UPDATE: GameStop has begun changing Change 2 consoles it punctured with staples, impacted prospects have informed IGN.
“GameStop did proper by me,” one fan informed IGN. “They traded it in for a brand new system. They have to of despatched a cargo of Change 2’s to that location at this time to repair the staple downside.”
One other buyer, who additionally bought their Change 2 changed, stated they’d been informed GameStop moved shortly to drag spare inventory from different native shops to be able to present speedy replacements.
In an announcement to IGN yesterday, reported under, the retailer had pledged it might “make prospects entire”. Fortunately, evidently this course of has certainly now begun.
ORIGINAL STORY: Nintendo Switch 2 homeowners are opening consoles with punctured screens resulting from retailer receipts being stapled into the entrance of the console’s field.
Pictures from a string of Change 2 prospects present how staples can simply penetrate via the console’s packaging, which consists of a skinny cardboard field and a flimsy plastic envelope containing the primary Change 2 unit.
“GameStop stapled the receipt for me and my mates’ Change 2s to the field. FML,” wrote one fan final evening after getting dwelling from excitedly selecting up their console at a midnight retailer opening. “Genuinely insane now I am gonna have to attend three months for the restock.”
Many pictures exhibiting the issue embrace receipts from the identical Staten Island department of GameStop, which seems to have stapled receipts to a lot of their midnight launch Change 2 inventory. A video of the midnight launch posted by one attendee exhibits an extended line of shoppers ready at this specific GameStop department — a lot of whom now seem to have been impacted in the identical approach.
“Midnight launch went dangerous for me,” one other affected buyer, whose console display screen has additionally been punctured by staples, wrote on reddit. “It is seeming like everybody there had the identical factor achieved to their packing containers as effectively. Over 100 folks have been there tonight.”
“Hey! My Change 2 has staple holes within the display screen,” a 3rd fan with a broken console wrote on social media in an try to contact GameStop and Nintendo. “They stapled the receipt to the field at 1756 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10303 and it broken the display screen.” GameStop and Nintendo are but to provide the fan a response.
@gamestop stapled the receipt for me and my mates Change 2s to the field.
FML.#nintendo #switch2 #gamestop pic.twitter.com/AXtrgr7y0P
— Oadhan Lynch (@Oadhan) June 5, 2025
@gamestop Helo ! My change 2 has staple holes within the display screen. They stapled the receipt to the field at 1756 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10303 and it broken the display screen. @NintendoAmerica pic.twitter.com/aqxPtRgNEs
— Rudeboy (@Rudeboy__NYC) June 5, 2025
“Me and my homie right here (we by no means met earlier than) have been sadly on the identical GameStop and this occurred to me and one other buddy!” one more fan wrote on reddit. “Assume the whole pre-order batch is totally f***ed.”
IGN has contacted GameStop and Nintendo for remark, and requested if recommendation will be handed on to retailers warning them of the potential problem when dealing with Change 2 inventory.
“We’re investigating the matter and can make prospects entire”, a GameStop spokesperson later confirmed to IGN.
Whereas GameStop has been criticised by these affected, followers have additionally expressed shock that Nintendo itself had not achieved extra to guard the important thing a part of Change 2 — the primary unit, together with its display screen — inside the console’s packaging.
“I am not gonna hate on the staff too exhausting, however it looks as if it was packaged with out thought,” one fan with a broken Change 2 wrote. “Why have the display screen dealing with up with barely any safety. I imply they’re nonetheless idiots for stapling it.”
The Change 2 is packaged with its important unit on the entrance of the console’s cardboard field, and its display screen dealing with outwards. (From unwrapping my very own Change 2 console this morning, I can verify there’s surprisingly little to guard the display screen from injury.)
“I knew this might occur,” one other fan wrote on social media. “It was a bizarre choice by Nintendo to have the display screen sit face-side-up on the very high of the field with solely the skinny cardboard to guard it. You are going to hear about a couple of broken screens within the coming days. They’re in danger simply being stacked in delivery.”
IGN has contacted lots of the followers now left with a Change 2 that has been broken, via no fault of their very own, on the day of the console’s launch. One GameStop buyer informed us they’d be again on the retailer when it opened later at this time to return the console. It appears doubtless they will not be alone.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s Information Editor. You’ll be able to attain Tom at [email protected] or discover him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
