Here’s how to avoid breaking your shiny new Nintendo Switch

On Friday the Nintendo Switch finally saw its worldwide release, and people are already finding ways to break their shiny new toys. 

The most worrying reports are coming out of the Nintendo Switch subreddit where users are reporting that they’re finding the dock is scratching the console’s screen with repeated use. 

This is especially concerning considering that users are supposed to take the Switch out of, and put it into, its dock multiple times a day. If the dock scratches it even the smallest amount with each use, then a large amount of scratches are going to build up very quickly. 

Ubergizmo reports that the Switch’s screen is made of plastic, which allows it to be easily scratched by the dock. 

We haven’t personally experienced any scratching problems with our Nintendo Switch, although continued use may see problems emerge over time. For now users are affixing small pads to the insides of their dock to keep the Switch away from its sharp sides, which you might want to consider if you’re worried about damaging your new toy. 

Skin deep

Further reports are also emerging about after-market skins damaging the surface of the console. 

The findings were made by dbrand, a company that specialises in making skins for a variety of devices including laptops and phones. 

It found that the coating on the JoyCons did not react well to the adhesive used to attach its skins. 

The company confirmed that as a result it would not be selling skins for the console, and advised consumers to not buy them from elsewhere. 

You can still take the risk of buying a skin, but you won’t be able to take it off if you want your console to remain in pristine condition. 

It’s not a good start for Nintendo’s console. It’s supposed to be a portable device, which implies that it should be able to withstand a certain amount of abuse, but this news - especially concerning the dock scratching screens - is worrying. 

We hope that Nintendo is preparing a solution for the problems. In the past it provided ‘Wii Remote Jackets’ and tougher straps when it emerged that controllers were flying out of people’s hands and breaking TVs and windows during play. 

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March 06, 2017 at 05:15PM
Jon Porter