Poll: Is Your Nintendo Switch Cracking Under The Pressure?

All that blast processing is too much to handle.

The heck? No, my Switch is still like new.

This happened to a friend of mine's the other week, he treats it really well, has never dropped it, and suddenly realised around the game card area that there was a fairly big crack down the back of the console. It's kinda worrying since this seems to be becoming a recent issue. Will this just be like the left joy-con "disaster" where only a few units were affected, or is this a bigger issue?

Mine is OK but now I'm so scared form the pictures I might never play with it again. I will just look at it and use my imagination. :x

Mine seems normal...only issues I have are the left joycon and this weird....connection issue the Switch has with the dock sometimes. I have pretty good eyes so it bugs me from time to time, blowing inside the dock seems to fix it usually.

Huh, gonna check when I get home...

got home After extensive and exhaustive research, I can happily confirm that there are no such cracks on mine. But now that I’m aware of the issue, I’ll keep a close eye on it.

I'll have to check mine when I get home. This is alarming.

Wow, that's too bad. I have some little scratches on the right border from a couple dumb times when I didn't put it in right. No cracks though.....yet.

Poor unfortunate souls
In pain in......
Oh, snap !
I shouldn't sing that song.
Btw, my Switch is Fine.
I almost always play it on Handheld mode.

I have none of these cracks and have put almost 500 hours in to xenoblade alone

@Majora101 More like too much stability!

nary a mark.

finding idiots on the internet capable of breaking something is not indicative of a problem with the product. The internet loves to break stuff and blame it on others... que the choruses of "but mahn broke itself! hurph durph"

edited for naughty language. My bad, forgot where I was there for a second.

Nothing on any of my 3 Switches so far (1 is mine, the others are owned by my 7 & 6 year old sons). Have had the Switches since Dec ‘17. Hopefully if this happens it will be while they are still under warranty. My switch is almost exclusively handheld. One says plays slightly more handheld while the other plays slightly more docked but doesn’t seem that the use cases have caused any to wear quicker than the others.

Whoa!!! I will check mine when I go home tonight!

Update: mine is fine! I split about 50/50 handheld and home use.

Nope, but it's worth stating that I barely use my Switch. My DS/3DS's, on the other hand, have a colourful history of cracks, broken off bits, and unresponsive buttons.

Why the hell people use their Switch almost all the time docked? If the console is fully charged, the logic tell to remove it from charge... Its an handheld at the base...

@0muros

Is this a joke post? The Switch is a hybrid console and should not be cracking because many use it as a home console!!! Come on now!!

Mine actually has 3 cracks and I treat my switch like a baby. It's never been dropped or anything. It has one on the upper left part of the back panel next to the left joycon, 4 cracks in one coming from the top screw near the vent (there is a little chunk of the shell that is being held on by the screw), and a crack going through the middle of the bottom right screw next to the usb c port.

Oh no...mine has one of those corner cracks near the back of the left joycon. Bummer, only use for handheld or docked play, padded case otherwise.

Only issue with mine is the back panel isn't fully connected, theres a fingernail sized gap, where the crease along the top curves near the vent.

@Agent721 Let your cellphone in charge all the time and it will happen. No it's not a joking post.

I demand a product recall Nintendo!

Nope. mine is fine.

@Anti-Matter Ursala from the Little Mermaid?

I have a crack in the exact same spot... well it's nice to have a possible explanation. Happened a couple months ago, and I had no idea why since I hadn't dropped it or anything. Had looked into it but figured it wasn't covered under warranty so it would have been a rather pricey fix. Still, I'd be pretty reluctant to send the system in without cloud saves currently.

Hey, its awesome to see these consoles being played hard and not handled with gloves for the sake of preservation or some such nonsense

After seeing this i rushed to my switch to check and nothing. No cracks or sratches. I take good care of it best I can but im anal as well and got a kit to take mine completly apart to clean every cm. Sucks this is happing tho

Have you tried turning it off and on?

Nintendo R&D need a stern talkin' to.

I have five 3DSes, the launch model, one XL and three New XLs.

The launch model has an issue that renders it virtually unplayable. I wanted an excuse to upgrade to an XL so I did. The circle pad rubber has also come off, but it can simply be slid back into place.

I have had no issues with my Pikachu XL unit except for the fact that it's a little embarrassing taking it out in public. No issues whatsoever otherwise (that I am aware of).

Next is the Monster Hunter 4 New 3DS XL. Paint started peeling off within weeks of use (I was overseas when I noticed this so I couldn't replace it even if I wanted to), which is a very common issue with this model. Battery stopped holding a charge after just over a year of use.

Next is the Animal Crossing HHD New XL. No problems whatsoever, but again, really embarrassing to use in public, particularly on account of its more feminine design (though it is really cute).

And finally the Metroid New XL. Right speaker was crackling within a few months of use and now the speakers no longer work at all. Sometimes the sound works momentarily from the right speaker (albeit in very poor quality). Blowing on the speakers, funnily enough, made the sound return momentarily but it just stops working again. Since the Monster Hunter debacle, I had been extremely conscious about the paint peeling off, and fortunately I have had no such problem with the Metroid XL (so far), which seems to be made of similar if not the same material and the Animal Crossing one had no such issue either.

My cyan DS Lite, and I noticed this issue immediately, seemed to have a faulty screen or refresh rate or something, as any motion resulted in what appeared to be interlacing artefacts (videophiles will know what I'm talking about). I never had this problem with the original DS or with any of my 3DS models. I didn't consider it worthwhile to replace, though in retrospect I wish I did.

I am considering moving everything back to the Animal Crossing XL (gargh!!!) while I send the Metroid one off for repairs (the speaker issue will adversely impact my use and enjoyment of the system) but it's tremendously annoying that I should even have to bother with this at all. Almost all of my handhelds have had issues and I treat them really well.

There seems to be a pattern here as my too-embarrassing-to-be-seen-with-in-public units work like a dream while all the "cool" ones have crippling faults.

No issues to report on my Switch (so far) but I am anticipating that something may go wrong eventually.

@Wckdlink Wow calm down there. It is good that you keep that clean but hey, here's no place to talk about that ;P

I'm too scared to look now.

I've been having my own different issues. When playing in handheld, the console sometimes thinks I've detached my left Joy-con, I need to push down for it to connect again even though it doesn't actually move. It was becoming so frequent and happening during online matches causing me to lose that I now only play it in docked or tabletop mode. Strangely though, about a week ago when I went to slide in the left Joy-con I noticed it needed more force than normal. Now it fits so tightly there is zero wobble like before and it doesn't disconnect at all.

"Have you tried turning it off and on?"

@Devlind Haha, nice one.

I'm very careful with my switch but have scratch marks on the back because of the dock (though can only see in direct light) and the bottom has a chip. First console I've ever owned I think that has got scratches and chips despite being very careful. Definitely a design flaw.

I would guess that the cracks in the corner is from stress. Some people even if they are careful handling their stuff may get to rough with it when games becomes a little to tense so some people unwillingly twists the console like right controller forward and left backwards and thus cracks appear.

No, my Switch was preordered, been played stationary and handheld almost everyday and has no scratches or cracks.

@0muros

Stupid comment. It designed as a hybrid for a reason!!!

@0muros The system stops charging once the battery is at 100%. Docked or not makes no difference. All modern devices that run on battery do it.

Unfortunately, the fact that so many of us choose to "grin and bear it" with our faulty hardware may indicate to Nintendo that they're doing no wrong and lead them to believe that their products are being produced at an acceptable standard.

Perhaps they would be more inclined to ramp up QC if more of us would send in our consoles for repairs, but if they are going to demand AU$100 or so, then I would much rather just buy another unit as there is no guarantee that faults would not recur in a "repaired" unit.

@Damo I would believe that that spot may be a weak point that will be the first to give when abused, but not that those all just cracked spontaneously.

and the guy with the grill completely gone, if he tried to say he took any care of that console whatsoever, i'd flat out call him a liar to his face. That is the result of not caring enough to look after your toys.

No cracks on mine since launch day. But I've got a spare backplate so that doesn't concern me much.

Have a launch-day one, and wife had one since last August or so. Both look practically brand-new, because we put protectors around them. Seem to be handling less-than-great care due to our house having young children, and the occasional drop (on carpeted floor, for the most part). Even handled a deployment well, and several flights.

Apart from a minor scratch on the crappy kickstand it is more or less as it was on the day it was bought

My daughter almost destroyed my Switch, so we had Nintendo repair it. Since then, she's been a lot more careful and it looks great now. That was only a few months ago, but my wife's Switch that we got in November is perfectly fine.

Got mine at launch, no cracks.

I'm on to my second Switch after Nintendo replaced my original launch day one because it had 3 hairline cracks on the casing, the left joycon was also faulty and my SD card reader didn't work.
The cracks, joycon and SD reader fault were there on the day I opened it so it is NOT from being rough like many seem to think it is.
I check all my consoles as soon as I get them home as I'm pedantic like that.
Found the cracks but thought little of it as I was so excited I would have lived with them, but then when I put in my SD card a few days later it kept telling me no SD card was inserted.
I tried 3 different recommended SD cards and none worked.
Then whilst playing Botw my left joycon would drop out getting me killed so many times to the point I had enough.
Called Nintendo and got told to send it in.
After them testing it they called and told me these were all design faults and shoddy QA testing, not in those exact words but cutting trough all their PR bs that is what it came down to.
Took them 2 months before I got a new one and I got no apology or compensation for being without my brand new console.
I got told it was just plain bad luck.
This gen has been the worst for me and my Nintendo experience and I have owned every Nintendo console on launch day.
Not any more.

Every time I hear people bring stuff like this up (the dock scratching screens, the Switch overheating causing it to warp, and now this), I check my Switch and it's perfectly fine. And I can't help but wonder, am I just super careful with my Switch, is everyone else just really rough on their's, or have I just been lucky? I bought my Switch about 2 months after the launch of the console, so I guess it's possible that some of the issues causing stuff like this to happen were addressed, but I still find it odd how I seem to never have these issues that everybody else has.

@SwitchVogel It looks like some Switches need a bit more STABILITY!!!!

My screen is lifting up a bit on the right side and has been that way since out of the box. I could be paranoid, but it looks to be getting worse.

I've posted on Reddit about it and the community told me not to worry. But I'm worried lolz.

Mine is fine. Although I use it mostly out of the dock.

Admittedly I don’t use the dock and baby both mine but I’ve played many 4-6 hour sessions on mine and I’ve never had any issues. No cracking, no screen scratches (I even left the screen protector off for my second one and the screen is SOLID)

Feel bad for those with the issues and not going to pretend to be an expert by telling them they did something wrong but as a handheld both of mine have performed like champs.

This might be unrelated but Nintendo have definitely already revised the build quality of the Switch. I have a launch model and another Switch bought earlier this year. The material used and the actual girth of the two when compared are slightly different. The second newer Switch is slightly thicker and has more 'plastic material' in its body for want of a better term. The 'plastic' on this newer Switch also has a different finish. It is a duller looking black. Anyway, I would be curious to see if the cracking issue is limited to the launch models and that Nintendo are, secretly so to speak, aware of these hitherto unforeseen design flaws.

All right. Let me share a few of my stories for this. When I got my first switch, first day release. I had a small crack around the screw that is closest to my right pinky when holding it. Realizing I needed to send it in for repair, I withheld reporting it for 3 weeks so I could play Zelda. The crack fully separated the two pieces of plastic and the sharp edge ended up cutting my left pinky. When I reported this they cleaned they would fix it gave me a label to send in for repair and then I thought nothing much more. Within half an hour of the original submission, I received a phone call from a higher up at Nintendo. They claim they needed to do an incident report due to injury sustained from it. I told them what had happened I told them that I believed it was a problem due to the screw being too tight and that it had occurred prior to my receiving the unit. When I sent it out I got it back within a week with a new back panel. I also can confirm the identification number did not change nor did I have my save files removed.

It is now 15 months later. This time the screw near my left pointer finger is missing due to a crack going through its housing. The crack also caused the back panel to separate from the unit which I hold to the unit using two pieces of Scotch tape.

I will say that I am not upset with any of this. I already have placed over 2,000 hours on my system and I do expect wear-and-tear to occur. I do wish Nintendo made stronger back panels but I am not surprised with minor cracks and such over usage.

Two launch Switches here, each played well over a thousand hours amongst my family members. No cracks anywhere on either system... Both are in really good shape with no issues. Knock on wood.

EDIT: Should note these are both played probably 80% docked.

@0muros It's a hybrid. Not everybody uses it the same way as you. Comparing it to a phone isn't fair, since it's meant to be used both ways. Normal use shouldn't hurt the device in those ways, and to claim otherwise is disingenuous.

@AGTLP Probably a combination of your due care, luck and other people's bad luck. I also take very good care of my system but I've got my own issue with the console. I can live with it for now and hope it doesn't get worse as I really don't want to buy a replacement console but if ever there is a Switch Pro I'll be buying it day one. Other than that though I've always been really fortunate with consoles. The only time I've ever had to send a console in to Nintendo was when my Wii wouldn't read Super Smash Bros' dual layered disk. It was a common problem if the lens was the slightest bit dirty. As a smoker I was likely to blame for that.So other than that, I've had zero issues before Switch. I actually had to return my original Switch after a day as the left Joy-con had a lot of movement and noticeably creaked.

Maybe take care of your s***?

Is that too much to ask? You are adults afterall...

thanks for the 10 seconds of scrolling

I am voting no because I haven't noticed any major cracks like the ones shown here. But I will double check after work if I have any of the hairline ones seen in some of the pictures.

The only issue I have noticed, and I have had the Switch since launch and play it almost every day, is a very slight warpping that happened a few weeks after launch and (thankfully) has not worsened.

I play a lot, both docked and portable and have generally found the system reliable. But remember all the supply problems Nintendo had with parts suppliers early on? Perhaps they were forced to hire some sub-par contractors to fill the gap.

[edit] Upon closer inspection, no cracks. Thankfully.

Just checked mine, have had it since launch, can’t say I’ve been especially careful with the system, majority of play is in handheld...

