Nintendo Switch 2 gets disassembled – Nvidia chip gets its close-up

1 day ago 3
Nintendo Switch 2 playing Mario Kart World
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The Nintendo Switch 2 is only just launching, and someone has already torn it down. YouTube channel ProModding has opened up the new handheld console, showcasing the new Nvidia chip, as well as taking a microscope to examine all the circuits.

Nintendo Switch 2 Disassembly and review under the microscope - YouTube Nintendo Switch 2 Disassembly and review under the microscope - YouTube

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The teardown starts with screws on the bottom of the system and behind the kickstand. It ends up toher screws are on the colored covers on each side of the system, where you attach the Joy-Con controllers. With screws and clips out of the way, the back cover comes right off.

There is a lot of metal shielding, but ProModding dispatched that with a few screws after removing the antennae.

After removing the cooler and disconnecting the battery, the motherboard came out. After prying off more shielding and removing the thermal paste, the new Nvidia chip was unveiled. The GMLX30-A1 name on the chip is similar to leaks posted back in 2024.

Pictures of the Nvidia chip in the Nintendo Switch 2.
(Image credit: ProModder/YouTube)

If you want to see every IC on the board, you're in luck. ProModder goes over the whole board with a microscope.

With the exception of the screws on the sides of the device, this doesn't seem like a very arduous teardown. That being said, you probably shouldn't open your own Switch 2, as you may void your warranty or damage your console.

Recently, Nintendo of America updated its End User License Agreement to note that you can't "bypass, modify, decrypt, defeat, tamper with, or otherwise circumvent any of the functions or protections of the Nintendo Account Services, including through the use of any hardware," and that if you do, Nintendo may "render... the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part." So if you open it to make a change, you may be risking the possibility of your system working at all.

Nintendo will likely have a more specific repair manual for its technicians. But until the launch tomorrow, June 5, we can watch modders on YouTube do their thing.

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Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and BlueSky @andrewfreedman.net. You can send him tips on Signal: andrewfreedman.01

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