The Nintendo Switch 2 is now here to bring the latest gaming experiences to the world, and there is a newly released teardown video from iFixit that shows the ins and outs of the console. Thanks to this new teardown, the world now has a glimpse of how the Switch 2's internals are arranged, and as discovered by iFixit, the latest-gen console is more complicated to repair than the original one.
iFixit: Nintendo Switch 2 Repair Is More Complicated
According to a new report from iFixit, they have completed a teardown of the latest generation console from Nintendo, the Switch 2, and they have come across important discoveries in the internals of the device as designed by the company.The main takeaway from their report is that the Switch 2 is more complicated to repair than the original Nintendo Switch.
For context, the original Switch previously had an 8 out of 10 score on repairability but iFixit recently changed this and gave it a rating of 4 out of 10 on its repairability score based on the latest standards of 2025. On the other hand, iFixit gave the Nintendo Switch 2 a repairability score of 3 out of 10, and while it is only a touch lower than the original console, it still has a poorer mark.
According to iFixit, there are several issues found inside the console that led to this poor score on repairability, and this includes the battery using a strong type of adhesive that makes it harder to remove. On the other hand, the Switch 2 also has its flash storage module and USB-C ports that are soldered to the motherboard of the new console which makes replacing them more complicated.
That being said, other components inside the console are easy to remove, as per iFixit, and this includes the speakers, microphones, headphone jack, and microSD card reader.
Switch 2's Teardown vs. Original Switch Teardown
The report from iFixit has posed a question to Nintendo, asking them if this is the best they could do for the latest generation console they released, particularly in terms of repairability compared to the original console. In the video teardown, iFixit went in-depth on the Switch 2's internals and showed off the important components that brought up several issues, including the new Joy-Cons that still feature a potentiometer at a wiper that slides across a resistive material.
According to iFixit, this material wears down over time, but more importantly, bits of dust and other micro foreignmaterials may slide through it and lead to another stick drift issue for the latest version of the Joy-Cons. Essentially, this does not answer the problems found on the original Switch's Joy-Cons that suffered from stick drift over time, and this is despite Nintendo's president previously apologizing over it and giving out free repairs to select regions.
Nintendo also uses tri-point screws that are similar to the original Switch and past consoles, but some of these screws are hidden behind stickers that could get damaged in the process to access these screws.
At present, Nintendo has not yet released any repair manuals or spare parts for the Switch 2, similar to what was the case for the original Switch, which means that it would be hard to self-repair any failing components as of this writing. Moreover, it remains unknown if Nintendo would still release parts or repair manuals for self-repairs.
Originally published on Player One
