys who get fed crap with a waffle stiq
Cheers and dont forget to purchase malox
icespide @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
dead pixels are a very difficult thing to prevent
Joey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
We've come as far as being able to prevent bowel movements, and sony, a multi millidion dollar corporation whose sole purpose is to provide decent gadgets for people to eat up cant even do that. HA!!!!
Beano in your cup sony fanboys
Joey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
meet you where MACK pancho
Sony stinks and you stink with it. Go shower. PSP sucks and gizmondo will turn the earth into urth.
Let the Dino's breath once more
Wai_TungLeung @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Dead pixels have been an issue for quite a while now and I think this sort of problem demands a sort of compromise. Speaking from a consumer's point of view I should be able to buy products that are in perfect working order. However I once saw a comment on CNet.com saying people who accept monitors with dead pixels were idiots, etc, which feels as though it's taking it too far; spoilt consumers are not only annoying when they throw a tantrum but also blind from the real world constraints.
Although perfect products are the ideal for consumers, they don't want to have to foot the bill for quality control (someone would afterall have to pay for x% of dead pixel monitors and there are quite a few). So perhaps a compromise between was the best way of balancing the issue, companies will only replace if there are n number of pixels (traditionally 5 on a computer monitor). However what Sony would appear to be doing (unless the article omitted small details) is not warranting ANY dead pixel units. Perhaps if there is one dead pixel that is hard to spot that would be reasonable but if there are a number of them that are apparent then that is unacceptable. Though that is not to say you couldn't return it back to the retail store you bought it from (which is true in the UK where there is often return and replace with no questions asked policy amoung retailers).
It is interesting to note that Nintendo has a zero-tolerance policy on dead pixels and will replace the unit if one developes. This is part of an overall shift in the industry since Samsung also adopts the policy, thanks to improving technology as well as the companies now able/willing to cover the costs. It is also good for consumer choice since they will be able to decide for themselves how many dead pixels they will tolerate in till it they will want a replacement and so the industry can for now be slighly relaxed on quality control and so not have to pass so much of the costs onto the consumer. Hopefully Sony will eventually shift to this zero-tolerance policy in the near future if they wish to further improve customer loyalty.
Joey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Amen to that Wai_TungLeung
ill be cooking sausage and other fixin's tonite...we can use mack pancho as a table and his mouth as a toilet.
*in my restroom i got something betta than toilet paper, and mack pancho knows what the taste is* love you buggin's!
Kevin @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Golly, so much hate that Mack has. What a pathetic life he must live to care so much about something like this.
I suppose even Sony could care less about having losers like this on their side.
GTi-VR6 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I dunno, this whole story sounds a little fishy to me. Sony hasn't said anything so far about the dead pixel issues, BUT I hardly think that something would be announced/leaked the night before launch. I don't see anything on www.videogamesplus.ca site about it. You'd think that if they were to send emails out to everyone, they'd put a notice on the site as well.
ketch @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
This sounds about right remeber that the Japan release of the PSP was plagued by dead pixels too and just the same Sony only exchanged PSP units if they had more than 3 or 5 dead pixels.
Bad policy for 250+ dolars
Blue_Six @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I have a head mounted display from Xybernaut to go along with my MA IV (which I own mostly for novelty reasons) and they actually informed me in advance that dead pixels ARE possible due to the small size and a complicated manufacturing process. They said that if there would at least two connected dead pixels or five scattered ones they'd replace the HMD free of charge.
I think that was/is an ok policy and I'm glad that I never had to make us of it with only one DP on my display.
ill trooper @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Oh, where is Mack right now? I hope that dude got a dead pixel, just for karma's sake.
Anyway, this seems to be a problem we are all starting to face these days... I have a dead pixel on my Powerbook and I have gotten used to it, although the single red dot that shines as the screen goes black for a DVD or something is annoying.
I do not, however, think this is acceptable. To respond to the first post, "one dead pixel" IS rediculous, that attitude is what makes manufacturers and companies foist this stuff on us, under the threat that 'costs will skyrocket,' which tells me they need to focus on lowering manufacturing defects. If there were some way to make a stand, let's say, by refusing to buy a PSP. Never going to happen, the thing is just too cool, and like everyone, we will take the risk.
Nintendo gets my respect for replacing faulty screens, I hope Sony can step up and do the same.
klinko @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
This is the exact reason I'm saving my cash til at least June. Sony's track record ain't anything to brag about when comes to console launches.
For the rest of you, it said other hardware problems are covered. Translation- when a few pixels go out, break the disk drive or something.
Morningbuster @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
As far as retail was concerned (i work at a national chain, you can probably figure it out... we didn't take pre-orders...) Sony's policy on dead pixels on the PSP was the same as its LCD computer displays: 5 dead pixels within a centimeter of each other.