Yeah, nothing noticeable. What looks like a possible scratch adjacent to the top vent, but not a crack, and not very easy to see either. And I can’t say that’s not from me playing with it. Seems A-OK.

Worst I had was it got so hot it wouldn’t notice the right Joy con was attached to the console... but then I held it in front of a fan and it did.

“I never dropped it!”

“...well once, but that might as well be never.”

@Lroy

Whoa! Only someone with two from different months would even notice that. That is some quick changes given it’s age as a product!

Cheers to the Three Lions, man! I hope we meet up in the finals!

Saw this on reddit if anyone wants to replace the backing of their switch https://m.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-Top-Bottom-Housing-Shell-Case-Face-plate-for-Nintendo-Switch-Console/142455116940?hash=item212afc948c:g:8U0AAOSwbn5ZdYy2

@Damo you dropped yours

I just checked and noticed it has some small cracks but nothing major yet.

I've never dropped mine, and have mostly been playing in handheld mode.

I have had my Switch since launch night and have had none of the issues reported yet. I think there may have been a few bad batches of plastic, sort of like with those early SNES consoles that turn yellow. With as many people as this is happening to, it's clearly a problem, but with as many people as it's NOT happening to, it makes me think it's less of a design flaw and more of a problem with the manufacture of some of the early components.

I only use my as hand held my toddlers has stepped on it jumped on it fell onto it it has a deeps scratches on the screen and joy cons due to this but no cracks like the article states

3 problems I've had are the joy con clips have snapped so they slide off with ease. I also have the left joy con antenna issue but since I only use hand held that's not a problem for me. I also had to replace the left joy con analogue stick in the early days as it didn't set correctly in the middle and used to move my characters.

No cracks on mine, although I have lost the top screw somehow. Didn't notice until I read this article, so I could have lost it ages ago!

Between my two kids and I, we use our Switch extensively every single day. It gets like 4 or 5 hours of play almost each day but, so far, there are no cracks or scratches or warping that I can appreciate.

One of my kids even dropped it once to the floor but fortunately it came unscathed.

My problem is with the Joy-Cons, that sometimes keep registering input on the analog stick even when it's not being touched. I've had Nintendo replace the left Joy-Con twice but the problem always returns, although this time it seems to be intermittent instead of constant like it was before.

Was relieved on checking that mine isn't damaged in this way. Though mine was one of the ones with scratches from the dock early on. Sad to hear of those who aren't so lucky and glad to see the percentage so low on the poll.

Nothing like that yet, but I do have a problem with the left joycon coming off with a little pressure to it. It doesn't lock completely anymore. That is probably my own fault though.

Nothing on my switch bought at launch. I've used it lot and been all over the US, but cloud saves can't come soon enough.

The only problems I've had is with joy cons. I've had the analog stick drift and one that had connection issues. Both that were easily fixed.

I don't seem to have any on my system.

So upon checking mine, looks like I have the same issues: a hairline crack at the screw by the vent and a bit of separation at the volume rocker and another hairline crack at the back left top corner. ARRRRGH! I can say that I take extremely good care of my Switch and have never dropped it. In fact I only charge it like twice a week, which is really the only time it goes in the dock. Otherwise it's in my hard case when I'm not playing it. So it's gotta be a bad batch of plastic in the launch Switches.

Nop just checked... Nothing here and Bought it at launch. I do not even have a case for it.

I never dock it - only at night to charge and at my desk when I get to work to top it off again.

Maybe docked extra heat bakes the plastic 🤔

No cracks on mine. Approximately 400-500 hours of docked gameplay, including some games that get the console REALLY hot.

We have 2 launch day SWITCH - Travelled all over the world with them - played them a lot in humid countries, docked, handheld, had them on boats for months. taken them to the cafe to play online daily - both are still perfect!

Just checked and mine has two small cracks in the plastic fins over the vent. I play mostly in docked mode and over 500 hours of splatoon.

I will say, I do have a few dock scratches next to the screen in the little black bar space, but they are invisible when I put on a glass screen protector, and now that I've been more cognizant of that, I haven't had an issue with scratching on the protector

I've had varying problems with my switch (with it not recognising joycon in handheld mode - right joycon analog stick not calibrating etc). But had no cracks in the console itself, however had a chunk of plastic come off a corner of one of my joycons recently.

As for the cracks Damo is showing, I know there was a lot of early batches that had the screws over tightened that would eventually buckle and crack. Could be part of that.

The console needs to get way way hotter than its capable of to do any kind of damage.

I put many many many hours into my Switch and still looks great!

@0muros ....Because it plays on a television. The comparison to a cell phone is ridiculous in irrelevant.

But you knew this.

Yeah, found out it was pretty common via Reddit, but the two I had didn't grow. It is caused by overtightened screws I think.

I have a little crack near one of the screws and my fan runs rough. Waiting on cloud saves to send it in.

what i do if mine gets to hot i take it out of dock or turn it off for 20 mins. Sometimes i have been playing in dock for 2 hours and its baking. So rule should be in dock for 1 hour then off or out of dock.

i got no cracks in the case but we own 3 switches and all of them have other problems (while all are handled with much care):

console 1: both joy cons disconnect randomly while playing handheld

console 2: right joy con is not aligned with the case properly and its not the joycon , its the rail or case

console 3: right side of the screen pops out like crazy after playing docked and needs to be pushed back in

i never had any problems with about 5 3ds models or any other nintendo hardware so far. its the age of poor quality to make consumers buy over and over. like i never had any problems with ps1, ps2, ps3 controllers and nowadays i break every new ps4 pad 1-2 weeks after the purchase (L2 / R2 buttons breaking, L1 / R1 stucking)

its a shame its so much fun to use the cheap QAed switch

All I know is when Pikmin 4 comes out I’m gonna have bladder damage

Nope. Mine looks brand new and that is after excessive use since November. I had an issue with the left joystick drifting, but I had just had to blow the dust out.

3 out of 4 plastic "grids" above the metallic heatsink is cracked on mine, and I know for sure its not due to force. Probably a poor chooise of design to put thin grids of plastic where most of the systems heat comes out.

Nope. I've played mine constantly since almost launch day. I take it with me everywhere, and I don't exactly coddle it. And I have no scratches, marks, or cracks of any kind. I'm thinking people just aren't being as careful as they think they are, or some other person who has access to their system has dropped it and not told anyone.

Nothing on mine yet but with how hot it gets I can only expect it to eventually happen.

@daveh30

Maybe not on your switch but a further 5 secs on google would have shown you that these cracks on the Switch housing are all to common and similar, to make it anything other than a manufacturing issue.

I've have the crack near the power button and and have seen first hand other Switch units with cracks in the same exact same way !
And i can assure you it isn't because of rough handling or dropping the unit.

I’m afraid to check mine....

This will probably get lost, but I would encourage anyone worried about heat while docked to plug a small desktop fan into one of the usb slots and have it blow across the system from end to end. We don't have any AC so I do this in the summer and a Switch will barely heat up. Costs maybe $5-10, so I think it is worth taking the chance it may help.

Some of those cracks look pretty massive, especially with the ones with the chips knocked out, those look really bad.🤔😬 I dont have anything like that, nothing giong across the back... They are all very fine hairline cracks, that dont seem to be getting any worst, theyre mostly at the screws and one at the volume button, and most agrivating is i have no idea if it was me or not, cuz I did drop it a few times acvidently, but it wss flat on its back....youd think i would have cracks on the back but i have nothing, its ll on the side. This is my second switch btw, i did not notice any cracks on my first switch, but i sent that in for a completely different issiue, i had that since launch.

My Switch itself, no, but my left Joy-Con has a tiny inexplicable crack around the release button. Since I'm the only one who ever really uses it, I'm not sure how it happened.

And Nintendo hardware is usually top notch...

I know this is ridiculous but this made me check my Switch and it's past 1am here....and my Switch seems to be safe, no marks or scratches at all!
The only problem I've had is a mark on the bottom-left of the screen from where I've docked it but that's only on the screen protector so I'm not too bothered. I've only used my Switch out of the dock 3 or 4 hours max since I bought it December so I don't usually see the console anyway. Hopefully mine won't show these issues when it gets to the age the launch consoles are today...

I know people say they're really careful with their consoles and phones but some people are delusional, I'm not saying everyone is like that but I've met too many "careful" people that do ridiculous things, seem to not notice, and then be suprised when something has happened. I wouldn't be suprised if some of these cases are from people like that.

No cracks yet, but that doesn't mean that they couldn't appear. I can see cracks near the ventilation areas - that kind of makes sense. I'm more concerned about cracks on the corners that could very well be from relatively normal use. Of course, my gaming time is far less than what most people here probably log. I also tend to play more undocked than docked so probably don't hit those higher temperatures as often. Still - something to watch for in the future. Hoping if this is widespread that Nintendo will own it and make it right, but that's going to be tricky considering saving stuff off of your Switch isn't a feature right now.

@sauce My old SNES turned yellow. I assumed it transformed into a super Saiyan.

@Kimyonaakuma

Every switch unit I've seen with the crack near the power button have all looked very similar, including the threads on reddit.
To much of a coincidence to say they've been caused by rough handling.

From what I've read and heard, apart from Nintendo UK being d**** over it regarding warranty most other regions seem to replace the housing under warranty.
I've had mine replaced under warranty here in Australia with no hassle.

For those in the UK that get quoted a silly price by Nintendo UK, it's not a difficult job, the parts are all here https://www.replacebase.co.uk/nintendo-switch-parts/

Nope, not a scratch or crack. My whole family uses the Switch and its even been dropped a few times but nothing on it and we've had it since April.

mine is used mostly docked probably bout 85% of the time and i have played thousands of hours and no cracks, i know two friends who swear they arent rough on thiers and they have cracks but i consider how they use them as rough....so the definition to the word "rough" is going to very from person to person...think those that have cracks are using it rougher then those who dont i see all the cracks are on edges or near the vents wcich protrude out and arent thick hitting them the right way would crack or break them off i presume

Wow, didn't know this was so rampant. I luckily don't have any cracks, but I'll keep an eye out. Is this just happening to people that leave it in the dock all the time, or is this regardless? Just for reference, I leave my Switch in the dock when home, play with it in the dock, but will play it portable at home too. I take my Switch with me when I leave the house.

The fact that this is happening is distressing, but I find it hard to believe it has only been through normal use. I use my Switch for dozens of hours every week, and most of the time it’s docked and gets quite hot, yet there is not a single scratch or crack on mine. I’m not sure why this is happening to other people.

Mine is perfect and I've never docked it once. The dock is still in the original box. Launch day switch.

I was a bit concerned when i read it as i use my switch more in dock mode than on the run (70/30), but no cracks so far. And to be honest if i find after another year some cracks which do not impact the function i dont think i will be worried.

That's unfortunate, but I'm happy to confirm that my launch day Switch looks brand new (other than finger smudges on the screen which are 100% my fault ) and I have not treated with any kid gloves, either. I have used it about 80% docked, 20% undocked and take it to and from work once a week and my friends' houses a couple times a month. I've also had a couple accidents where it has gotten knocked off the TV stand and ejected from the dock, so the fact that it's held up with no visible marks is pretty impressive, actually.

Maybe this flaw is present only in some of the very first run units.

negative for me, not a scratch or crack

My Switch has no cracks and I almost always keep it docked. I’ve had it since last May.

@0muros They might primarly play it docked and don't like handheld

Day-after-launch console unit here, nothing visible by means of cracks, breaks, dings, etc. and I pretty much keep that thing in the dock all the time...

My is fine and I've even dropped it a couple of times though I do have a protective case on it when it's not in the dock. I do play my Switch in dock mode more than I play in handheld mode.

August or September console here (too lazy to check, got it secondhand in November), luckily no cracks at all and I hope it stays that way. Playing pretty much exclusively in handheld or tabletop mode, total 5 minutes of docked mode.

Sounds like a design flaw, but, hopefully, newer models like mine have been fixed.

Gotta look into the left analog, it sometimes registers movement where there's none.

Cya
Raziel-chan

Just checked mine. No cracks, no scratches, no issues, all cushty.
Had my Switch since launch, is mostly played docked, and is in the Dock 100% when not in use.
My system did have the afore mentioned warping Issue, but that was only noticeable if you were really looking for it, and measuring with a Vernier against a flat surface
Something I do not do is attach or detach the Joycons while system is docked. Also have never used Game Carts. (Some additional info in case anyone has started an 8D)

@Knuckles-Fajita "Only issue with mine is the back panel isn't fully connected, theres a fingernail sized gap, where the crease along the top curves near the vent."

same but mine is bit to the right of the volume buttons. first noticed it a week after i gut splatoon 2, but it hasn't gotten any worse.

Being a day one Wii U owner (jaded at that) and someone that has skipped Switch, I find this ironically satisfying.

No cracks on mine. My only problem was with my 2 yr old ripping the slide out of 1 joycon and put the second one in the fish tank, so we had to replace them....he’s better with it now....we’ve had ours since Christmas, my mom & stepdad bought it for the family.

No cracks here. Then again, I've been going the extra mile to keep my Switch from getting bent, scratched, or overheating. Maybe because it's just my go-to handheld. I dunno.

Nintendo is aware of this issue and has been for awhile, At least June of last year. I have the same issues with cracks around the vent and power button. I called them and reported the issue last year, they were aware of the issue and offered to repair or replace the device under warranty. I never did send my switch as I was waiting on cloud saves to back up my data, never thought a year later and we can’t back up our data

Mine was fine until this one day where a kid was running across the room, and the nearest power socket was too far so the AC adapter had to be hanging above the ground, and some kid ran right through it, causing my AC adapter to bend and most unfortunately my Switch to go flying across the room. A few days after that, those same cracks appeared on my own system.

I checked on mine and everything seems to be ok. I’ve had the Switch since last year in June and I have been pretty careful of it. Sucks for those who are facing this issue, I know the feeling.

@MisterKorman I wouldn't necessarily call it negligence, I'd call it flat out abuse. In order for that vent area to be wide open like that picture, theres 4 grill bars need to removed. So each one had to crack at both ends. 8 individual cracks, 1 at the the end of each and every bar. That did not happen as result of heat while sitting in a dock. This was not a spontaneous occurence. (And in fairness, after checking his replies on that tweet just now, he doesn't claim it be a case of "Mah Switch broke itself!" like some of the others. He suspects younger brothers were involved. Having a younger brother myself, I'm prepared to call that one case closed)

I was scared to look. But all clear here!

