Surface 2 bug makes screen go dark during games

Barry Collins Read more November 29, 2013

Microsoft has admitted that its Surface 2 tablets are suffering from a bug which sees the screen dimmed when running demanding applications, such as games.

Surface 2 bug makes screen go dark during games

The problem was reported on the Microsoft Community Forums, where several Surface 2 owners complained of their screens going dark when the tablet warmed up during gaming.

I have to pause and wait for the Surface to cool down before playing again

“I have been using my Surface 2 for a week now and everything has been great except when I play Halo: Spartan Assault,” said one user. “The back gets pretty hot while playing (which I don’t mind) but then my Surface automatically dims the screen to the lowest level. I have to pause and wait for the Surface to cool down before playing again.”

Numerous other users chimed in with the same problem before a Microsoft moderator admitted it was a flaw the company was in the process of fixing.

“Surface devices may dim the screen as thermal temperatures rise from extended, high CPU intensive activities – like gaming,” the moderator replied.

“In some scenarios this does not appear necessary. Our top priority is for customers to have the best possible experience on their Surface device. We’re working on a tuning update that will remove this unnecessary dimming event.”

The moderator said the patch will arrive in a forthcoming Windows Update package, at an unspecified date. In the meantime, he suggested that Surface 2 owners “allow the Surface to cool down for a minute or so in order to return the screen to previous brightness levels.”