Not too sure what it means now, though.
Elkay @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I haven't read all the post just the first 5 or so but I Just wanted to throw a spanner in the works.
I pre-ordered my PSP from Japan ... no diffrent except locked to region 2 UMD.
It was checked in japan before it shipped, and developed 3 dead pixels 3 weeks after I got it.
Sony japan wont replace unless its 4 or more.
My friend in japan at the shop i bought it would get it replaced if he could.
i'm in australia BTW !
Elkay.
grant @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I dont know guys,just one dead pixel is not something too bad.Ridiculous,yes,but nothing to care too much about.My DS has one,and it dont matter to me.
rivaldia @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
this is rediculus i am not buying a psp from sony seing that they enforce bundles on my so with tax its 360$ (canadian)without a game of anykind ill go to the store and verify these rumors are true or not and if they are im not buying anytrhing from sony till they fix it
OMAC @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I own a 19" AG Neovo LCD, 15" Samsung LCD and 15" Mermaid Ventura LCD. Not a single dead pixel in all that LCD real estate. I don't mean to be harsh here, but you are a sucker and quite possible a chump if you think dead pixels in todays world are acceptable. Samsung has gone on record stating that any dead pixel is unacceptable and Nintendo has done the same.
Why is Sony going on records saying dead pixels are a fact of life? They probably got a better deal on the screens by accepting a lower standard of quality.
Would you buy a new car with a few chips of paint missing?
Would you buy a house with some bricks missing in the foundation?
Scott @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Well said longlivethefunk.
Guys, if you simply can not live with a dead pixel then return it to where you bought it, get store credit or whatever, and then buy another the next day.
rivaldia @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
i agree with you at the price a psp is i dont want to see any dead pixels if it was 100$ sure i wouldnt mind to much but its like 400-500$ if you want a game with it
6hostblur @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I bought mine today from Gamestop in Cincinnati. My PSP has two dead pixels on the screen. Both are near the bottom. I can only notice the pixels when the main menu screen is on. Then it looks like there is a super tiny orange spec of dust on the screen. When a game or movie is playing, I can't even see it. So I am personally not worried about. Do I wish it wasn't there? Sure. But I am generally happy with the product.
Dude @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Okay. Just got mine today. The thing is freakin awesome, except for my TWO DP's! They show up as white, and distract me whenever I try to watch SpiderMan2. I'm going back to the retailer tommorrow to complain, and hopefully I'll be able to get a *NEW* PSP, with NO DP's. If they won't take it back, I'll have to see about getting it back to Sony somehow. Either way, I'll be without a PSP for awhile, which pisses me off, having paid to preorder the thing... DP's are NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!
Johnny @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Apparently Sony changed the policy on dead pixels from the Japan launch and doesn't acknowledge dead pixels as being a problem.
From page 13 of the US release manual, "Red, blue or green spots (bright spots) or black spots (dark spots)may appear in certain locations on the LCD screen. The appearance of such spots is a normal occurrence associated with LCD screens and is not a sign of a malfunction. LCD screens are made using a highly precise technology. However a very small number of dark pixels or continuously lit pixels exist on each screen. Also, a distorted image may remain on the screen for several seconds after the system has been turned off."
So, dead pixels are just part of the design now for PSP... not sure if they expect us to pay extra when when we find one without any flaws.
Blademonkey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Sounds like there's a screen burn in issue too!
Frank from FL @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I am on my third PSP since yesterday. All three had a DP which I think is unnacceptable. I ended up getting one from Walmart that works great.
Blademonkey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
on a functional level, at which point is a dead pixel too much? Sure if you have 5 dead pixels around the screen it's just a cosmetic annoyance (debatable) but what about 10 dead pixels. Now the question Sony would ask you is, how far appart are they? Ok well what if we have 20 dead pixels and so on and so forth. At this point, it sounds like Sony is abmitting to a lack of quality and passing it as "expected" from these devices. If I didnt know any better, I'd assume that they are saying that we should expect most of these products (at least from Sony) to have dead pixels and that it's something we would have to live with. On top of that, they are infering what is expected and accepted by putting it in writting. So not only are they selling an obviously less than perfect product, they are saying we shouldnt expect anything better from anyone...
Now you have samsung and nintendo publicly saying they have a zero tolerance for dead pixels. Doesn't help Sony's image, but I don't think they've cared about that for years.
If you think about it, then it makes sense. Sony probably knows that this will happen for most of the PSPs. Maybe there's a fix and maybe there isnt a fix, but it looks like if they were to get the majority of the units back then their profits would be less than expected. So the problem lies in their QA process, which looks to be either inefficient or inexitant.
Sony is saying "buy our new awesome portable game console that may or may not have dead pixels. if they do, you're sorta SOL for returns."
