You may have heard, or learned the hard way, that getting your hands on a Nintendo Switch console is pretty tricky right now.
Furloughed workers have been all over Switch stocks like an inner city pigeon on vomit, making consoles hard to come by at all of the major retailers.
However, if you’re already lucky enough to have a Switch in your self-isolation survival kit, whatever you do, look after it.
Getting a Switch fixed is going to be just as hard as buying a new one across the pond, given the news Nintendo of America is shutting down its repair centres for the foreseeable future.
It doesn’t only apply to the Switch, but the massive array of consoles that Nintendo would usually have no problem fixing for its vast army of gamers.
Related: Upcoming Nintendo Switch games
There’s no prizes for guessing why Nintendo has put the kibosh on repairing ailing Switch consoles; it’s our old mate COVID-19.
On its US support site, the company writes: “Due to preventive measures put in place for COVID-19, and in accordance with federal and local guidelines, our repair centers are closed until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. Once repair services resume, we will work as quickly as possible to get you playing again.”
If your console has already been sent off for repair and is in transit to Nintendo, it’ll probably be sent back. If the repair centre has received the order and its underway then the likelihood is you won’t get it back until the repair centre reopens.
On the UK side of things, Nintendo is still taking on repairs for now, but is warning there may be a delay in completing the service. So, the best advice we can give you is to care for your Switch is if it were your last bit of bog roll.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
