Nintendo's highly anticipated Switch 2 arrives today, but for some, the launch is bittersweet. Some units from GameStop have reportedly been damaged by staples responsible for holding store receipts onto the boxes. Several customers have gone to X to report the issue, noting that the staples are puncturing through the Switch 2's thin packaging material and damaging the console's screen.
One such customer, Oadhan Lynch, stated on X that Gamestop "stapled the receipt for me and my friends' Switch 2s to the box." Another from Rudeboy on X stated, "Hello! My switch 2 has staple holes in the screen. They stapled the receipt to the box at 1756 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10303 and it damaged the screen."
@gamestop stapled the receipt for me and my friends Switch 2s to the box.FML.#nintendo #switch2 #gamestop pic.twitter.com/AXtrgr7y0PJune 5, 2025
@gamestop Helo ! My switch 2 has staple holes in the screen. They stapled the receipt to the box at 1756 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10303 and it damaged the screen. @NintendoAmerica pic.twitter.com/aqxPtRgNEsJune 5, 2025
Most of the reports appear to be coming from the aforementioned GameStop location in New York. No one knows the full extent of the damage, but a since-deleted Reddit post allegedly stated that Gamestop (presumably the New York location) had its entire pre-launch batch of Switch 2s damaged by staples.
Thankfully, the affected Switch 2s appear to be fully functional, with several customers posting images on X of their stapled Switch 2s working fine except for having two tiny holes pierced into the LCD panel. Regardless, we can expect GameStop and Nintendo to provide replacements as soon as possible.
However, shipping replacements could take a while. Not only is the Switch 2 in high demand, but the new console is also more expensive to produce and significantly more expensive to repair than the original Switch. Replacement parts for the Switch 2 are allegedly 92% more expensive in Japan compared to the prior version.
The Nintendo Switch 2 went on sale earlier today at its $449.99 MSRP, but most US-based retailers have allegedly run out of stock. Stock will vary depending on the retailer and store location. For example, my local Target in Georgetown, Texas, has 2 units available at the time of writing, but the Target in Round Rock, 11 miles away, is already out of stock.
The new console is Nintendo's latest iteration of the Switch, featuring a bigger LCD high refresh rate (120Hz) screen, an all-new custom Nvidia chip with ray tracing and DLSS support, and upgraded Joy-Cons 2 joysticks that can transition to mimic a PC mouse.
Correction: June 5, 4 p.m. ET — This story was updated to correct the type of panel used on the Switch 2. We regret the error.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