Kamalot @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
The problem sounds really bad. Check the thread on Engadget to see more.
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000070037508/#comments
Personally, I think one dead pixel is too much. I had one an old company laptop and it used to drive me batty, always drawing my attention.
tp @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Dead pixels on a monitor are one thing, but you don't generally hold a monitor 12" from your face. I have one dead pixel and it alternates between being invisible to annoying the piss out of me.
xencoder @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
I have a two year old DELL I8500 ( 1600*1050 ) resolution.....NOT ONE dead pixel..NOT ONE.
Two day old PSP---- 6 ( noticed so far ) dead pixels. 6 ! Sorry, but it's just wrong. AS expensive as this thing is, there shouldn't be ANY dead pixels.....JHC ! My 13 year old ATARI LYNX doesn't have a DEAD PIXEL ....13 Years ! GMAB ! The Nintendo DS I got my son for XMAS....two lcd screens...NOT ONE dead pixel.
Do you smell what I smell ? I smell ....CLASS ACTION lawsuit cookin...Mmmm...
Jason @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
People need to realize that Sony has been losing money for quite a while. They are losing lots of businesses to Sharp, JVC, and Samsung. PS2 is the only money making division of the company. They probably need to push PSP out pre-mature-ly to boost profit even though they are facing quality problems.
To me, it's ridiculous that some laptop makers are providing warranty for even one dead pixel while Sony can't provide warranty for such a tiny screen.
I'm definitely not wasting $250 on a defective product. Sony is not earning my cash.
hungryscot @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Good God... Why can't people learn. Sony only cares about quality on their 'high-end' product.
'95 - PS - controller with bad buttons, poor performance compared to same gen platforms.
'99 - PS2 - a third of them die from disc issues, and sales and numbers inflated because of this, 'stagged' animation
'05 - PSP - dead pixels.
Go figure... when does Sony have a clean launch, ever?
All Music Site @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Don't settle for a PSP with DP. we, the customers, teach the manufacturers how we wanna be treated. So, if we accept it, there's no need for them to deliver a quality product.
word my man @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
i agree fully. why should we let them F us around
with subpar products with large price tags or any
price tag. i like quality and i'm not seeing many
Sony products being quality or helping too many people out with the psp.
LiquidSnake @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
Sony has messed up big time on these LCD screens. I recently bought my psp from Walmart,
when I opened it i realized it had 5 Dead pixels therefore I returned it to walmart. Once
I got there I decided to get an exchange and I told the lady I was going to open it and
test it before I took the PSP home, She agreed. I opened the new PSP and there were 7 dead
pixels, we opened another one there were even more, we opened another and there was a huge
scratch on the screen. I don't know what Sony is doing but they better get their act
together soon. There are many loyal Playstation fans but they shouldn't take advantage of
this and sell faulty products. The whole PSP experience is based on the huge 16:9 ratio
screen.... and If the screen itself is defective it really deteriorates the experience on
the psp. I know 1 or 2 dead pixels may not seem like a lot but it is noticable and
shouldn't be seen as being normal. Sony is currently taking a stringent stance on the LCD
dead pixel case,why? no one knows. Anyway to conclude the story after testing about 8
!!!!!!!!!!!! PSP I decided to get a refund until I can somehow, somewhere find a perfect
PSP. I will not pay $400(CAN) to get a faulty system with a screen which does not work.
Sony DO SOMETHING SOON. I'm out PEACE.
jakedademon @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
when it comes down to it, sony is a big enough company, with billions in revenue each year, if even half us with psp's turn them in for a refund, and half of the people looking to buy decide not to because of the dead pixel issue, they will still make plenty of money off of it. therefore they really dont have to care if they choose not to, and they will still come out on top. i think that nintendo only does it because gaming is their only revenue, and sony still beat out the game cube and will problaby beat out the DS in the long run. Nintendo is not as well off to say no we wont fix it. But, I still hate my dead pixels. they should come out with a screen that you can buy to replace it, i havent dared open my psp to see if its a integrated or "motherboard" plug and play, 75 bucks for a new screen after the warranty is gone doesnt sound so bad.
Joe @ Dec 18th 2005 9:58PM
The PSP sounds like a good product the only bad thing with it is really the Dead Pixles. My advice on that before you buy it ask if you can look at it. If it has DP say never-mind I dont want it. Then you just go to a diffrent store and ask if you can see it. Just go arround and back to diffrent stores until you find a good Psp. I know that sounds like a hassel but its the way of life and everyone has to deal with it.
Or if you want a psp with no d.p. ,YOU might not want to do this im just saying go to GameStop and get a Refurbished Psp. A whole bunch of people I know did that and the Psp's didnt have any d.p.