I'd love to see data that shows the date purchased and the issues if any from many people to see if there is any correlation.

No cracks (or warping for that matter) on mine, got it in December. Play mostly docked. Have had it with me in a carrying case for two or three travels. Don't have the time to play everyday (but I play as often as I can) and my sessions doesn't last that long (a couple of hours per session, even though I had some longer ones). Have put a lot of hours into some games, with over 100 into Xenoblade Chronicles 2 being the most. I'm also careful when removing it from or inserting it into the dock. The dock is placed on the TV bench with nothing over it. Sometimes the fan is working, but no hard work really, and the machine has gotten hot, but that's about when I'm finished playing anyway, so it has time to cool off. When the console is not in use, it's always placed in the dock.

No cracks and I’ve dropped mine a couple times, once from as high up as a hospital bed onto concrete. But mine came warped directly from Nintendo after RMA exchange so that may be on manufacturing and not usage heat

Happened to mine. Fortunately I still had a week left on the warranty when I noticed them, and Nintendo fixed my unit without any charge.

Thank God nothing is wrong on mine, but I imagine that Nintendo is going to have a lawsuit soon.

Haven't noticed anything yet, I've had mine since last July.

These images are true nightmare fuel.

Launch console which still looks like new. Ive never played docked. Ever.

Must be the heat from docked mode?

Day one switch - no cracks; 95% docked.

It seems the portable is not so portable. Ok fanboys, time to spin cracks into a new feature! HA HA

The plastic quality is less than mediocre... Dunno if you heard about a pair of headphones "Spirit One S by Focal" but it's the same plastic...

Guess what ? Focal litterally ended that model and replaced it by " Listen!" a fully redone version of the previous headphones.

The crazy stuff is that after a year only, the plastic started to crack on that headphones and it's the same with the Switch.

For me Nintendo will have no choice than to change the case around the Switch or to come with a new model of Switch...

Nintendo tries always to save too much money on the materials of their systems.
Even the plastic of the Wii U was a disaster, you were able to scratch it just with a feather duster... :/

This is the first I've ever heard of it.My Switch also seems fine.

I am so surprised because I have had mine for over a year and have had no issues.

Mine is perfectly fine. I'll bet that the people who showed the cracked Switch consoles have cell phones with cracked screens. Some people will never take care of their toys.

Mine did over the last week. It got a crack on the lower back half on the left. I glued the piece back on. I am just going to order a new case and replace the frame..

@0muros mine is used 98% docked and I have a dock extender and keep it in a stand.

Owned mine since October 27th 2017 played pretty much all docked and no cracks. I've even dropped mine a couple times from the height of about 2-3 feet.

Mine had small cracks near the power button about 4 months after I got it. I bought on launch day.

To all of you who somehow come to the conclusion that us owners with cracks on our Switch must be "abusing" our consoles I can assure you that I bet most of us haven't.
Read my earlier post.
Mine was cracked WHEN I OPENED IT ON LAUNCH.
No heat, no abuse, brand new out of the box!
Mine even had a faulty SD reader OUT OF THE BOX!
I'm sure some have abused theirs but a lot of us are just like you.
We just were unfortunate to buy a lemon.
So I say count yourself lucky because my experience with Nintendo's customer service was far from smooth.
I got accused of dropping it from Nintendo, i had to prove that my console was faulty.
Luckily for me I took pics of me unboxing it as I was so excited.
Sad as I use to regard Nintendo highly.
They have lost a lot of respect from this longtime fan.

Mine is perfect, just like me.

Nothing on mine... Mine stays docked like 95% of the time, always in a cool place no sunlight.

My screen is coming away from its seat but it’s been like that since new. Just on one side like it wasn’t glued properly. Also scratched from dock.

I wonder if the cracks are connected to case usage. A lot of carry cases don’t leave room for the shoulder buttons on the joycons, so pressure is put on the housing since the Switch can’t sit flat.

My Switch is in "perfect" condition. And the console didn't bend because of heat. That's bullcrap!😆 Most likely, it was bent slightly right of the box.

Let's try thinking about it logically.
Right now, when I write this, about 17% voted they have this problem.

That indicates that it is not a design of general quality issue, since otherwise there should be far more consoles effected. Especially reports of people using the system a lot not having this problem speaks against that.

On the other hand, with as much as 17% it is possible, but unlikely that people just didn't handle it with a reasonable amount of care.

That leaves varying material quality due to inconsistent work by the factories that produce the parts. Possibly the metal frame bending too much for the plastic to handle or the plastic itself cracking to easily.
Such a factory issue like is also really hard hard to find beforehand by QA.

Thankfully this is at least a problem that should be easy resolve by just replacing the plastic backplate, at least in most cases.

Makes sense when you factor in the cheap plastic shell, and a very small fan being asked to disperse wayyyyy too much heat for it's size, and the fact that you're constantly attaching/removing peripherals that cause strain on the entire body of the tablet.

Guess I should just be thankful I keep mine docked, let it cool down before packing it up, and never remove the joycons, no cracks on mine.

I currently have no cracks. I picked mine up last July so it wasn’t from the launch batch. I also don’t get to play it for longer sessions - no more than 1-2 hours at a time - and mostly undocked. I wonder which is more significant? I’ve heard people talking about this for some time. It’s clearly an issue.

17% answering Yes in the poll is a ton, the fact that Nintendo is still charging people €100-200 to get this fixed (yes, really) when it’s obviously a design flaw is ridiculous. I hope the mainstream media picks up on this and Nintendo is forced to do free repairs.

My Switch’s crack is also near the power button, the corner is chipped away and it’s so bad the screw is no longer screwed in so the back panel actually comes partially off. No way I’m sending it in until cloud saves are a thing, though.

EDIT: Also, thank you for reporting on this, NintendoLife!

Mine has a tiny crack on the top left corner, next to the screw. Nintendo really dropped the ball designing the Switch. It's definintely a design flaw

No cracks to report here!

Mine is perfect but i am aware that it get's instantly very very hot in docked mode and i'm sure it didn't originally. When i say this i mean within thirty seconds of switching it on.

Nope. Launch day EU/GER model, almost daily use with a fair share of Xenoblade 2 marathons over the last days especially, which already have been scorching hot around here.
Console itself still in mint condition, but instead, my left JoyCon stick is seriously on its last legs.

Mine has a crack in the top nire the power button but its not from damedge as its never been droped or nocked like that

I have a launch Switch but no cracks. Handheld use is probably 70% of the time though. My Switch does look very used. The coating on the grey joy-con look pretty bad and there are some marks on the back of the Switch.

Just looked at mine and it has a hairline crack next to the power button. It is exclusively used in docked mode. This is concerning.

@0muros tell that to Nintendo who recently revealed that the majority of players use it docked and handheld with a 50/50 split.

@0muros tell that to Nintendo who recently revealed that the majority of players use it docked and handheld with a 50/50 split.

@Freek I was also accused of dropping mine by Nintendo

Maybe they’re taking the Sony and Microsoft approach to console sales: make less reliable hardware so people have to buy more than one during the lifecycle. Worked well for the PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360!

Bought my Switch a couple of weeks after launch. It does not have any cracks at all. I don't treat it too carfully. It dropped maybe 3-5 times so far already in the house. And it is played mostly handheld, but sometimes also docked.

Maybe the cases were built in multiple different factories or there was an issue with the material in a certain time span.

Mine is still silky smooth. And I HAVE dropped mine.

My switch keeps separating into three pieces

Not in my case, but mine is white at the bottom like faded. And since March 2017 it's in its dock. I recognized it only because I rearranged my desk last month.

Got mine at the midnight launch. Mine is fine thank goodness. There's a bit where it looks like it might have 'warped', but I checked my girlfriends and brothers (much newer) Switch consoles and they've got it too, straight out the box. So I'm good there. Bet you're happy you read that!

I wouldn't say it is a design flaw. I believe part of the issue is that when in the dock, the console is affected more by the heat(console will obviously get considerably hotter in the dock,while being moderately warm in handheld mode). But unless your Switch is falling to pieces, don't send it back as there is a good chance your save data will be lost. If we had SD card save backup, we could send it in without fear of lost save data. Still waiting on Nintendo to add this feature:p.

@WhirlyWoo Thanks for the link!

@DannyBoi I'm not going to spend Nintendo €100-200 to fix their design flaw when I can get a replacement shell for €10.

Got my Switch in March '18 and it is fine.

Probably 70% dock, 30% portable as I main dock and my daughter mains portable.

My right Joy Cons stick gets stuck to the right so plan on calling Nintendo soon. May have them go ahead and take a look at the left Joy Con due to possible disconnection issues I had shortly after first getting my Switch.

This console had to have been slightly rushed no other Nintendo console has been this bad for me when it comes to these sorts of issues. I wish they would have also had better wifi chip function.

No cracks, but cloud saving can't come soon enough!

Edit: should of added launch console, almost exclusively used handheld.

@Pete41608

I share the same feeling... There is something unusual with the Switch. It's difficult to explain but even the feeling in the palm of my hands is not really "Nintendo's touch".

Can't describe better than that...

No cracks on mine. I have a scratch or two on the back, but that's to be expected.

Speaking of which, has anyone had their lights burn out on their 3DS units? I have the gold Zelda XL that my kid uses and I noticed the charging light no longer turns on. It still charges just fine. I figured it's because he always leaves his handheld on and plugged in and the light just burnt out.

2 launch day units, 0 cracks. Bring it everywhere, even while travelling and vacation, one of them has been smacked against the side of a car inside its case. Both me and the car and the Switch remained unharmed

Playing every day since 3/3/2017 for at least 3 hours a day and not a single crack.

@Damo Well well well.... I voted 'no' without checking mine, having never noticed anything, but in fact mine does have some cracks.

Three of the grill bars are cracked at one end, plus a bigger crack at one end of the vent, and I've got that notch appearing near the power button.

This is a bombshell. Personally and universally.

I play 90+% handheld and keep it in a case when not in use or docked. It's never been dropped and always well taken care of. I'm the only person that's ever used it since it left the box.

Mine has a crack on one of the screws by the power switch, but I gaffer taped it.

My PS4 has problems as well- it's been covered in dust for over a year.

Day one purchase, probably played about a thousand hours 70/30 docked/undocked without a crack.

I always made sure the dock was far enough of everything.
Never put a warm switch straight in the case from the dock.
Always made sure it wasn't covered in dust.

I also carry it to work every weekday and dock in when I'm home without a single scratch on the screen.

No cracks, but joy-con sticks depress a little too easily. A pain for Zelda. Play almost exclusively in handheld mode.

Just out of interest, is it best to keep it in the dock and on when not playing or should it be turned off completely? Could there be an effect on battery life?

I can't see any cracks on mine, only some small scratches on the screen. Dunno why so many people are having this problem.

@Damo My suspicion is that this is not particularly a heat issue, but primarily a handling issue (possibly exacerbated by the heating/cooling cycle).

Thinking about how I handle my Switch, I use that power button a lot to enter sleep mode, possibly exposing that weak point near the screw to too much pressure.

And it's very possible that when I pick my Switch up one-handed I'm putting pressure on the grill, because I tend to avoid picking it up by a joy-con to avoid strain on that connecting rail, so instead I favour a 'four fingers on the top, thumb on the bottom' type grip.

I'll check when I get home. All I know is that mine is bent, and the screen is scratch (presumably as a result of the bending). But it came like that out of the box.

Mines fine and its routinely abused by my two autistic daughters.

@Agent721 Oh man, a France vs. England final would be sweet! Fingers crossed aye buddy. Good luck today against Uruguay.

I might be missing something obvious, but why does the Switch become hotter when docked?

my day one look like a day one

I have a crack in the back panel near the right joycon as well, happened somewhere in the second week after buying it at launch. Noticed it after undocking it since I wanted to play in handheld mode.

The only issue I have is scratches caused by the stupid dock even though I've always been careful

Reading this I was sure mine would be mint got it at a midnight launch play it 50/50 docked and handheld but near the power switch is the beginnings of a small crack and it’s defo not from misuse
I always try to keep my consoles mint I have a megadrive from 1989 with no marks on it a Dreamcast that is 19 years old got it at launch
If it becomes a recognised problem will Nintendo offer some kind of solution as it’s now out of warranty which I’m sure many others are in this position

My friend's has tiny cracks on the same area and he is also extremely careful, it seems like a design flaw or low-quality plastic in the case. I mean, lots of devices get hot, don't they?

@Gs69 Unfortunately with Nintendo you never know:

"We have been told by some Switch owners that they've actually had their machines repaired following these issues, while others have been told that the cracks are due to accidental damage and are not covered under the warranty".

At least in EU and UK, the warranty is 2 years no matter what the manufacturer says, if you live in UK or EU the warranty is 2 years, so I would ask all affected users to contact Nintendo and tell them that the damage was not caused by them so Nintendo has to take responsibility.

If all affected users do this they are going to have their consoles repaired and hopefully next time that Nintendo designs something the quality will be higher.

All my Nintendo consoles up until GameCube are still perfect but since Wii all of them had to be repaired. The Wii for instance had green pixels showing up on the screen and the 3DS started showing weird colours on the whole screen.

I have no cracks. But I have that left joycon issue and dock connectivity issue.

I have one since launch and has no cracks. I use it on both dock and handheld but it comes with me every time I go out so it does not stay in the dock for long times

Nothing on mine despite pretty heavy docked and portable use. I've had it almost since launch, and it gets used nearly every single day. I've always thought the plastic vent grill felt uncharacteristically flimsy for a Nintendo product, but it's held up so far.

Setting the Switch aside, some of the complaints above surprise me. I have Nintendo consoles dating back to the NES, including multiple versions of the GameBoy, GBA, DS, and 3DS. They've all had heavy use, and they're all in fantastic shape.

Occasional faults are one thing, and can happen to anyone. But people who seem to have nothing but bad luck with multiple consoles probably aren't as careful with their hardware as they say they are.

