Nintendo Has Warning for Fans About Switch 2’s Screen

Summary

Switch 2 users are warned not to remove protective film from the device's screen.
The material is designed to prevent display fragments from scattering in case of a screen break.
The same protective film was used on the Switch OLED Model, released in 2021.

Nintendo has warned future Switch 2 users not to peel off the protective film covering the console’s display. The advisory—which arrives just ahead of the Switch 2's launch—marks the company's second such warning in recent memory.

Nintendo's next console is scheduled to hit the store shelves this Thursday, June 5. Some people who pre-ordered the Switch 2 have already received their units early, although they won't be able to play games on them until the official launch, when the console will receive a mandatory day-one update enabling its core functionality. Separately, Nintendo has already made the Switch 2 user manual available digitally.

Glowing Nintendo Switch 2 displaying flag of Japan 2x1 composite

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By Dominik Bošnjak

The online version of the console manual has recently been updated with a new warning concerning the device's display. As spotted by Universo Nintendo, the Japanese gaming giant has confirmed that the Switch 2 comes with a protective screen film pre-applied. The material is designed to prevent display fragments from scattering in the event of the Switch 2's LCD panel breaking. Users are thus advised not to remove the protective film under any circumstances. The guideline appears on page 3 of the user manual, listed as the final bullet point under the “Careful Usage” section on the right-hand side.

Switch 2 Inherits Switch OLED Model's Anti-Screen Fragmentation Protection

This marks the second such warning Nintendo has issued in the 2020s. The 2021 Switch OLED Model also includes a protective screen that users are asked not to remove. The wording in the Switch OLED manual (HEG-001 model only) is identical to that used for the Switch 2. Since not every single console user is going to study its manual, Nintendo may opt to repeat this warning via other channels close to the console's launch.

Consumers Have a Tendency to Peel Off Things They're Not Supposed To

Anti-screen fragmentation layers are fairly common in consumer electronics, as are cases of their mishandling. In 2019, Samsung famously delayed the release of its first foldable smartphone—the Galaxy Fold—after numerous reviewers removed its screen protector. The protective film was a critical component of the device, even more so than in the Switch OLED Model, to the point that removing it often rendered the Galaxy Fold unusable. Samsung subsequently redesigned the phone so that the protective layer extended beneath the bezels, discouraging removal, and added clearer warnings about its function to the packaging. Similar instances of protective film mishandling were documented for select Apple Watch models, starting from the 2018 Series 4.

As with the original Switch, Nintendo will offer an official screen protector for its successor. The accessory is currently available for pre-order as part of a bundle with an official Switch 2 carrying case, priced at $39.99.

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