bigman

Buyers Beware. I purchased my PSP a few months back from Lik-Sang and it is perfect, but the one i purchased for my bro was fugged up. First off the store we got it from had a no return policy regarding dead pixels. They said call sony and have them replace it. We called sony and sony said they currently werent replacing any systems with screen problems. Now if you just paid 300+ dollars for a system and a game, wouldnt you be pissed if it didnt work. I mean it wasnt one or two stuck/dead pixels, it was a cluster of dead ones in the center of the screen and a line of dead pixels on the top of the screen. Finally the manager saw the screen and said that it was past his own tollerance limits and gave us a new one. The new one had dead pixels scattered everywhere, it looked like starts on a clear night. Saw he gave us another one, this one had one or two dead pixels whiich is ok, but it had a film of grease under the screen surface which made it hard to see. After that, the manager was pissed at sony and told us he would rather give us our money back then open any more. So we got a full refund and an apology. What gets me is that this screen is so small that 1 or 2 dead/stuck pixels is a lot, but a whole cluster fuck of them on a few screens is just crazy. Most manufacturers replace lcds that have 4 or more dead pixels, and sony is not replacing any of them. Other then that, i have the system and it is great. I dont know what happened to the North American units, but i hop they iron this problem out fast, because i know for a fact that sales are suffereing. Small stores that get 20-30 are selling out. Also Game stores are selling out, because people naturally go to them first, but big stores like best buy and target have a shit load left. I just wanted to warn some of you, because most stores are doing a non return policy due to a defective screen. BTW, my nintendo DS may not be as advanced, but with two lcd screens and a lot of touching with the bottom one, it never had one dead pixel or any other problem. And though i like the psp better, and it looks much better; the DS more solidly put together, the buttons feel firm, the pad feels firm. I am afraid to touch the buttons the wrong way because they feel so delicate.

srika

that sucks - definitely something to be aware of. thx 4 the info.

sony quality control.......

Yumcha

Yeah, the dead pixel issue is supposedly 1 in every 5 PSPs...

I had two of them (dead pixels) in the unit I picked up on the launch day...Fortunately, the Sony store manager remembered me from the days when I bought a few laptops off of him for my office and so, he was more than accomodating...I suggest the AZers here buy their PSPs at places that have flexible return policies like Best Buy. If you have a dead pixel, I suggest you to just return the machine and say that you were not "satisfied" with the product...

bigman

BTW sorry for the grammar and spelling, i was in a rush.

evilone

my boy works at best buy and he said that 10 were returned becuase of bad screens. i got mine yesterday and it works great. i got mine at target!! i love the little thinggy

soopa

i was at best buy last night and they were really touting their "return for dead pixel" warranty package... didn't ask how much extra it was

guia x

Atleast Nintendo will take your DS back if you have dead pixels.

srika

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/03...s_6121092.html

Sony responds to PSP dead-pixel reports
SCEA downplays widespread reports of LCD screen problems, says warranty is still in effect and defective units can be exchanged.

Soon after the PSP launched in Japan last December, reports began to surface that some units' LCD screens suffered from pixels that were either permanently light or dark. Within 24 hours of the portable's North American launch, similar complaints began to reverberate around the Internet. The locus of the complaints was, ironically, the official PlayStation forums, which was temporarily down yesterday following heavy traffic.

Some gamers' outrage over the perceived issue was fueled by an e-mail allegedly sent out by Canadian game retailer Video Games Plus. The e-mail said the company was "informed by Sony that they will not be warranting any dead pixel units. They are only warranting hardware defects ie [sic] broken buttons, malfunction with drive, and so on."

An informal survey of the dozen-odd PSPs in the GameSpot offices found half had at least one pixel that stayed white or dark constantly. While these dots were almost all invisible while playing games, they did stand out when displayed against a black or white screen.

While commonly referred to as a "defect," Sony says the off-colored pixel problem is common in all LCD screens. "A very small number of dark pixels or continuously lit pixels is normal for LCD screens, and is not a sign of a malfunction," a representative for Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) told GameSpot.

Page 13 of the PSP manual puts it this way: "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 not a sign of malfunction. LCD screens are made using highly precise technology. However, a very small number of dark pixels or continuously lit pixels exist on each screen." The manual also warns against exposing the LCD screen to direct sunlight and leaving still images on the screen for an extended period of time, as both could damage the display.