No cracks that I’m aware of. I use pretty much 80% handheld and bring it a lot of places, and have had it since launch.

@Gs69

The warranty in the Eurozone is 2 YEARS for electronic devices... It's an european law !

So, dunno if you're from Europe or not but if it's the case, you can use your rights for that !

I put the link right here :

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm

@BlueOcean thanks for the reply I wasn’t aware of the 2 year warranty that’s good to know I had a similar problem with Sony when I got a PSP which cracked from the inside you couldn’t feel the crack on the outer surface but all they did was offer me refurbished one of which I rejected 5 before settling with one and then selling it cos I wasn’t happy but by this time I had built up quite a collection of games so ended up buying a new one I have quite a few switch games and love the console so I’m a bit worried a similar thing will happen this time

Ouch, sounds really bad. Luckily I have no problems so far, hopefully it stays that way. Though I only have the device since November 2017 and haven't used it that excessively. I played a lot of Mario Odyssey in the weekend though, 3 or 4 hours a pop (sometimes even longer). Through the week, not that much.

Maybe the advice is: Not to many very long sessions, and avoiding certain games (I can imagine certain games getting very hot).

@Razieluigi It depends. If the issue has happened to many users in the same place then it must be a design flaw or low-quality element.

A user here said that he makes sure that the console doesn't overheat, that is a choice he carefully takes and perhaps a wise one, but a console shouldn't overheat while playing and if it does it should be prepared for that. I don't know anybody that plays under the sunlight for more than a few minutes and I know of people that have a warped console or these cracks.

@Cobalt thanks that’s great info I’m in the Uk so this will apply gonna contact Nintendo see what they can do for me

Sometimes while playing in handheld, if the back ever starts getting too hot I just open out the stand and play on, it cools down in a few minutes!

@Gs69 Yes in UK and EU the warranty is two years, it's the law. No matter what the manufacturer says. Contact Nintendo and tell them that you didn't damage the console but it just happened. They have to repair or replace the case if everything else is fine. They will probaby send you shipping labels by email and you print and use them for shipping your console for free or perhaps someone collects it at your home.

And so a new gate is born. Crackgate. And with it, the ponies will rejoice for there is much fussing and whining to be had for it behooves them to.

@Hamguar @daveh30 It's so sad that instead of trying to help those people (it could have happened to you) you make fun of them. It's the worst type of fan I can think of. Really sad.

@BlueOcean Oh, i agree. It at least indicates a potential weak point. Even if it only happens to 10% of the units, it's a repeatable flaw.

But what I wrote was "setting the Switch aside." I was referring more to posts above lamenting a series of broken DS and 3DS consoles.

So glad I dont have these issues yet, I've had mine since July of last year and not a scratch on it. I bought my kids a Switch for Christmas and that one is perfect too, just went and checked, lol

I hardly use mine, it's collecting dust for me

@Razieluigi I see what you mean. I am also very careful with them. My first 3DS (the first model) only had the weird screen colours issue after a while, everything else was fine. Nintendo says that different colours or dead pixels are normal:

https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/466/~/screen-is-discolored%2C-dark%2C-or-appears-tinted

But they replaced the screen and I'm glad because it made games unplayable.

The 3DS XL has that weird creaking sound when you press the buttons but works fine. It feels so cheap.

The small New 3DS is perfect and I use it a lot. The quality reminds me of DSi, that's why I think New 3DS is the best Nintendo design in recent years and I can't say the same about Switch.

The green pixels on Wii is a common GPU issue and they replaced the whole console.

I think that older Nintendo consoles were higher quality, you can even feel it in the controllers. My older Nintendo consoles are fine, just one of the bumpers on a SNES controller destroyed because of a brute cousin playing Street Fighter II but all the other issues have happened since Wii.

@Henmii The PS4 and Pro also get very hot while playing and they make a loud sound with the fan working at full speed, probably to avoid the heating issues of last generation that affected PS3, 360 and Wii. The only consoles that don't get hot and loud this generation are Wii U, Xbox One, Xbox One X and obviously the 3DS and 2DS family.

It's really hard for me to believe this is a real problem. Even the poll has it at 83% saying no. And if 17% are saying yes, you have to figure most if not all are wrong. People always say they take care of their stuff and yet somehow phones and tablets and laptops and handheld game systems are getting broken all the time. Any time you go to a phone store there's a guy there trying to get a refund on a phone with a cracked screen. If there's a design issue, it's that maybe that top vent is a little on the thin side and it's broken easily, but the Switch is pretty sturdy. My girlfriend drops hers once a week and it's still in perfect shape. Heck, those stress test guys on YouTube dropped it from a thousand feet in the air onto concrete and the system was undamaged.

Are there some systems with a weak frame that's cracking when it shouldn't? Maybe. Is it more likely people are just careless and didn't notice accidental damage? Absolutely. We all know that person who breaks their electronics constantly. Some of us may be that person. Just seems a lot more likely. I know five people with Switches who have over 500 hours played and nothing more than the tiniest scratch on any of them.

Got it near the powerbutton as well (launchmodel), i just put a bit of tape on it :x

Play my Switch nearly every day in around 2-3 hour stints, in both handheld and docked modes, and have none of these cracks. I call foul on some of these images because owners aren't considering everything they put the console through.

Willing to bet a chunk of this group leave their Switches in bad temperature conditions (muggy house, turning A/C off before leaving for work, around clutter with lots of dust).

Another chunk likely think "it's in a case, so now it's an invincible boomerang!!" and flip it around their backpack while commuting, likely even without noticing.

And another chunk are rage-players who won't admit they have a problem. These are the images where it's cracked alongside the majority of the Joy-Con rails. Sorry, but that doesn't happen unless we're talking rapid temperature changes...or rage squeezing the Joy-Cons while they're connected to the Switch.

Well, that article was a bit of a maze.

We're talking launch models here, I won't be surprised if 25% have them. Waiting for cloud save until guarantee case swap.

Use my launch Switch every day, almost exclusively docked...and a careful examination just now shows no cracks. Honestly kind of surprised, but obviously not complaining.

@BranJ0

Look at the results of the poll. Its currently at under 20%. Though that is a high amount and should be addressed, it isn't a massive problem, like there was with original 360s.

I need to check mine, but I am confident there is nothing wrong. I never use mine docked though and live in the UK. Maybe those that play docked in hotter countries have this problem more than those that play handheld in cooler countries.

Every console has teething problems. It's why they make revisions.

We own two systems. Our first system we've owned almost since day one. Both are fully functional, no scratches, no warpage, and no cracks. One of the systems is owned by an 8 year old.

Balance is the key here folks. We play equal parts docked and undocked. We also purchased tempered glass screen protectors that work great.

nothing is perfect i guess.

still beats the pants off the rrod. can't believe MS let that out in production. wow.

@dkxcalibur if balanced playtime between handheld and docked is required to keep the Switch intact, Nintendo should’ve clarified this in the manual. Also, those screen protectors won’t help against shell cracking issues.

The blind Nintendo defending in this thread is messed up, but not unexpected. How about the fact that Nintendo’s asking for €100-200 to get this fixed?

I predicted this when they first revealed the Switch. A portable gaming device in such a small housing is just not made for continuous duty. Running games in docked mode is just too demanding.

This is one the many bad compromises of a so-called hybrid (if we ignore the fact that it's not a hybrid at all).

But whatever, no one listened to me because apparently everyone finds gaming on the go exciting and doesn't want a high-quality Nintendo console anymore.

This has put me off buying a Switch for now. I'd use it docked permanently - but if it can't stand the heat it is a no go until the next iteration comes along.

Reminds of the 3DS XL hinge that always cracked on its own and the poor consumer had to pay to fix it, even though Nintendo knew about it.

Sounds like ya'll should invest in a carrying case... Take my Switch for example. I always place it firmly i-

**notices tiny crack next to vent**

Oh no. Oh dear god no.

@citizenerased Just describing my situation and for the record, I never said the screen protectors would protect against a cracked system. Screen protectors are for preventing scratches on the screen......right?

It's unfortunate that Switches are malfunctioning.

Mine plastic vent thing came off

I assume this issue is a combination of heat and the pressure of sandwiching from the official Switch dock.

Fortunately I have been unaffected, but I also invested in one of these unofficial dock shells quite some time ago, which does a good job of reducing physical strain and increases ventilation while docked compared to the official shell:

www.amazon.com/TOP-Portable-Replacement-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B072V9ZBSK/

@Rika_Yoshitake it has nothing to do with taking care of it. I have never once dropped my Switch, and I have the same stress crack near the power button/screw.

Nothing on either of mine that I've noticed. Obviously the bezel of the screen cover (just over the bezel, not the display area) has microscratches where it interacts with the dock struts, but that's a "normal wear" expectation contact point so perfectly fine. Maybe a wonky left joycon stick, but that's Splatoon's fault (and it's still doing better than my XB Elite and Switch Pro stick )

The one thing I do notice though is ever since the Feb '18 patch the Switch is PERMANENTLY warm in the dock. It was always stone cold prior to the Feb patch, but it's consistently both of them now. I dislike that, though the X1X is also permanently warm in sleep mode.

I've used it mostly Docked and it seems to be fine. The Joy-Con, on the other hand, is not well made at all. The aim keeps coming down on its on(right one), and the left one also wanders on its own. I've removed the stick cap and that somewhat helped, even though I cant put it back in perfectly lol. That made me wanna buy a Pro Controller.

Mine is still intact, but these pictures are sending shivers down my spine. The image of my switch breaking are like a total nightmare.

@Damo are you going to present this to nintendo and publish a follow-up?

Yup, big crack by the lower left hand screw. Never dropped, only carried in a hardened case.

Mine has a very small crack right next to the power button - I hadn't even noticed it until I read this article and went looking for it. Everything else looks to be ok, but to add, my kiddos do take it out of the dock often, and a couple times I've caught my son accidently smacking it into the side of a desk, sooooo.....the crack my actually be from a bump and not heat (or whatever may be causing these mysterious cracks).

So far, after over a year of usage, my Switch is free of any cracks, dings, or warping. I do keep it in a Nintendo approved folio case, and put that into a clam shell case before putting the Switch in my messager bag.

No cracks in mine yet but I don't play it in docked mode as much as handheld. Hopefully they go for pascal architecture in the revision so this will never happen again.

I have a launch unit, and no cracks. Only thing I've noticed is the Joycon seating definitely has more wiggle to it when attached to the screen.

I'm going to have to look when I get home from work, but I haven't noticed any cracks off-hand. One thing I did notice was a purchased-separately left joy-con being very loose when in the handheld mode. The launch joy-con, my "Reverse Neon" joy-cons, and my gf's Splatoon 2 edition joy-cons don't have this issue. Just that one set. Oddly enough, when I'm using it with the joy-con grip, it works just fine, though that could be because the joy-con grip is a little tighter fitting with the joy-con than the console.

@0muros It's theirs. They can use it how they please. Stop telling people how to use their stuff they paid for.

Anybody else looking at this and thinking it’s from carrying the switch around on one side by the joycon? Those look like pressure cracks from the weight of the system while holding it only on one side.

Luckily this hasn't happened to me yet (*knock on wood) but it did happen to a good friend of mine. Luckily for him though, the crack happened after Nintendo put out the software update that allows you to do your own system transfer. Rather than go through sending his unit in to Nintendo, he just bought a new one on sale and did the system transfer himself. Hopefully Nintendo offers a revamped model of the Switch that addresses these issues. While I don't have a crack on my Switch (and I hope I never do), I have noticed that my system is slightly warped and I do think it's from the heat generated while the system is docked. I primarily play in docked mode and during this latest massive heat wave that eastern North America seems to be under, I've actually avoided playing my Switch at all so as I don't inadvertently cause any issues.

I'm happy this has been addressed (not by Nintendo officially though) Yes, I can confirm have the cracking problem on both near the power button and near the vents. It's the launch console (I pre-ordered back in January 2017), it's treat my console well with official case, but this still happened. Ask Nintendo UK to repair it they quote me £175 even it's a manufacturer fault, it's just ridiculous, then I got a official spare case part for about £5 from china. I'm surprised that there has not been a group lawsuit around this case.

My switch is about 7 months old, has one crack near top vent, it's warped, also the lower right hand corner of the screen tries to protrude from the housing.

Nintendo has made a mistake by allowing Nvidia to design the case, it's not up to Nintendo standards... Still love my switch, but it's terrible quality.

@MattFox The analogue modules in this generation of consoles are horrendous overall. Even OEM parts are using generic/unbranded parts of unknown Chinese manufacture, and the already bad aluminum stablizers on the pots have been replaced with plastic ones. X1 controllers are infamous for drifting/failure, X1 Elite is the gold standard in failure of the modules (the metal caps seem to accelerate the calibration loss), my Switch Pro I just discovered has terrible drift on the left stick now as well. I haven't had PS4 issues (in part because they set obscene deadzones, restrict the degree of rotation heavily, have short sticks, and high tension) but I've seen plenty of reports that people seem to have almost as much failure as the others. Ugh! It's like the N64 all over again!

So far no cracks, but I've played it probably 33% docked, 66% handheld so maybe not running it under full heat as often has helped. I have worried about the effect on the battery of being warm all the time since that Feb patch.

Mine is absolutely fine and I use it outdoors every day travelling to work.

@Snakesglowcaps Interesting thought. It could be, and even I've momentarily done that from time to time (sometimes it can't be helped depending on the angle you have to pick it up or put it down) but the joycon mounting rail is plastic while the docking rail is metal and mounted to the SIDE frame of the body of the unit....I'm not sure it could (or at least should) transfer that pressure to the upper side frame....if it can that implies the frame design isn't properly reinforcing the side. But most of the stress should be transferred into the joycon as the softer, more flexible material.

@Danrenfroe2016 Crack + warp + screen separation (adhesive failure) sounds to me like excessive heat damage. That might be a bigger issue involving a problem with the cooling solution not working properly or a thermal paste failure on the heatsink.

I put two significant cracks on my backplate trying to install that stupid Nyko metal kickstand, whcih was too heavy to be enjoyed regardless. Just purchased a new OEM backplate as result. But now see my top vent "ribs" are now cracked. Doh.

