The Switch is unique amongst popular consoles like the PlayStation or Xbox in that it is portable, and (for some models) also convertible. Unlike the PlayStation and the Xbox, you don’t just leave it hooked up to the TV the whole time, tucked safely away. This means you have to deal with a rechargeable battery, a screen, wear and tear on the USB-C port, and that’s before we get to the Joy-Con controllers, which are both joy-free, and have plenty of cons.
Today we’ll look at some of the most common repairs for the various Switch models, as well as the differences between those models. The one big thing to watch out for is that, if you are buying replacement parts, make sure you get them for the right model, the Switch, Switch Lite, or the OLED Switch. In my mind, I group these together as one model, unlike how I think about the various Playstation models over the years, for example. And remember, the easiest way to make sure that you aren’t left hanging half-way through an otherwise easy repair is to grab our iFixit Nintendo Switch Toolkit.
State of Repair
The overall state of Switch repairability is good. You can get spares in our store to replace just about anything, and the tools required are not particularly esoteric, once you get past Nintendo’s super-annoying habit of using tri-wing-style screws for the main case. I remember dealing with similarly-annoying screws right back to the Super Nintendo, although at least now you can easily source the right driver. Standard Torx screws all-round would be preferable, but as ever, iFixit’s kits are available with or without the tools required for that job, keeping it all simple.
Assault the Battery
Battery replacement is the one repair that you will absolutely have to do at some point. Even if you only ever use your Switch docked to a TV and plugged into power, the Switch needs a working battery in order to function. Apparently it boots from the battery, so even if you have it in the dock it won’t start up. That’s a recipe for e-waste for folks who don’t know this.
The replacement itself is both easy, and a pain. You can get into the Switch with just a couple of screwdrivers (a standard JIS 000, although a Phillips will do if you’re careful not to strip the screw’s head; and the tri-slot Y00), and on all models you have to remove the metal shield, which involves finagling tape with tweezers. Then you have to remove the microSD card slot (regular Switch), or a whole bunch of Wi-Fi antennae (the Switch OLED). At least you don’t have to open up the entire case to get to the joysticks, like you do on the Switch Lite.
In our Switch battery replacement guide, the final third of the 21 steps are all about getting the battery safely out. No screws here—it’s all glue, isopropyl alcohol, and carefully wiggling picks. And be careful to get the right battery for your model.
The Joy-Con
We can’t talk about Switch Repair without also talking about Joy-Con drift. This inevitable failure is caused by wear on the parts of the joysticks that detect movement. The result is that the stick never registers as being at rest. Even when you take your thumb off the knob, your on-screen character/car/gunsight will drift, which is annoying at best, and virtually deadly at worst. There is good news. You may be able to stave off the inevitable for a while longer with a squirt of contact cleaner, so try that before you take anything apart. With that in mind, your first stop should be our Switch troubleshooting guide, which will help you pin down the problem, and even how to get a free fix from Nintendo.
You can also try to recalibrate the controller so that it ignores the dead spots in the sensor traces.
The bad news here is that Joy-Cons are a real pain to disassemble. Well, the disassembly is actually pretty easy. It’s the reassembly that requires patience and a steady hand. I bought a set of cool replacement cases for my Joy-Cons that make them look like mini SNES controllers, complete with colored buttons and ABXY labels. I figured that I’d just pop open the Joy-Cons, and transfer the guts to the new cases, swapping in the new buttons in the process.
Reader, it was a nightmare. I’ve tackled my fair share of tricky, even impossible-seeming repairs, but this was something else. For context, I found both a complete iBook disassembly, and an iPhone screen-and-battery replacement less harrowing. The worst is that the ribbon connectors have to be carefully threaded between parts, which is as fiddly as all get-out. Perhaps my experience was colored by the fact that I was only making a cosmetic upgrade and had brought all this upon myself, but still.
Of course, don’t let that put you off an actual repair. A joystick fix is actually pretty easy, compared to the full teardown I attempted (and pulled off). We rate it as only “moderately difficult”.
And guess what? There are batteries in there, so you’ll eventually have to dive in, too, even if your sticks don’t drift. Fortunately, Joy-Con battery replacement is a quick repair.
Tips and Tricks
Before you open up your console for repair, remember that there are a few oddities that Nintendo baked into the Switch. One is that, while you can use any old USB-C charger and cable to charge the Switch’s battery, you can only power the Switch Dock with the official Nintendo power brick, which is quite bulky, and therefore a pain to carry with you. Bear this in mind when trying to diagnose any power-related problems.
Another tip is not so much for repairability as for protection and usability. If your Switch has a plastic screen, I recommend a glass screen protector. The naked Switch screen is a scratch-magnet, and if you’re used to the glass screen of a smartphone or tablet, the Switch’s screen feels awful. Glass protectors feel much much nicer.
Beware of the built-in screen cover of the OLED Switch’s glass screen, though. Or rather, don’t worry about it, other than to note that you should not remove it without good reason. It’s not one of those peel-off plastic films that protect screens during manufacture and packaging. Instead, Nintendo added an “anti-scattering adhesive film” meant to stop the glass shards from a broken screen scattering everywhere. Leave that in place. You can, however, use a screen protector on top of that without causing it any harm.
Also be aware of the fixes that don’t require replacement parts. Sometimes components just get jammed, or pop out of their proper alignment. For example, the ZR and ZL “shoulder” buttons can lock up, and the fix is to open up the offending Joy-Con’s back cover, and use tweezers to re-seat the button.
Another general maintenance task is to take care of the fan. The Switch can overheat, and while this can be a natural consequence of playing graphics-intensive games for long periods, it can also be down to dust in the fans. If your Switch is acting hinky, it’s definitely worth popping it open for a quick dust-off.
In short, the Switch lineup is quite repairable, which is good news for a portable device which is going to experience much more wear-and-tear than a stationary console. The caveat is that you really do need the correct tools for the job. Nintendo’s Y screws are the obvious worst offender, but you’ll get easier and safer results using picks and spudgers, and having a suction cup is going to make screen removal a lot safer. Fortunately, we have you covered, either with our Switch Toolkit, or with one of our even more comprehensive all-purpose toolkits.
One Comment
Maybe for the Switch successor, Nintendo could adopt pulltabs/stretch release adhesive with a liner ala Nokia/HMD phones.
babya - Reply