The Nintendo Switch 2 preorder turned out to be quite a rollercoaster for US buyers. First, there was the price shock. The Switch 2 was slightly more expensive than expected. Then came Trump’s tariffs, which forced Nintendo to postpone pre-orders in the US for several weeks.
The Japanese gaming giant ultimately decided not to hike Switch 2 prices and opened pre-orders in the US. Unsurprisingly, the available stock sold out online quickly. As the early June launch approached, some buyers discovered their pre-orders had been quietly canceled because some retailers didn’t have enough stock.
Finally, the release date came. Plenty of gamers lined up in front of their local stores to try to buy a Switch 2 on launch day.
Imagine going through all that trouble and finally securing your Switch 2 in a store, only to find your brand-new console has a broken display right out of the box because store employees stapled your receipt through the front of the box and into the console’s screen.
This unfortunate accident happened to a bunch of buyers who got their Switch 2 consoles from one GameStop store in Staten Island. GameStop confirmed that it’s aware of the issue and will replace all consoles for free.
Fans took to Reddit and X to post photos of their punctured Switch 2 screens. The console still works. The display is damaged, but the staples didn’t render it useless. Still, it’s a frustrating experience to deal with.
Store employees stapling receipts to boxes isn’t new. It happens all the time, and it’s hard to blame them. The bigger issue is the way the Switch 2 is packaged. The screen faces outward and is only protected by a thin piece of cardboard. A staple can easily punch through and puncture the screen.
GameStop confirmed to IGN that it was investigating the matter and that it “will make customers whole” after reports surfaced online.
Later, GameStop took to X to clarify that the Switch 2 staple accidents happened in only one location in New York.
“We’ve addressed a unique case of staples damaging Switch 2 screens, isolated to one store,” GameStop said, adding a touch of humor to the tweet. “Replacements have been offered. Staplers have been confiscated.”
It’s unclear how many displays were punctured, but judging by social media reports, it’s more than just a few.
According to Tom’s Hardware, a now-deleted Reddit post claimed the GameStop store in New York had its entire pre-launch batch of Switch 2 units damaged by staples.
While some buyers might have worried they’d have to wait weeks or months for another batch of Switch 2 units to ship to the US, it looks like GameStop has already started replacing the damaged consoles.
One of the X users who posted images of the damaged Switch 2 screen shared the following update a few hours later:
**UPDATE*** For all those wondering this @gamestop branch actually came in clutch and the branch sourced around NY and NJ to provide replacements to everyone who this happened to. Not an ideal saga but happy they made things right!
It’s unclear at the time of this writing if all the punctured Switch 2 consoles have been replaced, but they will be. If you haven’t opened your Switch 2 from that location or didn’t notice the screen damage, you still have time to get a replacement. Just return it to the GameStop store and they’ll swap it out.
Maybe Nintendo should consider adding extra protection to prevent this kind of accident in the future. Buyers should also ask the store to hand them the receipt instead of stapling it to the box. Another safer option would be stapling it to one of the thinner sides of the Switch 2 box.
