Your New Switch 2 Needs Careful Handling. Here’s What to Be Wary About

The months of anticipation for the Nintendo Switch 2 ended this week as the first buyers brought their consoles home and prepared to play games. But not everyone has had a seamless experience.

As reported by IGN, some Switch 2 boxes bought at a GameStop had store receipts stapled to them — and those staples poked through and damaged the devices’ screens. Several posted on social media to show the effects of the stapling. Some have expressed surprise that the screen is so close to the top of the packaging for the Switch 2.

The screen, by the way, includes a preinstalled protective film that owners are urged not to remove. The “anti-scattering adhesive film” is meant to keep glass from going everywhere in the event that the Switch 2 screen breaks.

Meanwhile, be careful how you unbox your Switch 2. CNET’s Faith Chihil says it’s not immediately clear which side of the packaging is the front, so don’t rush and accidentally open it the wrong way: “It’s possible you may, in the heat of victory, open the box upside down, causing the contents to nearly spill out all over the floor (or, in my case, the backseat of the car).”

Those gamers who found staple damage on their Switch 2 screens didn’t have to suffer for long. GameStop says it offered console replacements and, in an X post, noted, “Staplers have been confiscated.” The post included a gif from the movie Office Space featuring red Swingline stapler lover Milton. 

And if you want a Switch 2 but haven’t yet put your money down, be sure to check out CNET’s Switch 2 stock tracker.