Nintendo Warns Switch Users of Console-Breaking Mistake to Avoid

By Tyler Fischer

There are many ways to break modern gaming consoles, and the Nintendo Switch is no exception. Compared to legacy consoles, modern gaming machines have far more moving parts, which means far more ways to break. If you use your Nintendo Switch in dock mode, you have less chance of running into a hardware break compared to using it primarily in handheld mode. That said, now Nintendo has warned Switch users of a potential issue that impacts you no matter how you use your console, with one exception. That exception is if you only play games digitally. If you fall into this category, you don't have to worry about the warning below. If you do buy Nintendo Switch games physically though, you will want to be careful using the game card slot. 

Using the official Nintendo Japan customer service Twitter account, Nintendo recently relayed word to Switch owners that there is a terminal in the card game slot that reads the game card. The problem with this is if you use anything to clean this slot, such as a cotton swab, it may end up getting caught and potentially damage the terminal. Meanwhile, the same applies when using a broken game card. As a result, Nintendo broadly warns Switch users not to touch the inside of the game card slot. 

"In the game card slot, there is a terminal to read the game card," reads the post. "If you clean this with a cotton swab or insert a game card with a broken terminal, it may get caught in the terminal and break. Please do not touch the inside of the game card slot."

It's unclear how common this issue is, but Nintendo customer support has apparently fielded enough issues because of it that it felt the need to publish a public service announcement about it, though only through the Japanese customer support channel. If the problem was mega prevalent, then the announcement would have surely been more widespread. Whatever the case, if you didn't know to avoid touching the inside of the card game slot, now you know. 

For more Nintendo coverage -- including the latest news, rumors, leaks, deals, reviews, previews, interviews, and hot-takes as it all pertains to the Nintendo Switch and more -- click here. Meanwhile, and as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think. 

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