Out-of-warranty Switch 2 repairs ar...

The Nintendo Switch 2 comes with a one-year limited warranty that covers the cost of repairing unexpected defects, but any damage that falls outside that coverage will cost you. Avoiding that could be key, because based on Nintendo’s customer repair portal, paying to fix a Switch 2 is noticeably more expensive than repairing an older Switch.

Now, prices could vary depending on how your Switch 2 or its accessories are damaged. Just looking at repairing water damage specifically, though, here’s how prices break down:

• Console: $179

• Dock: $66

• Camera: $30

• AC Adapter: $18

• Pro Controller: $48

For comparison, fixing up a water-damaged Switch OLED costs $139, $40 less than it costs to fix a Switch 2. The original Switch dock and the original Pro Controller both costs $30 to repair, $33 and $18 cheaper, respectively. The only real outlier from the general trend of Switch 2 hardware costing more to service is the Joy-Con 2 controllers. Whether the stick feels loose or the magnets won’t attach, Nintendo is apparently willing to fix a Joy-Con 2 controller for free.

Maybe the hardware changes the company made to improve the performance of the sticks also made them easier to repair. Or maybe free repairs is some sort of quiet make-good for the well-documented stick-drift issues that plagued the original Joy-Con controllers. Either way, it’s a small bright spot in what otherwise seems like a potentially pricey repair process.