pulled the glass to clean it today and noticed it was tinted....is this the norm?
It's both normal, and very stupid. I HATE when glass is tinted, and replace it with clear as soon as I can. I still remember my first Neo candy I bought. I loved it. However....
One day I was playing roms to see what game I should buy next. I played Fatal Fury Special on the emulator, and was upset at how bright and crisp it was on my computer monitor compared to my arcade monitor. I tried to adjust the settings and what not, but it just wasn't as nice. It wasn't until I had lifted up the machine's hood, revealing the naked monitor without the glass in front of it, that the thing was BEAUTIFUL. The damn glass had a dark tint to it. I replaced it, and loved it ever since. I did the same thing to my Nintendo Playchoice cab.
I think there's two reasons why they do this. One, I think, is to reduce glare. Trust me, there's not difference. Two, and this one is shitty - they do it so when burn in happens, it's not as noticeable.
If you don't want to read this whole post, the moral of the story is REPLACE THAT SHIT.