Switch 2 is more difficult to repair than its predecessor
Heavily glued battery, hidden screws and joysticks without reverb effect – iFixIt gives Nintendo's new console a bad report card.
The open Switch 2 – is a long way off.
(Image: YouTube / iFixIt - Screenshot heise online)
Shortly after the release of the Switch 2 last week, the repair specialists at iFixIt took the new console and its JoyCons apart. As always, not only out of technical interest, but also to assign a repair index. The result: 3 out of 10 possible points for the Switch 2, while the first Switch scored 4 out of 10.
However, it should be noted that iFixIt downgraded the first Switch from its original score of 8 points to 4 a few weeks ago. According to the company, this had become necessary due to the experience with other handhelds in the eight years since the Switch's market launch. Steam Deck, ROG Ally and other devices have shown that mobile consoles can be designed to be more repair-friendly. The Switch 2's rating is therefore also based on these modern requirements, which also include the availability of repair manuals and spare parts. Nintendo does not provide either.
Screws hidden under foils
iFixIt shows the disassembly of Nintendo's new console in a YouTube video, including the necessary tools and consumables. The latter includes a large amount of isopropyl alcohol to loosen the stuck battery. But to get there in the first place, you have to find some hidden screws. There are two of them, for example, under the colorful stickers on the sides where the JoyCon controllers are plugged in. And these foils can only be removed with heat such as that from a hairdryer, because a strong adhesive has also been used there.
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A thin frame that runs around the JoyCons is also glued. And their shoulder buttons cannot be removed from the housing without a little force either. All this is necessary to open the controllers. And this, in turn, is likely to be a problem for self-repairers eventually, because: As with the first Switch, the sticks work with the long outdated technology of a potentiometer for game controllers, including sliding contacts. Wear and dirt inevitably lead to "stick drift", also known as "JoyCon drift" on the Switch: The stick provides input even if it is not touched at all. A character then keeps moving in one direction, for example, even if the player doesn't want to.
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The JoyCon problem is likely to continue
To prevent this, more modern sticks work with the Hall effect or TMR technology (tunnel magneto resistance). Both methods are considered more durable and more accurate. There are also conversion parts for the Switch 1Â known as the "GuliKit" to insert Hall-effect sticks into the JoyCons. Alternatively, you can rely on Nintendo's often accommodating warranty processing, which, however, had to be enforced by consumer advocates due to the frequent JoyCon drift problem in the USA. Meanwhile, Nintendo also handles JoyCon repairs that are only necessary due to wear and tear relatively generously in Europe after the 24-month warranty has expired.
A complete guide to disassembling the Switch 2 in text form, as is usual at iFixIt, is not yet available. But there is an analysis of the installed components. Earlier investigations into Nvidia's new Tegra SoC also turned out to be accurate. The model number has now also been decoded: GMLX30-A1, as already described, an offshoot of the Orin chips for vehicles and robots, but with a significantly boosted GPU.
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