@Damo @beans3891 I can already hear the Reggie-speak in response to the comment in my mind: "Here at Nintendo, we value the play experience, whether it's at home on the TV, or traveling with you wherever you may be, and we've designed the Switch to be suitable for playing Anytime, Anywhere, with Anyone(TM). We offer an industry standard 1 year warranty against all manufacturing defects, and Nintendo Customer Service will be happy to help set up a repair for anyone that believes their Switch may have a defect during the warranty period!"

See, no follow up required, you can just post that now. It's guaranteed verbatim authentic.

*Edit: Criticism doesn't apply exclusively to Nintendo. Even after the RROD disaster, Microsoft is to this day selling a $150 Elite controller they know to be catastrophically defective with serious design issues (guaranteed stick drift, a plastic bridge supporting two metal bumpers that very commonly cracks under strain and needs bumper replacements, rubber grips that are 100% guaranteed to fail their adhesive and peel under hand warmth). Every single one of them is going to suffer from one or more of the above issues. The issues have existed since day one, and they've yet to acknowledge a defect, and they for years enforced the 90-day warranty and openly told people to buy a new one (like with RROD). Now they supposedly, quietly, just replace them as warranty when out of warranty, but still don't acknowledge problems. All bets were that a new Elite was coming at E3 to fix it along with new features....but, nope...they're still shipping the guaranteed to fail ones. OG PS4 controllers had rubber on the sticks that was guaranteed to tear/fail and triggers that were likely to fail on the tension spring. Our hardware is starting to suffer from the "patch it later" syndrome as well!

Mine has been docked almost exclusively so will have to check this out tonight. I've only used mine undocked a handful of times on the couch and have never dropped it. Wilm be interest yo see how it looks. May post pictures here if I'm notice anything.

Mine's fine, no cracks. 60% docked 40% handheld.

@NEStalgia @Damo

Thanks Damo!

NEStalgi
I have a aug 2017 switch still looks like new roughly 2-300 hours time. Obviously enough people have come forward about their march-may switches that I do not doubt your claim. I'm more of a concerned investor. A recall would bury the company. Being past the 1 year warranty is irrelevant if it is proven they chose parts based that date. At that time they were competing with Apple for supplies and it is entirely plausible they went the cheapo route with the first batch. The bulk of the sales happened between aug-Dec when I purchased mine so perhaps this only affects 2-4 million of the 18-20 in circulation. Maybe they will offer an extended warranty to get you guys on par with everyone else.

Mine has no issues around the vent area (yet). But upon closer inspection I notice I have a small crack forming near the power button. It leads from the button to the screw. As of yet nothing has fallen off.

I don't know how long that little crack has been there (I only checked because of this article, and it's really small and hard to notice. So far.), but I should add that I have NOT played docked in a while, as the tv in my bedroom has broken down some time ago. So it's been exclusively handheld for almost two months now, which is pre-heatwave. I also keep the switch in it's case or the dock if I'm not using it, it has NEVER been dropped, NOTHING has been dropped on it (I am so paranoid about scratching the glass that I put it in the dock very, very slowly and carefully)

I had some trouble with LA Noire a while back, where the HD rumble would be way too strong and loud (only for really intense rumble. Which in LA Noire was ALL the time). I could hear the joycon rattling against the rails very, very loudly, even contacted Nintendo before finding out the issue was LA Noire. I can't help but wonder if, in my case, the HD rumble in handheld mode has something to do with it.

@Araphen I should probably add that it is a day 1 switch as well.

My Switch has been with me since launch day, in and out of the dock, used almost every day by me and two kids, gone on multiple road trips and flights, had the Joy-Con removed and put back hundreds of times, and often played for the better part of a day while docked or played handheld until the battery ran down and then played some more in the dock.

It has also been dropped several times, but only onto carpeted floor.

It has not a single scratch, warp, crack, dent or loose screw on it.

@NEStalgia Now I'm actually more concerned. So pretty much all companies are cutting expenses by using substandard parts? Thats awesome. Your Switch Pro also drifts? Now I'm at a loss. Should I wait for a revised version of either the Joy-Cons or the Pro Controller?

Just checked mine. No cracks. I had this issue with my Shield tablet.

Huh.yea, i have the same exact scar many people are reporting, right under the power button, around the screw. I keep my switch i'm a cool, air conditioned room. (USA) and have dropped it a few times; but i check after i drop it, and don't remember seeing this one. Usually in docked mode. (not going to not use my 40")
oh: Mine is a day 1 switch

I found one on mine. Rarely undocked and I have a small crack. I am not pleased and expected more from Nintendo. I hope they can ensure future quality, as well as keep early adopters happy with repairs.

@MattFox I think the "revision" is to go buy a PS2 and sit on it forever It's universal and not going to be fixed on any platform. The analog modules (specifically 2-axis potentiometers mounted on a button) in use are just junk everywhere unless you solder your own high grade parts in. I even contacted Scuf (the people that make $200 custom competition controllers)...nope they just use the OEM modules and said "drift depends on the player"..... I guess don't steer too hard, or flick-shot too fast or you'll get drift? It's a shame, but yeah, controllers for Switch, X1, PS4 are apparently all prone to drift this gen. X360 was prone to drift last gen (I went through like 6 controllers on that thing.) I lost one WiiU GamePad to drift as well (Bayonetta and Splatoon really wore it down.)

I don't think it will ever be fixed in a revision...it's just the part in use. IIRC, PS4 and X1 use the same modules, and haven't switched them out for other parts yet despite X1's total controller redesign and PS4's revision to fix bad battery, rubber cap failure, and trigger spring hinge issues.) I'm going to bet Pro controller uses the same modules too. I would think Joycon has to be using something else (not enough depth for the standard module) (and oddly seems a bit more resilient.)

FWIW quality control or how you use it must affect it. Some people report Elite controller drift in 3 months, every unit they buy. Others seem to go 2 years without drift (but end up having a bumper or grips fail.) It seems like the only way to get a reliable controller is buy a master case of them and hope one of them is good.

Sadly I think right now controllers have to be considered wearable parts in need of periodic replacement. I'm going to try an air can on my pro just to be sure since joeynator2000 had that work on his joycon. My joycon drift isn't quite drift, but like a limited range on the X axis (it seems to drift in Aces but not in anything else, and shows center just fine in the test screen) but it doesn't extend all the way to the far left and right (meaning in XC2 I walk instead of run when strafing left/right unless I press harder.) The Pro just drifts...it tries reentering itself while I"m still holding upward and sometimes assumes downward position while centered.

For my X1 and PS4 I also have Razer controllers which have wonderful clicky (mouse) face buttons and higher precision sticks (though I've seen some drift reports on those too, but not as many.) but they're wired-only and have no Nintendo option (and cost half as much as a Switch ) (Actually I've read that XBox Elite works on Switch in wired mode only....but that's actually worse )

I doubt this comment will be seen or have an effect on shedding light on the situation, I'm posting for the sake of that little bit of chance.
I have no issues whatsoever despite playing on my switch for over 1500 hours (yes, I counted). I think the reason why is because I play in docked mode 99% of the time. People saying that they never dropped their switch is fine and dandy. But I think people are overlooking the effects of pressure or being shaken on plastic, resulting from being put in a bag. There has to be some kind of stress to the shell, or there is no reason for it to crack.

This article frightened me, but I just checked, and nope, not a single crack or scratch on my launch-day Switch that I've been carrying with me to work most days to play on the subway during my commute. I charge it in the dock (or play it in the dock) throughout the week, though will sometimes just leave it in my bag since the standby is amazing and the battery lasts me a few days of commute play.

I will note that whenever it's undocked I have it in a case for travel, the Mario patterned version of this one:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MS7AI9G

@daveh30 Well my first Switch had those vent cracks out of the box. I immediately returned it for one that didn't, but assuming everyone mishandled theirs because YOU are not having the same issue shows how self centered and un-empathetic you are. Every place needs a Biff Loman, and I'm glad you can perform your duties here at NL. Later Biff.

Some of these will be caused by carelessness. Some from general wear and tear. You can't expect a portable to stay pristine forever.

@0muros I dunno how much it actually charge continuously. It might be bad memory from my part, but when actually turning it off fully(rather than putting it in sleep mode) it sometimes seemed like it wouldn't actually charge.

Not unlike my PS4 stopping to charge my controller when actually shutdown instead of put in sleep mode if I recall.

It might be just bad memory from my part, mind you.

Good thing mine is not having cracks. I quickly checked my switch to make sure and no cracks. I mean if you keep the switch perfect (I do) like wash the screen with a screen cleaner about every 3 days for sure if you want a long lifetime on it (most glasses cleaners can clean screens) and ALWAYS put it in the case if your not using it for a while or maybe dock if you have a quick break then are going to return back to playing it. also maybe wash the dock to keep the screen clean (inside) and the back (inside) and also do not carelessly drop it into the dock because then it might scratch the screen or back from the dock walls, put it in well to not damage it.

A good case is one with a hard outer shell and a soft, firm inside to protect the switch from damage. it does not matter if you have a game case area inside, but if you have a "strap" on it (a tight one but not too tight) it can help from dents and cracks when shaking the case to keep the switch more tight.

@imananjidesuka Sometimes I wonder if it relates to the specific games people might play. After all one of the thing with the Switch is the different type of softwares you find in it that goes from retro-style and very processing-friendly titles to attempt at cramming major "AAA" experiences such as L.A. Noire or DOOM into the hardware.

Game that sometimes are so heavy that even their assets weight so much in storage space alone people need a microSD card just to install/play them. So that's not to mention how much their graphics/etc must pressure the hardware itself in term of strain and so on.

(For example just on my gaming PC alone there's many games I stopped playing because, though pretty, the noise fans would make to keep the hardware cool while running was such that I've literally stopped using my gaming PC altogether since the months ofApril-May).

So far so good. But this is quite concerning

Can hardly get my kickstand to stay - tons of little scratches on the back even though I'm super careful when docking it. Check for cracks when I get home.

I'm lucky to not have any cracks, but now I'm worried that these things will start to appear on my own Switch!

@MattFox
@NEStalgia Well my Xbox One Elite controller is perfectly fine and the most comfortable and precise one I have ever tried. The Xbox One X is cold when turned off (energy save mode) but you are using the instant-on mode so it's not really off. If you want it cold use energy-saving mode.

@MattFox You can wait and see if Nintendo updates the joycons or pro controller. In theory they fixed the Bluetooth disconnection of the joycon but no idea if they upgraded anything else.

Alternatively you can buy a USB adapter for using any other controller on Switch:

http://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/350517-use-controller-xbox-ps4-etc-switch-game-genie-adapter

I recommend an Xbox One controller because it's more similar to the Switch pro controller and more comfortable to hold than the Dual Shock 4 but it works for both.

I assume that later revisions of the Switch will or have had better cooling methods applied, and be more resistant to high temperatures. Launch day Switch models will have the most likely culprits of cracking under the heat. I'm happy my October 2017 Switch is perfectly fine for now.

@BlueOcean my first one developed bad right stick drift. Well hope #2 does better, but I bought the extended warranty this time...

Yeah power saver is more or less truly off, but these consoles are really intended to be in the standby state. And it runs quite warm in that state. Ps4 pro stays cool in it's implementation of the same mode. Switch used to but since Feb runs warm. That doesn't always man bad things..a lot of stereophiles insist on leaving amps permanently on and one amp designer i spoke with (from a major high end audio firm) told me they really should be left on, it's actually better for the hardware to stay warm than to cool and heat all the time.... So it may be good rather than bad. At least for 1x. Switch, with a battery, I'm less optimistic.

Me Too (!).
I have the Switch red/blue launch version, purchased on Day 1 here in The Netherlands.
Since then, I’ve had to send in my joycon for repairs twice, first time for the low connection signal, second time for a malfunctioning joystick. This was neatly corrected by Nintendo under warranty conditions.
So far Ok. But your article made me check my Switch and I found 3 cracked spots:

• the plastic struts covering the heat vent (of which I was already aware, but didn’t mind so much ...)
• on the rear housing, near the paper serial number, originating from the triforce screw
• on the front housing, bottom left, between the edge and the glass display
  I never have let my Switch take a fall or have it hit something!
  Therefore, these cracks must be a manufacturing or design issue, also taking all the other disturbing posts on this issue into account.
  I really think that Nintendo should consider repairing this, with little or no cost at all for their loyal day 1 buyers, because it would be unfair to let them take the burden. After all this is clearly a manufacturing error, that slowly developed and only could become apparent at the end of the Switches first year of existence. Saying: Bad Luck for you, your warranty is 3 months void, would be highly unfair.

@NEStalgia
Yes, it's not a great idea having a hybrid console with a modest battery that has to be charging and thus getting hot almost all the time. Reminds me of cheap laptops.

I would have preferred Switch to be either really portable or really home console. When Nintendo announced that they were merging the two divisions I expected two different bundles for NX (Switch): one with a portable console and another with a pro controller, HDMI cable and stand for using at home. Anyway, a Switch with a HDMI port and cable would have been enough and cheaper and probably better for its ventilation. The console looks okay but the dock looks really cheap and, on top of that, is not effective.

@WilvdP Even if Nintendo says three months, the warranty in EU is two years which is the minimum life that an electronic device is expected to have legally.

Reminds me of that article saying that Nintendo doesn't allow to refund pre-orders which is crazy.

@NEStalgia After reading your comment twice, I`ve decided I`ll buy the "most prettiest controller I can find", since it doesn't matter witch one lol. I know it sounds like a joke, but unfortunately it isn't.

@BlueOcean it depends how the charging circuit is designed. It may cut off charging and only do maintenance charges periodically as needed. Most modern li ion implementations do work that way. The great could be from excessive continuous charging, but I suspect it's from leaving the ram and processor running in a higher power state than before. With the change that made it heat, i also noticed that my wired lan adapter used to totally disconnect the link in sleep, but now it maintains the link often in full gigabit mode. Ps4 dials it down to 100mbit. X1 dials down but then periodically goes to full gbit to phone home. So the heat may not be from excessive charging but the added heat can't be good for the overall battery life.

