Nintendo Switch repair, by model

Models we see

Joy-Con drift

Stick drift, where the character wanders or the camera moves with nobody touching it, is the stick sensor wearing out, and it is the most common Switch repair we do. On detachable Joy-Cons the worn stick is replaced, which is a short job, and both sides can be done at once. On the Switch Lite the sticks are built into the console, so the repair is the same but the console has to come apart. Pro Controller sticks are the same fault at a larger size. The rails that a Joy-Con slides on, and the small metal lock that clicks it into place, also wear and are replaceable.

The charging port

The Switch's USB-C port is the fault that turns a working console into a dead one. It is soldered to the board, and the pins get damaged by a cable pushed in upside down or with force, or by a third-party dock. The symptoms are a console that will not charge, charges only at an angle, or charges but will not dock. The port is replaced by micro-soldering, the board is checked for the damage a bad port can cause around it, and the console is tested charging and docking. A console that stopped charging after being used with an unofficial dock may have damage beyond the port, and we check for that before quoting the full job.

Screens

The original and Lite use an LCD; the OLED model uses an OLED panel, which is a different and more expensive part. A cracked screen with a working picture on the original is often a digitiser replacement, with the display underneath staying; on the OLED the panel and digitiser are laminated and are replaced together. Both are same-day repairs on most units.

Batteries

A Switch that used to last a trip and now lasts an hour has a worn battery. The cell sits behind the back cover on every model and a replacement is one of the quicker jobs we do. A swollen Switch battery pushes the back cover out; stop charging it and bring it in.

Docking and the game card slot

A console that plays handheld but will not put a picture on the TV is usually the charging port again, because the dock feeds video through the same connector, or the dock itself. Bring the dock so we can test it. A game card slot that will not read cartridges is a replaceable part. A console that says it cannot read the game card intermittently is often a dirty slot first.

Your saves

Repairs do not touch your saves or your account. Cloud saves with an online subscription are worth having on, because on the Switch a board fault can otherwise mean the saves are gone with it.

Turnaround

Joy-Con sticks, batteries and most screens are same-day jobs. The charging port is micro-soldering and the console is tested charging and docking afterwards, so plan on leaving it with us, usually a day.