As a part handheld it's understandable that people remain concerned about the durability of the new Nintendo Switch 2, yet one YouTuber reveals the surprising results of doing something that has been 'forbidden' by the console's maker.
It would be remiss to ignore the fact that the original Nintendo Switch console suffered a number of key technical issues that many gamers ran into at some point during the console's eight-year lifespan.
By far the biggest problem people encountered with the hardware was the now-infamous stick drift that could still be present in the new console, yet there were also major issues with how the joycons attached and with the rear stand.
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However, the new Switch 2 has clearly improved on its predecessor, and it's durability has even stood up to the test of some extreme YouTubers that broke rules set by Nintendo itself.
What 'forbidden' rule did this YouTuber break?
YouTuber 'JerryRigEverything' is known for his destructive skills where he tests the durability of the latest tech and gadgets, and his latest video involves him tearing apart the Switch 2.
During this deconstruction he removes the layer of protective plastic that sits on top of the handheld display, and this process has been specifically banned by Nintendo due to safety concerns.
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"So it's been forbidden by the Nintendo deities to remove the external plastic layer over this Nintendo Switch 2 screen," Jerry explains, "but since I am not beholden to animated Newmans of the Mario world, I'm just going to do it. The Switch 2 might not survive, so preemptive 'F' in the chat for my boy."
He describes the screen protector as being incredibly difficult to remove - which is probably a good thing considering its purpose is to protect any small fragments of glass from going everywhere if the actual screen was to fracture.
He eventually got it free though and the results were shocking in two different ways.
How durable is the Switch 2 screen?
Jerry's first shocking discovery was that the screen underneath the plastic screen protector layer had some shocking and unexpected properties.
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"I am very surprised to see my razor blade still scratching the surface under the plastic protector, even after it has been removed," he reveals, estimating that "either the layer under the plastic is also plastic, or we're just scratching whatever remains of the screen protector adhesive."
Thankfully he swiftly brought out the real tools and got to work on an experiment that really shows how durable and strong the Switch 2's handheld display actually is.
Using the high-tech method of whacking the screen with a metal tool, the test discovered that it took 50 hits in total for the display to finally shatter. "Only after 50 hits from my ridiculously thin pliers do we see that indeed there is a thin layer of glass on the surface," and tiny fragments do go everywhere, proving Nintendo's cautionary warnings to be correct.
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While it did still shatter in the end, the fact it took 50 deliberate hits in total after the screen protector was removed in order to finally shatter the display proves that the Switch 2 is far more durable than you might expect, so you shouldn't necessarily worry that it's going to smash if you happen to knock it.
What's more, despite having cracks all across the screen and initially forcing a black screen crash, the Switch 2 was still able to boot up and play Mario Kart World with no issues - although you might struggle to see any blue shells or fire flower balls coming your way thanks to the shattered screen!