The dock is needed to keep the unit vertical for the cooling to work properly. Personally the hybrid design is more ideal than two skus. That's part of what makes or convenient for everything. Otherwise you'd have to change game cards to go from dock to handheld etc.

And yeah, eu has all those warranty policies that sounds great. It amazes me the us gets away with these 30,90, day and 1 year warranty. I think other than hard drives I've never owned a product with more than 1 year warranty. And even then the warranty is too prohivitive to use (shipping cost almost as expensive as the product. Terms that include that if they decide for any reason it's not a defect they just discard the item and you don't get it back, etc. ) so i normally completely ignore that warrantees exist at all. Toss and rebuy, yay!

I remember local TV repair shops.........

Fortnite sucks.

Nintendo Voice Chat this week - the host - is talking about how messed up his is due to it swelling.

@BlueOcean I don't really like the idea of using another companie's controller, but the Xbox controller was my favorite by far( I had a 360 and the controller was the best one I've ever used )

I saw this post and checked mine and sure enough, there was the crack in the same spot as everyone else. I got my switch at launch and have treated it really well, mostly play handheld and haven't dropped it before. Called Nintendo's Repair Line they seemed completely unaware of the issue with the cracking and since my switch is over a year old, it is no longer under warranty and they said it would be about $100.00 to repair it....

@NEStalgia I know that all modern chargers do cut off electricity to avoid overcharging. Even the 3DS charger do that but I don't mean that, I mean that Switch is too powerful for the battery it has and thus the battery needs constant charging, even more when docked because the Switch is less powerful while in hand-held mode. And, as you said, the Switch working in docked mode gets hotter and that's not good for any battery.

However, isn't Switch a clocked-down Tegra even when it's docked? Why so many issues? It can only be because of cheap console design.

"Otherwise you'd have to change game cards to go from dock to handheld" I don't understand this. The dock is not necessary for that. If I have a Switch with a HDMI port I can connect and disconnect it from my TV without worrying about swaping cartridges, the only difference I see is that instead of putting it into a dock you connect a cable and takes around the same time, seeing how fast I connect and disconnect my phone every day.

The stand could cost Nintendo five cents if it's like the Wii U stand or just using the console kickstand (if it wasn't rubbish). It will be interesting to see what Nintendo does next time.

About guarantees, I don't know how it works in US, do you live there? I find the EU law very useful in this regard. Many of my devices died just before two years and I always got a repair or replacement. Of course if I break something I don't even bother but I rarely do.

@MattFox I understand. About the Switch pro controller I don't have one, I have heard that the D-pad is imprecise and hard to press. The Wii U pro controller if you'd like to use that one I do have, it's light (too light actually) and comfortable, the D-pad is easy to press but also a bit imprecise in my experience. The sticks are fine but also a bit loose, like super easy to move so you don't have full control over them but still better than the joycon sticks.

More about the Switch pro controller and the Wii U pro controller here on Nintendo Life, it's quite interesting:

https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/nintendo-switch/is_the_pro_controller_d-pad_terrible

After reading this I decided to give my Switch a good look over and I did see a couple cracks. Not as dramatic as some of the others but definitely there. I doubt I will be the only one who waits until the holy Cloud Saves arrive with Nintendo Switch Online to make a call to Nintendo.

I thought after the first reveal the dock was horribly designed. Now over a year after launch I can safely say I was right. I really love my switch but I play probably 75% docked and it gets very hot. The only reason the dock covers the screen is so Nintendo could distance themselves from the Wii U.

@BlueOcean

Went right over I see. Well my fault for being a tad obscure My riffing was more on the Sony(pony) fans penchant to find fault(not a pun) in Nintendo and this such news is fuel to their fire. In no way I was mocking switch owners or making wisecracks(pun) on their fractured situation.

Two of my grill bars have hairline cracks and my right speaker doesn't work. Despite having the system since launch, I do still have a warranty with Best Buy, but until we get cloud saves I am hesitant to send it in for repair.

Nope. I play my Nintendo Switch weekly or daily in handheld and no cracks. I got my Switch maybe a month after the system launch. (I carry it sometimes outside in my case.)

How weird. Mine is a day 1 model, I constantly toss it around or stuff it straight in my pocket or bag, the ONLY issue I've had so far is the lock for the left joycon is getting a little worn down XD

Nope. Day 1 switch about 75% docked. Even after spending an absurd amount of hours playing ys on my vacation the system hasn't gotten hot any day either.

My left Joy-Con's lights no longer turn on when it's connected, and the SR button doesn't work.

I did tweet a video showing the lights off but clearly connected to the console and working, and @'ed you guys into the replies to find out if it's a common fault...but you never got back to me.

Switch casing no cracks, but one joycon has a crack near the top screw hole.

Just checked and my Switch is fine.

@Hamguar The complaints here look genuine. There are some design faults that will probably be fixed in the next revision and at that point Nintendo will admit the flaws as usually. It doesn't matter what "ponys" say, if it's a design flaw only Nintendo is to blame for that. It took them some revisions to get both DS a and 3DS right. And yes, I love 3DS, even the first model.

The Switch has broken all records: Bluetooth connectivity, warped console, lines on screen, cracks on case, the doomed joycon on the wrong rail..

@imananjidesuka Nice picture. Hi there, I'm TT!

Had my Switch since about a month after launch. Other than a some slight scuffing, I don't see any cracks. I pretty much take care of it, including dusting and maintenance. I take my blower for my camera and use that for the Switch's vent and intakes.

This could be a case of which lots of units were made where. (Batch or serial numbers?) I remember they were trying to get them out as fast as they could make them during the sellout craze. Wouldn't surprise me if some units slipped through the QA cracks in the process. (No pun intended.)

@hylian-pudding same here, I honestly don't get how can someone destroy their Switch like this.

@BlueOcean depending on the circuit design it certainly isn't charging the battery to play docked if it's already 100%, it should pull right from the mains, or shunt additional power through charging if necessary (the power spec can both charge and power the system simultaneously.)

I'm also not sure there's at lot of issues specifically to heat. We can't tell what the commonality is if thele fractures. The vent ribs are a stress point under pressure.... Plus the warmest part. The power button isn't near the heat. Is it heat related, frame support related under physical load, it a plastic molding defect in manufacture? We don't know so far. They would have to have a mandatory stands with a dock to ensure verticality. Can't give a cable and hope the user does it right and when they don't and it overheats done warranty claims. I see why this is the only viable solution. And i still don't get the overall dislike of the stand. It works well, docks smoothly without problem, doesn't get in the way, it works great. The various 3ds stands otoh were terrible.... But none are close to as disastrously destructive as the ps Vita stand that toppled if tables at the slightest bump if the cord, taking the Vita with it. Switch dock is lovely.... If there's overheating issues, that's another matter if course. But not dock related. But i meant the two console approach would involve cart swapping.

Cable docking kind of sucks. I bought wireless charger docks for my phone ages ago. I'm never going back to cables by choice

Here in the us warrantees are entirely up to the company. 30 days is common. 90 days for electronics. 1 year if they're lucky. "Limited warranty"... Means they define what the warranty includes and can deny any claim on any whim. They can be as unresponsive as they wish, and don't have to return your goods at all and if course you pay shipping and least one way. It ends up being an honor system if if it's a company that wants to have service or wants to be cheap. In the past most were the former. These days most are the later. Human decency continues to evaporate in favor of the data and metrics of spreadsheets, reducing all things to a number.

Sucks for those peeps... If it wasn't actually their fault🤔 The only thing I've replaced was the joy-cons. It's like new all over again.

@hylian-pudding precisely!

No mines 100% other than a scratchish on the back. It's shinier than the rest of it. I mostly use it doxked anymore.

@BlueOcean,

Are you sure about the Wii u? Because my Wii u also has instances of becoming hot and loud. The real point is the Switch getting hot...and cracking! You can't tell me that's very innocent when your device starts breaking apart!

@Henmii I know, I think you misunderstood. As I said, the Switch breaking apart must be a design flaw like the warped body, the Bluetooth disconnection and the fact that you might break a joycon if you put in on the wrong side of the console. So yes, you are right about that. It seems like the case is low-quality and ventilation is poor.

I just played a bit on Wii U. Funnily you can play Nintendo's latest games on it LOL (Tropical Freeze, Captain Toad...) and yes the fan is a bit loud but nothing compared to a PS4/Pro. My Wii U hasn't had any issue since 2012, so at least mine seems robust this far.

I play my Switch almost exclusively in handheld mode. I play on average for 1hr at a time. I treat my Switch with care and have never dropped it. I have exactly the same cracks next to the power button and along the heater vents. Even if I was “rough” with it during some extended gaming sessions, any damage is unacceptable, especially from Nintendo. As a kid, I used to abuse my NES and SNES and they still work today. Given that everyone reporting an issue has had their housing crack in the same way, this is definitely a manufacturing flaw. I don’t know why it is only affecting 20% of the population.

@Ludovsky If the console can create a crack while its on dock its sure it don't stop so much of charging. Like each time the Switch come to 99% of battery the dock make it charge to access 100%. As saying before its an hybrid console not a home only console. We're not suppose to let it all the time on the dock and to never turn it off. Same thing for a cellphone.

@0muros I know where you're going on this. This said I wonder how much the dock even can overcharge at all. Lots of modern tech in fact have even begun to allow batteries to discharges even when plugged-in to prevent the battery from overheating(this is the case of my Surface Pro, for example).
Though I'm also saw a lot of people reporting cracks while playing handheld most of the time also, sometimes mentioning some of the more demanding/larger games like L.A. Noire.

So for all I know it might as much be people accidently blocking the backvents(something the dock does have slits for right next to, allowing to cool even when docked. Judging at box in which the AC adapter) when holding it in handheld.

Or perhaps somehow pulling too strongly against the joycons when holding it(they are detachable and thus not directly part of the console, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone holding it too strongly could cause pressures against the hinges the joycons are slid into... and many people do report cracks close to the joycon area). I'm certainly noticing that when I hold my Switch in certain ways in handheld mode, it feels like the joycons causes pressures against the hinges they're slid into unlike my 3DS where the buttons are directly set within the console itself.

So for all we know it might as well be cases of playing demanding games(I did see L.A. Noire mentioned here earlier) in handheld mode causing the Switch to heat up from performance strain and simply gripping the joycons too strongly that it put further strains against the hinges they slid into causing the cracks from the mix of physical and heating strain.

Or of course it could -also- be dock related/etc and simply a combination of factors that are easily overlooked and affect mostly people who had production bad luck(like the RROD issue back in the Xbox 360 earlydays for one of the most dire examples)… which makes me wonder if it could be specifically tied to the just-after-release period where Nintendo had to turn on a dime and double production in a rush due to the higher demand than expected; i.e. thus seeing the companies in charge of manufacturing cutting corners to meet demand until things stabilized and productions issues of later consoles were fixed.

I'm noticing for example that my own sister got a Switch back during day one back in March 2017, with the very first batch that was produced by Nintendo's initial sales expectations for the console, and has yet to see any issues, but the Switch I got for myself just one month later in April 2017 has actually seen issues with both of it's joycons at different periods of times already(my left blue joycon last year, which was fixed and repaired for free, and more recently my red joycon which I have yet to contact Nintendo about since I'd only recently noticed it as I'd begun to move to using the Gamepad Pro instead).

But then I purchased mine in April, after said day one and thus got mine in the exact period of time when production was being rushed from the unexpected post-day-one demand. Which makes me wonder if most of the "flawed" batches are not the day one purchases but rather stuff like the "day 10/month 2" stuff when stores kept running out of consoles despite increasing production.

Granted that's just speculation and doesn't excuse the situation, though if that's the case it might be true that Nintendo was indeed taken back by the popularity of their own console and was forced to improvise in a rush to meet demand(which would run against the theories that they had purposely kept stocks low to create artificial scarcity rather than precaution borne from the WiiU era debacles, since in truth nobody knew it would be a success with even strong partners like the Pokémon Company thinking the console was doomed to commercial failure at the time)

@NEStalgia I'd be curious to know the time period many of the faulty Switches were purchased.

My sister got a literal day one Switch purchase and has yet to see any of the issues commonly reported. But then again, she most likely was part of the batch that was produced as part of the initial shipments Nintendo had "planned" for.

Meanwhile, while my Switch has yet to see any of the cracks issues... I purchased mine back in April 2017 just one month after she did. But April 2017 was very much when Nintendo had been utterly taken back by the high demand for the console and stores thus kept running out of consoles despite Nintendo increasing production.

As it turns out, unlike my sister's day-one March 2017 purchases, both of the joycons of my console have seen issues throughout the year I've owned it.
(first my blue joycon, back in December, which was fixed/repaired and shipped back to me for free by Nintendo. But now my red joycon being a more recent issue which I might have to more directly replace since I fear it might be past the warranty after a year. This said I already got a gamepad pro for the superior ergonomy and already recycled my Smash Bros Wiiu-era gamecube controllers adapters for the like of Mario Kart local multiplayer so it hasn't been a huge hurry for me).

It makes me wonder if thus most of the issues might not stem from the day one batch of consoles, but in truth more from the "day two" of Nintendo being forced to suddenly increased production on a very short notice to meet unexpected demand. Which still sucks, but might indeed prove that the shortage of Switch consoles were not the result of artificial scarcity but indeed Nintendo themselves being taken back by the popularity of their own consoles(especially perhaps due to over-carefulness after the poor performances of the WiiU in the prior generation).

@Incarta I can see some of that. One thing I have to say... for how battered my 3DS is for example, I'm still surprised by how well it still run.

Like, it's been a frequent occurrence of me dropping my 3DS... seeing the screencase has come unclipped.... yet the image feed is unaffected and I just pop in the case back in like there was no problem(though I need to make certain the 3D slider is properly situated when popping back the thing together, to make sure I can properly control the 3D depth feature).

Granted, I'm also much more careful with my Switch since the nature of the joycons themselves actually being only slid into the console does always make me worry about damages to these hinges should I drop it or even grip them too strongly against those hinges(I'm noticing a lot of people report cracks actually parallel to the joycons area and I wonder if the way people grip the joycons in handheld mode might indeed put strain again the Switch tablet's casing... especially since there's definitely a decent amount of players reporting cracks "despite" playing mostly in handheld rather than docked mode).

