The launch of Nintendo Switch 2 was a highly-anticipated day for a lot of people. The arrival of a new video game system is usually cause for excitement, but it seems one GameStop location inadvertently ruined the day for multiple buyers. Posters on Reddit have shared images of Nintendo Switch 2 units that were damaged at a GameStop store located in Staten Island, NY. Apparently, employees at the location were stapling receipts to the Nintendo Switch 2 box, which then punctured the system’s screen inside. At this time, it’s unclear exactly how many systems were damaged as a result.
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Depending on how many systems were damaged, this could end up being a very expensive mistake. We don’t know how the company is going to handle replacements, or just how easy it will be to replace; new video game systems are hard enough to keep in stock at launch, and now multiple units are damaged as a result. Hopefully only a few units actually suffered damages, but depending on the size of the store and how many were sold last night, this could be a lot of Nintendo Switch 2 systems. Images of the damaged systems were shared on Bluesky by Wario64, and can be found in the post embedded below.
Unsurprisingly, a lot of people have shared their sympathies with those that purchased damaged systems. Every person that has ever purchased a video game system has been excited to crack open the box and get into playing as quickly as possible. The people who bought these systems spent hundreds of dollars and went out to a store at midnight, possibly waiting hours in line. To go through all that and then find out that the system was damaged has to be incredibly frustrating. A new game system is basically an investment, and it’s one that not everyone can afford.
While most people are pointing at this specific GameStop location for the damage that was caused, others have assigned Nintendo some of the blame. There’s an argument being made that there should be more protection inside the Nintendo Switch 2 box to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the first place. That’s definitely up for debate, but it will be interesting to see if Nintendo decides to make a running change to these boxes going forward. A little more packaging could have prevented this situation from playing out the way that it did.
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Hopefully this story will end up with a positive ending, with only a few Nintendo Switch 2 units damaged, as opposed to the store’s entire stock. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been an update over on the GameStop subreddit, where this story originated in the first place. At the very least, this should serve as a cautionary tale for other GameStop employees!
Were you able to secure a Nintendo Switch 2? How would you feel if your system had been damaged right out of the box? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
