Reports of Switch 2 screen punctures raise questions over hardware packaging

Multiple consumers on social media claim GameStop employees who chose to staple receipts to the packaging of Switch 2 hardware have inadvertently caused screen punctures.

As clocked by IGN, a number of Switch 2 owners who managed to secure a device on launch day say they began unboxing their device only to find the display sported puncture wounds.

The culprit, it seems, were receipts that had been stapled to the cardboard packaging by retail workers. “My Switch 2 has staple holes in the screen. They stapled the receipt to the box,” wrote one X user, who also posted pictures of the damage.

“GameStop stapled the receipt for me and my friends Switch 2s to the box. FML,” said another person on X before sharing similar images. “Genuinely insane now I’m gonna have to wait 3 months for the restock. And yes we were there for the midnight release so I bet everyone in this line is gonna have this same issue.”

There have also been similar posts on Reddit, where multiple users claim to have encountered the same issue and suggested the problem might be widespread. It seems many of those impacted picked up their console from GameStop’s Staten Island branch.

“Me and my homie here (we never met before) were unfortunately at the same GameStop and this happened to me and another buddy! Think the entire pre-order batch is completely fucked,” they wrote in a thread.

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Who decided to package Switch 2 consoles with the screens facing outward?

It’s an issue that raises questions about the decision to package the Switch 2 with the screen facing outward. As shown by the images being shared on social media and multiple unboxing videos (like this one posted by CNET), the console’s 7.9 inch display is visible as soon as the box is opened and is only protected by a plastic wrap and the cardboard lid of the box itself.

Game Developer has reached out to Nintendo for comment.