The way the joysticks also sticks out of the joycon do also sometimes make me worried about falls more than my 3DS since I'm pretty much certain it must be a fall of my right red joycon that recently "damage" a contact I suspect is behind why my right joystick sometimes "sticks" when I'm playing some games.

Thankfully I already own a gamepad pro and most of the games I might play in handheld will be stuff like Octopath Traveller hich make no use of it.

Nonetheless I'm just wondering if I'll contact Nintendo for repairs(they fixed a similar issue with my left joycon back in December for free and even covered the shipping, but with being July now I may well be past my 1 year warranty) or just shrug and buy a new right joycon altogether since I've been able to save up a decent amount of money already and could still try to get the original repaired later if I see it can still prove somewhat affordable.

In the later scenario, I'd thus have the extra joycon and could easily later buy another grip and left joycon for multiplayer games(which would have the benefit of pre-emptively providing me with backups should anything happen to the existing sets).

Nintendo get worse and worse!

Faulty Joy-Con on my Switch, back of unit getting scratched in dock because of ill conceived design! (thankfully I have a screen protector on which saved me a nasty scratch)

3DS design fault with closing it shut and marking screen.

My 3rd new 3DS which I treated like the Holy Grail with case and screen protector developed a manufacturing issue fault with system overheating in first 3 months. Nintendo 'repaired' it... Came back scratched up with a inner blemish on bottom screen that they are trying to deny responsibility for. This is modern Nintendo standards!

@Ludovsky that's a really good point. Usually I assume day one is the worst time to buy (ps4 and x1x day one had comparatively high failure rates, though my day 1ps4 was fine) but the rush to restock does make sense here, especially with molding or cooling issues on the plastic. My two are real day one and fine (preordered the morning after the Jan reveal.). But i have one spare in storage from that that April restock I'd bought as a gift that never happened. I wonder if that one is more likely to have issues.

@NEStalgia It's a bit what I'm wondering about, to be honest.

The 3ds family of systems never did that. Neither did the DS. Huh. And everyone wants the Switch to be their honored golden system. Sorry, I've been in this business since the 70s. The Switch is junk. That is all.

I am tired of hearing these “I’m careful with mine you must be careless” arguments. I have had a launch switch which is 95% docked. I have it well ventilated, kids are not allowed to play it in handheld. I have been a careful gamer since 1987 and I take pride in my collection. Yet I have a crack like so many others right by the power button. This is a quality/manufacturing defect and not me being careless. Nintendo needs to look into their QC department. In the past they have been known to have some tough hardware(thrown NES controllers for example). Surely I can’t be the only careful gamer who feels this way.

Seems like a QC issue that may affect a minority of units, based on the polling above. I will say that I've played my Switch nearly every day since I got it at launch, and it still looks like new. No cracks or blemishes of any kind. Same for my 10yo son's Switch. I play mine mostly in handheld mode, and he plays his mostly docked. They've been on multiple trips with us too.

@NEStalgia i want too know what reggie will say in countries that its 2 year warrenty is madentory as our gamestop etc here are going be mighty pissed if they have all the switches returned before two years are up.

@BlueOcean same in switzerland and here gamestop etc have too tell you when you purchess it that its a two year warrenty

@Anguspuss you can return things? Wow here you have 30 days to return things, only if in working, like new condition. Some stores extend it to 90 days near Christmas. And for software and such it must be sealed, unopened. Once opened, it's yours.

@Anguspuss Why would Reggie be addressing it for NoE?

@NEStalgia Yeah, I know ours have a 12-month manufacturer's warranty here in the US, but most places only give you a 30-45 day window for retail returns (sometimes a bit longer around the holidays). That is, unless you purchase an extended warranty somewhere like BB or GS.

My Switch is mostly docked and noticed a few weeks back there's a crack next to the top air vent. Never been dropped, so it's odd. Will contact customer support once Switch Online goes live since I have 2 years warranty on it.

I bought a tempered glass screen protector on day 1, so no scratches ever so far, no cracks either, but mine is indeed ever so slightly warped from prolonged gaming sessions inside the dock, or at least I supposed that's what it is. It is not warped like straight along the width of the system either, it's more a diagonal warping from the top left to bottom right corner. You really have to look for it to notice it, but it's there.

It doesn't bother me too much so far, so long as the system still works just fine and slides inside the dock without any issues. I'm not returning it on that basis alone.

Another issue, though it's not really one, that I have with it is the back of the unit has lost much of its texture due to moist hands, where my fingers come to rest when I hold it in handheld mode, but I expect I can't be the only one with that problem and it's something that will always affect non-glossy plastics (and I don't ever want to see a glossy Switch, since that would be too prone to finger prints and scratches and that would annoy me far more)

@BlueOcean Nope, the two year warranty guaranteed by EU law is on the retailer side, not the manufacturer. It's the place you bought it from that has a legal obligation to offer a free repair, free replacement or, failing to provide either of those services, full refund should your purchase prove faulty. So it is not Nintendo that you have to contact, but the shop or person you bought your system from, cause the legal obligation falls on them, not Nintendo past the manufacturer's warranty and even then, you should still contact the seller first and I'm pretty sure if you contacted Nintendo, they would redirect you to the seller anyway (depending maybe on what country you're in and whether the Nintendo of your own country carry repairs themselves or not, which in smaller EU countries may not be the case). In larger countries where Nintendo has a powerful presence, like Germany or the UK, Nintendo may offer you to send your system to them at no charge within the 1-year manufacturer warranty that comes with the system, without passing through the seller at all, but I have not heard any reports of them doing so, so the seller still carries the responsibility of sending it to Nintendo for you anyway if you ask them directly.

The seller itself, to avoid any money loss, may choose to return it themselves to the manufacturer while it is still under "manufacturer warranty", that's their choice, but if it's past manufacturer warranty and it is still within two years of purchase, the SELLER has the legal obligation to offer you repair, replacement or refund.

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm

EDIT: I should note that if you purchased your unit through Nintendo themselves directly, then they carry on the role of the "trader" or "seller" in that case, so they have to give you two year warranty within the EU, without the need to purchase an extended warranty of any kind. I know the Nintendo UK store tends to advertise it as a free addition to your purchase if you buy your console through them but really, it's the law so they're not offering you anything additional out of the goodness of their heart, they do so because they have to.

@RudyC3 The manufacturer is the one you contact in EU and UK. If you contact the shop they will contact the manufacturer unless you are returning a new item.

My switch has no cracks, it is a Mario Odyssey edition.

@ludovsky to corroborate your point, I purchased my Switch in April of 2017 - the 2nd batch, so to speak. I have cracks near the heat vents and the power button. Playing Celeste and Doom in handheld, definitlely caused me to grip the system very tightly.
Nintendo community, don’t pull this Steve Jobs [removed] - You are holding the phone wrong, which explains poor reception and dropped calls. This is how the system was designed to be played and it is not holding up to its intended use. Simply put, this is a quality problem and Nintendo should fix it.
I’m pissed.

OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD

@BlueOcean,

To be honest my Wii u was quite a troublesome console. Quite a lot of crashing. I couldn't play Sonic Lost world on it, crashing all the time. Maybe I just had very bad luck with the console.

@Henmii Probably. Now that you mention it Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed used to crash mine. I think that is why Sega patched the game. I don't have Lost World but I don't remember this issue with other games.

Are you looking forward to playing Team Sonic Racing? I am!

Plastic (like the Switch screen) gets scratches much more easily than crystal. Crystal breaks more easily than plastic so manufacturers use tempered crystal glass for mobile devices or other types of protection like especial layers on the outside. Same for avoiding fingerprints and reflections. Plastics is not as good for image quality and gets scratches so easily. Crystal is better.

@BlueOcean,

I have that game too, and I only played that game a few times. I should play it again someday, since its a fun game. But mine also crashed a few times.

The new Sonic racer looks a lot more simple (no transformations) but still good. I might get it someday, maybe.

@waldo13 If I can be curious, when did you exactly get your Switch? Was it a recent purchase, a "Day one"(as in, March 2017 day one release) or the months that followed the release?

My sister has bought her purchases on Day One, which was during the very first initial shipment of Switch consoles Nintendo had initially planned for before being surprised by the demand. She's actually never had a single issue with hers.

Mine however was purchased just the month after in April 2017 and while more than a year later I can't really say I noticed anything bad with the tablet(and I play docked most of the time and rarely play the demanding titles in handheld mode due to their higher demand on the battery reserves)…. both of my joycons have had issues over that year of ownership(the left joycon back in December, which I got repaired and shipped back to me for free and the right joycon more recently).

Which makes me wonder if indeed some of the quality issues might be from batches where Nintendo had to asks it's manufacturers to urn around on a dime and increase production to meet unexpected levels of demand for the console in the very period stores kept running out of Switch to sell.... which was the case when I managed to "luck into" buying one back in April 2017.

It's just an hypothesis and hunch I had, but it might indeed reflect that Nintendo themselves might have been taken by surprise by how much the Switch proved to be in demand after the WiiU's lack of success... and thus resulting manufacturing contractors making mistakes/etc when actually asked to increases production to meet the unexpected demand.

It might also explains why there was little fuss from Nintendo when I reported my initial joycon issues and went to the process to get mine shipped for repairs to the point of even handling the shipping fees themselves(i.e.: if they were already aware production lines might have made mistake during a specific time period).

Hence some of my curiosity regarding what time period you might have acquired your own console to see if this could correspond with my hunch about some of these issues or if instead it seems to be related to other factors.

@Anguspuss If it can help in anyways... when it came to warranty/repairs I never contacted the store I bought the console at. I directly went for Nintendo's support service which allowed me(granted, I was during the roughly 1 year warranty period for here in Canada?) to send them my joycon to get it checked and fixed when it's joystick began to "stick" when playing.

Nintendo did all that without me being charged a single dime, as they even went and handled the shipping fees themselves. They did have me(over a phone conversation with the technician) go into joycon's joystick calibration to test if there indeed was a problem/etc and they suggested something I could try to do first to see if it'd help and to call them later to see if there was still any issues.

This said, when I did call them later because of continued issue there was no fuss about it and we immediately began the process to get it shipped to them and repaired.

Granted I purchased my Switch back in April 2017 and I think we handled this around December or January but I was pleasantly surprised as the time before I had it shipped to me was even shorter than the estimate that they'd provided for me(the estimate was something like two weeks but in practice it proved to be a MUCH shorter wait between the time I shipped it to them and the time it returned to me fixed).

The experience was pleasant enough that even if my right joycon ends up being past the warranty period, I might still go to them for the repairs if I see the price is still fair. Judging by the complete lack of issues on my left one since it returned I feel like it might even be safer than actually purchasing a new joycon from the store.

Granted I'd already purchased a gamepad pro for docked play(due to hearing people praise it's ergonomy and me being prone to tendonitis since I work fulltime making illustrations for others, putting lot of strain on my drawing arm's wrist already... it was more expensive than other controllers but I can indeed confirm the Gamepad Pro -is- as comfortable to use than many people claim) so the wait is something I'm already prepared to handle which might not be the case for people who only have the single pair of joycon their console came with

There is nothing about the Switch that would make its plastic behave differently from any other products. It is literally just ABS like most consumer products. It is cheap and easy to use. The problem here is that the switch design is such that if you aren't careful you will be stressing the frame. Putting joycons off and on will give it torque, if you put it in a bag with the joycons on, it will put uneven stress across the system.

The system had to use this type of material to be cheap enough to be able to make a profit like every portable game console before it. I have a box full of DS systems with busted hinges. Does this mean that the DS was a bad system with insane failure rate? No. Anecdotal evidence means nothing. Stories like this are bunk. The stories on launch day of faulty switches was bunk. Failure rate was on par with any other electronics device.

Would I pay an extra $50-100 for a console with a larger, thicker frame made of a better material to ABS. Yes, I would. However I am not the average person who doesn't think that way. They just look at price, and don't think about deeper things. Why was there a race to the slimmest laptop/notebook? It seemed better and people liked it. But those hyperthin products are flimsy by nature.

Sometimes to convince the masses to buy something you have to make some choices that are actually against their best interests.

Mine has a very small crack. I noticed this back in january and still nothing happened. I'm just glad it doesn't break into pieces.

@0muros I struggle to identify the switch as "primarily" a handheld console, I believe hardware wise you may be correct in some sense. But as far as practicality and the intention of Nintendo and its branding, I'd say not so much. The battery life feels a bit uncomfortable handheld wise, also I'd say that since the stand on the back exists it shows the impracticality of holding the Switch for as long as a full charge lasts weight and comfort considered. I'd say the switch is "primarily" nothing, because every feature feels practical and yet impractical for one reason or another, making each play mode: dock, stand, hand. Equally reliant on each other.

it only cracked when I found out Shenmue wasn't coming and I tossed the unit 15 ft across the room....

I've only gotten my Switch within the past six months but the amount of heat it generates while docked convinced me to buy a $12 USB-powered PC fan (120mm with an in-line speed control) and just prop that up against the back of the dock to blow the hot air away. Hopefully that prevents any cracking for a while.

#FirstWorldProblems

Got my switch at launch and mostly use docked only, never dropped or had anything fall on it and upon inspection there is a crack by the top vent which doesnt hinder anything but it annoys me now I know that it's there!

Well, that response is useless and crap. I've got the warping on one of my Switches. The second cracks start appearing, I'm done and will find other places to spend my gaming $$$

@Tsusasi Well at least you never bought 3 Xbox 360's during the RRoD days, this is nothing compared to that.

Mine has no cracks, but I play it about 30% in docked and 70% in handheld.

I added up all the gameplay hours on my Switch Profile and it came to 600. I've had my Switch 7 months so.....that math comes to roughly 85 hours of use a month with an average daily usage of 2.8 hours. No cracks whatsoever. However, the majority of my gameplay is in handheld mode. I would be highly upset if my Switch cracked. >:[

I sent my switch with a crack to nintendo a few days ago. They told me it would cost £150 to repair, and despite me phoning up and saying it was a common problem and not my fault, they refused to budge on the price, so I asked them to send it back. I honestly cannot believe it.

