Back in June, I declared the dbrand Killswitch a “near-perfect case for Nintendo Switch 2,” but while I was suitably impressed with this third-party alternative to Nintendo’s own official Switch 2 case, it seemed that many customers weren’t having quite such a good time.
If you missed what dbrand is now referring to as “the Killswitch saga," here's a quick recap. In short, Reddit users flocked to the dbrand subreddit to complain of a Joy-Con 2 detachment issue that occurred when using the Killswitch case and gripping the handheld console by a single Joy-Con. There are many videos of this issue available online.
Dbrand, known for its playful attitude to customer service, responded initially by accusing Switch 2 owners of holding their console wrong, noting that clutching the console by a single Joy-Con puts 87% of its weight on a single magnetic hinge. It’s fair to say that owners of the Killswitch case, which retails from $59 (up to $99 for the Ultra Kit), were not impressed with being told the detachment was down to user error.
To dbrand’s credit, the accessory maker went back to the drawing board and has redesigned the Joy-Con Grips part of the Killswitch case (the kit comes in 3 parts: two Joy-Con grips and a casing for the main Switch 2 unit). This solution, called Joy-Lock Grips, is now shipping out to all Killswitch owners and will be included as standard with future orders.
The company also improved the Dock Adapter, which is a necessary step to connect your Switch 2 to your television while using the Killswitch case.
An already excellent case — made even better
I should note at this point that, in my own testing, I was unable to replicate the Joy-Con detachment issue. Trust me, I tried really hard to get my Killswitch case to fail and allow my Switch 2 console to tumble onto a hard surface (okay, not quite, I performed my tests over a plush mattress to ensure if the detachment occurred, my Switch 2 would be unharmed).
However, while I didn’t personally experience the problem, it’s clear to see, based on online user feedback it was widespread enough to require corrective action. And to dbrand’s credit, those steps have been swiftly taken. A Reddit post from the company details the cause of the problem, with a further post explaining how the Joy-Lock Grips fix it.
Now I have a set of Joy-Locks wrapped around my Switch 2's Joy-Con 2 controllers, and I’ve yet to experience any detachment issues whatsoever (but as noted, I didn’t experience any with the original Killswitch Joy-Con Grips either, so in my case, the fix wasn’t strictly necessary).
Alongside correcting the detachment issue, dbrand also looked to improve the supplied Dock Adapter, which had been a sore spot for me personally. In general, I would prefer to use the official Switch 2 dock as Nintendo intends, but because the Killswitch 2 adds an extra 2.5mm of bulk to the console, that is not possible while it's housed in the case.
To remedy this, dbrand offers a Dock Adapter with every Killswitch sold. This easily slots into the standard Switch 2 dock, and on the surface, seems a suitable alternative. Issues came when attempting to undock the console from the adapter. In my testing, it seemed like the Switch 2 was practically glued onto the adapter’s USB-C connector. Pulling it free required far more force than I was comfortable using on a $449 gadget.
The solution, it turns out, was a set of friction pads which dbrand has shipped to pre-existing owners of the Killswitch, and now includes them pre-installed with all future Dock Adapters. Having also tested this improvement for myself, the difference is huge. I can now undock my Switch 2 from the adapter with just one hand. I no longer feel like I’m trying to pull Excalibur from its stony tomb when undocking my Switch 2.
It would perhaps be easy to accuse dbrand of releasing the Killswitch case before it was ready for primetime, but kudos to the company for (after a brief attempt to double down) getting to work and fixing these issues swiftly. I was already a fan of the Killswitch before these upgrades, but now I can recommend it as my go-to Switch 2 case without caveats.