The Sony rep suggested that PSP owners who encounter the pixel issue should try the device "for a week or two" to see if it continues to bother them. "If you find the spots are interfering with gameplay/video viewing during this period, we will support the various elements of [the PSP] warranty," the rep said. Each PSP comes with a one-year limited warranty, which is on page 125 of the PSP manual. If a PSP is "determined to be defective" by SCEA, the company will see to the "repair or replacement of this product [the PSP] with a new or refurbished product at SCEA's option."

According to a technical support associate contacted by GameSpot, PSP owners who encounter a persistent and aggravating dead-pixel issue should contact SCEA's customer service line (1-800-345-7669) for instructions on how to exchange their unit after a week or two of using the unit. "We will work with you," he assured. The associate said the process would work much like exchanging PlayStation 2s that suffer from the dreaded "Disc Read Error" problem: Gamers will mail their PSPs in to SCEA and receive units with new screens. The associate was unsure if customers would receive an all-new unit or their old unit with a new LCD screen.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot
POSTED: 03/25/05 03:05 PM PST

bigman

Good info, but it i called sony again today and the rep said this. "Due to the tremendous success of the system, we are having trouble keeping up with demand. We are currently not doing exchanges on dead pixel related problems, if you have a cluster like you stated earlier, then we will replace your defective unti when we have a new supply of units." I asked how long, he told me it could take anywhere from 1 to 4 months. Thats Bull shit. Thank God i got my money back, but there are plenty of stores around me that have plenty of units left. This is a mess.

srika

Sony has seriously been slacking.... GT4 is full of bugs for example, and then this debaucle. Sony really needs to take more care with this kind of goings-on, especially for such high-profile items. I mean, aside from these big things, what else does Sony have?? Their video game presence (and success) is one of the only things keeping them alive at this point, from what I have seen.

Lung Fu Mo Shi

Sony didn't write GT4. A game developer did. That's like saying Microsoft has been slacking because Half-Life 2 has bugs.

sonnyboyacura

I believe that Sony is replacing the defective PSP's contrary to earlier reports. Thankfully my PSP is flawless.

srika

oh that is true.. I guess I was speaking in general then. In general, Sony has been slacking.

bigman

But Srika is right, sony is notorious for poor quality control.
PSOne- The system overheated and needed to be turned on its side. That was one of many problems, but it was the most common.
PS2-Notorious for disk ready errors, drive failures, tray failures, dvd errors and others.
PSP-Dead/Stuck pixles on a system that relys on the screen, c'mon.

svtmike

They're too busy ringing up the cash to make things right with the poor suckers who already gave their cash. What a crappy company. I never buy Sony - the few things I bought from them in the past all failed within a few months of warranty expiration.

One of them was an A/V receiver that refused to turn on. I took it to a Sony repair center, they "offered" to fix it for "only" $140 no matter what. It was a few years old, and a new receiver with those specs was then around $200. I took it to a buddy who fixes consumer electronics on the side - he replaced a $.05 capacitor and it was working fine again.

Sony lost me as a customer long ago with their shoddy quality and arrogance.

Mike

kensteele

Yeah I heard about this problem. Buy your PSP with a reputable major credit card or American Express. Look out for yourself instead of relying on Sony or the retailer because they're out to make money and obviously don't care for you. Just advice and my two cents after hearing about this story and then hearing the complaints. Also I'm hearing that the dead pixels may show up later than sooner.

AMEX has their own extended warranty and return policy.

DDT-TypeS

Sorry to hear that!

I specifically waited until I got mine at BEST BUY. I bought the 2 year replacement plan too...for buttons that fail, normal wear and tear, etc..even LCD screen coverage..just not covered from ABUSE.

anyway, I got my first psp, and I had one little itty bitty stuck green pixel. I returned it a few days later, got another unit and it was FLAWLESS. That's why best buy is a great place to buy things....guaranteed for 30 days...if you are not satisfied whatsoever. I don't like LIK-SANG..fxxkin' overseas bullshit and don't expect good customer service either.

Costco is another great place to buy things..cause you can always return things for whatever the reason!!

srika

easy

srika

ok... I knew I said this for a reason. Sony IS affiliated with the developer of GT4, Polyphony Digital. Polyphony is a part of Sony Computer Entertainment Group:

http://www.polyphony.co.jp/

That's why when you read any reviews or previews of anything related to Gran Turismo, it mentions the developers as being Polyphony and Sony.

So my statement regarding GT4 stands, Sony has been slacking.

PixelHarmony

Just bought one yesterday and found 8 dead pixels... Thankfully I got it at Wal-Mart so I get there nice 15 day return.

bigman

It's kinda funny how your name is PixelHarmony and you have 8 dead pixels.

srika

ya, it's kind of like, he jinxed himself.