Ahead of Switch 2’s launch this week, Nintendo has confirmed that owners of the new console should not remove the protective film covering its screen.
Nintendo has released health and safety information for Switch 2 as a downloadable PDF file, which includes a section on “Careful Usage” of the device (thanks, NintendoSoup).
Among the guidelines is the following warning: “The screen is covered with a film layer designed to prevent fragments scattering in the event of damage. Do not peel it off.”
In other words, the adhesive film is intended to make your Switch 2 screen shatter proof, if the worst should happen. Removing it risks the screen’s glass spreading, should it ever be splintered.
So, when unwrapping your Switch 2 and unboxing it later this week, be careful not to unwrap the device a little too much.
Other Switch tips provided by Nintendo include warnings not to use the Switch 2 in “dusty or smoky areas” — so no taking it out clubbing, or to old bookshops.
“Make sure to charge the built-in batteries at least once every six months,” Nintendo also cautions. “If the batteries are not used for an extended period of time, it may become impossible to charge them.” Well, here’s hoping you’ll be glued to Mario Kart World enough that this won’t be a problem.
Other warnings are more obvious. “Do not expose devices to fire, microwaves, direct sunlight, high or extremely low temperatures,” Nintendo says of how you should handle Switch 2. Makes sense!
After years of leaks, teases and reveals, Nintendo will finally launch Switch 2 this Thursday, June 5, 2025.
Last month, fans began receiving the first Switch 2 deliveries ahead of the console’s official launch date. Footage of the console’s unboxing and its startup sequence was posted online — before Nintendo ninjas swiftly had it removed.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