The dock has always been at fault. I got my switch on launch day and the dock was noticeably bent. After a few weeks of use, I noticed the console was beginning to bend. I contacted Nintendo after coming to the conclusion that warped docks bend the console because of the heat generated. Nintendo let me keep my switch and had me send them my dock to replace with a new one. Since then My switch hasn't bent at all. The weird thing I noticed before replacing the dock wasn't that the switch would bend back to normal after undocking it and cooling down. If your dock isn't perfect I would replace it immediately because I guarantee that your console will end up cracking.

@Lumine did you pay the money?

There was no way i was going to.

Mine has a small crack near the top right screw, under the power button. Kept docked and treated well.

@electrolite77 the man at nintendo I've spoken to said that a fair few people have mentioned this. But I honestly think something like a petition needs to be created to really let them knwo how many people have this issue.

@electrolite77 Pretty much. How many people are going to contact them over a crack that's so small they probably didn't even notice it? And if they did notice it, either they assumed they caused it themselves or it wasn't worth the hassle?

I play with our Switch only docked, and I seriously doubt my 2 teenage boys would notice any minor damage. And if they did notice they certainly wouldn't tell me, afraid that I would yell at them for causing it. 😉

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo Q&A new about this in advance and decided either - people wouldn't notice, it would take so long it would be out of warranty, if people did notice minor cracks they wouldn't bother to report it.

My Switch is perfectly fine. However thats also because I play in handheld carefully and always put in back into its case when finished playing. Not throwing it around the room, posting on Twitter hoping Nintendo UK will notice to give this site more over needed credit.

May as well not as Twitter as the source of every news article now.

@Miles_Edgeworth

I bought a replacement shell from these guys to have as a spare, decent quality for the price.
https://www.replacebase.co.uk/nintendo-switch-parts/
£6.90 + postage for the replacement shell and another few quid if you need the screwdrivers.
Site seems to be down at the moment though..

@NiaBladerunner

Unlike some of us, you are one of the lucky ones..
You don't need Twitter to be the source, when this topic has been mentioned on other sites/forums way before Damien brought the topic up on Nintendolife.

Just all the same people that came out complaining about the screen scratching and bending. People who probably just broke the system themselves and forgot and are now trying to blame Nintendo. Move on

I Have had my console for over a year , dropped it once , replaced the back housing , then put the original on , with all that I have a chip in the top corner , and a crack going from the top back right screw down the back , could of been caused by over tightening the screw , either way does not effect the play of the console , I take a few cracks due too the 1000s of hours played ,( 90% handheld). All my beloved consoles have taken a beating over the years , especially the hanhelds, nothing stays new forever . Switch has been a game changer for sure . Love it , cracks and all ....

Haven't seen any cracks yet, but if it's a small crack wouldn't bother me too much, i'd guess it's being caused by the heat issues though.

I've had my Switch from day one and it is OK. It has never left the house and to be fair it only leaves the dock when I play it in another room.

And to be even more fair, if that's possible, it has never been over worked, what with the shortage of good games.

I would say that a good percentage of the 20% with damage is self inflicted. 🤔

@Jokerwolf I only had one RRoD, but I caught the retailer in a act of fraud; the system was actually used and had been returned. They packed it up and sold it as new, knowing it had issues. Needless to say, I got a new one... along with an extra controller, a game, a card for a year of XBOX Live and a written agreement that they would take back the new system if it RRoD'd at any time. They wanted to avoid trouble.

Now we know who the rage quiters are,lol!

@Fabicom So put a protective case and screen shield on it for about $20. Problem solved!

Some of the cracks might be from the heat , when docked possibly.
As for the rest i bet it's just abuse

I’ve mentioned that Nintendo sent me back a warped switch for my original un-warped switch which went in for repair. So there’s how much they care about that issue! But it works so whatever. I’m sure I’ll get a new updated model down the road anyway because that’s the song and dance

Nothing has happened to my Switch so far. I play the thing about an a hour every weekday and 3 hours per day during weekend.

I treat my Switch pretty well. Have yet to drop it or toss it around in a rough manner.

I don't have that but I do get what seems to be my screen peeling off on the top right side every so often. You can see where its coming away from the unit. I keep having to press it down and rub a little (the way you would with a plaster) for it to go back down only for it to pop back up a little while later.

I'm monitoring this and if it gets worse I'll be contacting them

Not sure if mentioned, there's a fair few comments to trawl through, but it would be interesting to see if all those affected keep their switch in a case or not. Mine, fingers crossed, looks ok but I don't keep mine in a case as I still have my 3ds and its extensive library for out and about 😁

I noticed my switch has cracks on it i think its from the heat of playing it alot while its docked but the damag is only on the cooling fan part of my switch i did not notice because i never paid too much attention until i saw a video about cracks thankfully the crack on mine isnt big and ugly cus if it was i would buy a new switch

Did they run outta Nintendium over there? I don't wanna buy a $300+ machine so it can break.

Sorry but these cracks cannot be made just by themself. Those cracks next to the joycon slots are done by twisting them( probably in anger) and that cracks on cooling grill by huge overheating

I just remembered last night to check on this, and I've no cracks or deformities. I grabbed mine in February'18 and play it about 2 hrs/wkdy, 12hrs on wknd

Based on buying the thing December. I have no cracks.

@electrolite77 "Switch on a Credit card should try claiming off their CC firm."

I buy everything on CC, hard to pay Amazon cash, and I've gone that route on more than 1 occasion when things go bad. But probably 85% of these cases will fall under "normal wear and tear" or some such. The favorite 4 words of every car warranty company everywhere.

Late to the party on this one but my is fine. I even have a glass screen protector on my mine. I've put over 200 hrs on BoTW and close to 500 hrs on XenoBlade. I have over 70 games on my SD so I guess you can say I get in a lot of gaming whether it is portable and docked. I believe I have more docked hours than portable. So all I can do is laugh because it will never happen to me.

ive had mine for almost a year and it been fine and im sure it will be fine unless i accidentally damage it or the break stuff fairy breaks it ,she likes to break stuff and make ppl believe it broke alone...ive also notice how everyone that said that their switch is cracked also said that they take good care of their switch...

really ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJP6gERPmMk , why a nintendo page make a fake news,
what do you win?

No cracks on my switch!

It reminds me of the DS Lite. At least it's not as serious as cracking hinges.

@GreenMario I very rarely use the thing in handheld mode personally. In fact I rarely even take it out of the dock in the first place and I still have a crack next to the joy con. And believe me, I treat the thing like it's holy. I'm super careful with it.

I wish I'd never seen this article. I've gone all OCD on my switch, checking for cracks every time I play it. Mine is covered through Argos as I pay £2 something a month and they'll replace it no matter what but I need cloud saves before I use that. I'm keeping my fingers crossed nothing appears before September.

@daveh30,

Without a doubt...consoles will not simply chip and crack while just being left in the dock...even if used or left in the dock for long periods of time.

The Switch has handheld capability and thus is prone to more damage than a traditional console,and when people claim they treat a console well it can mean a number of things...for me I don't even want as much as a fingerprint on my console, whereas some people will claim they treat their console with kid gloves and have never dropped it...but somehow I just don't believe them.

@Yosher,

I believe you fella....honest.

Well maybe people don't believe it but the problem is these are cracks that seem to happen pretty much on the same places. I always play in handheld in my bed at home. Had it in dock maybe twice for an hour or two in the last year. Still the grill is cracked and the left side close to the joycon the plastic is cracked and will probably sooner or later fall off. Even if the console isn't treated with kid gloves on it should be more durable. I'm not talking dropping it on the floor, but come on this is pathetic. Besides we have to report it, if nothing else maybe they'll do better with next batches of consoles, while if we do not they can just continue with this bullcrap. I am extremely disappointed but what can I do.

@Nestyx
Don't be so annoying please...

Further to the point made by @daveh30, there's a big problem with assuming there's any issue at all by having a dozen or so isolated cases for a product that's been sold around 20 million times. If you were to post a picture of a crack on the complete opposite side of the machine and ask if "anyone has had the same problem" I'm sure you could get around the same number of positive replies. If you asked whether anyone has had issues with the console turning off spontaneously, of the rail guard snapping, of the headphone jack not working, or of the machine clearly being possessed by underworld spirits I expect you could get a similar number of positive replies. Unless you have a control group this sounds like bunk. Several of the examples shown in this article don't even show cracks in the same place.

My Switch is fine and I always fully power down the system. Maybe you should ask people that as well?

@Knuckles-Fajita I have the exact same situation, and it's been that way for quite some time. That back panel is pulling away from the unit just a bit and there's a thin gap along the top of the system.

In addition, I noticed that I have little nicks on the screen from the dock. I find this a little odd since I've used the console almost exclusively in docked mode. It barely gets touched :/

I don't want to send the unit out for repair or anything, since it's out of warranty, but is there a way to pass this info on to Nintendo? I feel like they use the numbers from people calling for warranty replacements or repairs, and that's probably only a fraction of the people who actually have these things happen.

EDIT: Just to clarify, I'm actually pretty impressed by the Switch hardware. These little things that creep up are nothing compared to the last 2 Playstation consoles I've owned, both of which failed catastrophically. And my 360... Well, that red ring wasn't stellar, was it? But you know what works fine? My SNES. Sure that plastic turned a little green, but it fires up the first time, every time.

Hundreds of hours on my Switch (roughly 7 or less hours in docked mode) but looks to be in great condition still.

My day one Switch is still as good as new. Pretty much 100% docked play with play sessions exceeding an easy 6-8 hours minimum esp Xeno

I even have a two year prodding the screen and has managed to fling joy cons just about everywhere!

Not a single scratch anywhere let alone a crack.

July 2017 my Switch got a crack near the powerbutton. I got my Switch at the launch. Nintendo fixed the problem very fast for me with a new backplate👍🏼!

There might be some kind of QC issue in a certain batch, but I also have to wonder if some people are just gripping the thing harder or with some unintentional torque. I just know my son and I have both played with our systems nearly daily since launch (his mostly docked and mine mostly handheld), and we haven't had any issues. We have traveled with them, and the kiddo (though generally quite careful with his electronics) has even dropped his a couple of times. Still no cracks or imperfections of any kind. We haven't done anything special to protect them, other than putting on screen protectors. And of course when we take them out and about, we use travel cases.

My day one switch has a crack. I play 95% docked. In fact I think the very first time I took it out of the dock i noticed the crack. Unfortunately I had about 150 hours in zelda so I just gave up sending it in for repair despite being under warranty because i didn't want to lose my save. But sure believe what you want. I treated my switch like a baby, yet it cracked.

My launch-day console is fine. I haven't played with it all the time, though I think I recall dropping it once or twice.

I wonder if this is like that one time someone bricked their Wii during a system update but made a big enough fuss about it so that all the news outlets (including this one) reported it as bricking consoles "Left, right, and centre" (actual quote from this site).

Seems like a lot more independent verification this time though, so maybe it's a legitimate concern.

My Switch has been handled like it was made of glass, always perfectly careful and safe. Still, one of the top screws are missing and it gets a bit of static when it’s connected to the charger. It also gets pretty warm when I use it. I also have a small crack in the upper corner, I have no idea how this could have happened.
I’m seeing a lot of similarities with my Switch and the photos posted above.

Mine, start to develop a crack on the power button, in the first 6 months. it then strech to the entire back case top to bottom. Nintendo repaired mine for free, only asking if i ever drop it.

"heat causes things to expand"

Yes NintendoLife, heat causes things to expand.
Now who's talking mumbo jumbo?

Fortunately not an issue for me (yet anyway), with a launch day unit with regular use. Still I'll continue to be careful with it.

@Damo my switch also has a crack on the top right corner where the screw is!! #SAVE MY SWITCH

I just got mine on June 16th, I was worried if it would crack from overheating ;-;

@Wckdlink What kind of kit did you get? I'm also super picky about keeping all my gadgets clean - but still love using them.

@maclifer I goy a kit online there is multi kits. Mine was a 13 piece set. Got it on ebay. Here a teardown video for the switch just make sure you get a kit with screwdrivers that are right size. This video help me order what you need.
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nintendo+Switch+Teardown/78263

Thanks so much for your quick reply. I've got to admit to being a bit nervous opening it up since it's been several year's when I last did with a laptop..but it sure looks like fun. 👍👍

A small crack is appearing just next to the power button, on the rear part of the casing. Console has been played exclusively in portable mode so cant be related to docked-heat issues, and has always been kept in a hori case/well looked after.
Nintendo need to address this and repair the manufacturing/design fault for all consoles, both in and out of warranty.

My switch have cracks on vents and slight bend to it. I primarily use it as a home console so it is sitting in a dock most of the time. Never dropped it, proper screen protector installed and use official case when traveling.I would have reported it already but I’m waiting for switch online service in order to transfer game saves to the cloud as don’t want to lose any game progress data.

Interesting story I'll have to also check mine but have to do closer inspections to see those areas. I'll report back if notice them as well. But from some of those it seems like those were drops more then hardware caused cracks. I've had mine Docked and Portable but I also use a GripCase when Portable to protect in case of drops and I do have a Temper Glass on it as well.

Ok, went back home and checked and mine has no indications as other mentioned or the massive cracks. I will say this some of those look very suspicious as player abuse aka Dropped NSW and not from hardware defects. That is my take so far from what I read. Problem here is all those reports there is no 3rd party to verify the cause and that is the biggest untold part on this Article being told here. So where is the 3rd independent party to verify these claims?

I don’t understand how any of you have “cracks” on your Switch??!?
I bought my Nintendo Switch when it first came out, and I don’t have any issues or cracks at all!!!

@0muros yeah I only play it at home and since my bed is right next to my tv I would rather play it as a home console. I do use it in handheld occasionally. It's NOT a charger base, its the DOCK. So you can use it the way it was intended. As a hybrid.

I would like to revise my vote, my Switch too has recently developed a crack by the exhaust vent.

@Jordino my man, i treat my switch the same way, but you may be wondering why i use a lite now. wait until you see the cracks on my switch. dude the back is cracked everywhere, and it wont dock anymore. honestly swear to god i didnt even do anything, and its just like that now. it do be like that sometimes.

Cost me $175. To repair!!