Nintendo Switch 2 teardown video shows cooling system, battery and mainboard in detail

The Nintendo Switch 2 should arrive at customers in the next 24 hours, but the YouTube channel ProModding has already disassembled the console and published a corresponding teardown video, which is embedded below. Nintendo has covered the screws for the back panel with red and blue stickers, which become visible after detaching the magnetic Joy-Con 2 controllers.

These stickers are difficult to remove without damaging, but aside from that, the console can be opened relatively easily. The kickstand is integrated into the back panel and easy to replace, at least if Nintendo is going to sell official replacement parts. This might be necessary since the kickstand doesn’t appear to be particularly robust, according to ProModding. Once inside, numerous screws and cables must be disconnected in order to remove the metal cover that helps distribute heat from the processor, as indicated by the thermal paste that’s applied to it.

Underneath the cover, the cooling system consists of a small fan and a copper heat pipe. Since the Switch 2 is not expected to consume more than 10 watts under load, the cooling system should be more than sufficient. Unfortunately, both USB-C ports are soldered onto the mainboard, meaning they cannot be modularly replaced like on many smartphones. Unfortunately, the battery is not removed from the console in the teardown video, so it's unclear whether it's secured with annoying adhesive like in the original Nintendo Switch (from $299 on Amazon).