If your Switch has Joy-Con or Lite stick drift, or it's still under Nintendo's warranty and hasn't been dropped or opened, Nintendo is usually the better choice. If it's out of warranty with a cracked screen, a tired battery or a bad port, an independent repair is usually cheaper, and you get your own console back. The trade-off is that once a Switch has been opened, Nintendo may refuse to do warranty work on it later.
I run an independent mail-in repair service, so I'm not neutral. I'll lay out both sides as fairly as I can, including where Nintendo is the clear winner.
What Nintendo's repair service offers
Free stick drift repairs
Nintendo UK repairs Joy-Con and Switch Lite stick drift free of charge, even out of warranty. It has done this since April 2023 across the UK, EEA and Switzerland, "until further notice". That's hard to beat. If your only problem is drift and you're happy with the original-style stick going back in, send it to Nintendo. I've written more about that in Nintendo's free Joy-Con drift repair.
Capped prices for everything else
For out-of-warranty faults, Nintendo publishes maximum prices (its price list effective 1 October 2021, including tax):
- Switch OLED: up to £190.50
- Switch: up to £120
- Switch Lite: up to £108
- Joy-Con: £26.40 each
Those caps cover game card reading errors, the screen, touchscreen, plastics and buttons, water damage, no power and the battery. Nintendo's price list says the maximum price applies "when the item is swapped with a replacement or re-manufactured product". Put simply, you may not get your own console back.
Official parts and the warranty that goes with them
Nintendo uses its own parts, and while your console is in its original warranty and the fault isn't accidental damage, the repair costs you nothing. A broken screen is always treated as out of warranty, because Nintendo counts it as accidental damage.
The downsides
- Time. Nintendo says a repair "might take up to 10 working days".
- Save data. Saves live on the console's internal storage. If Nintendo swaps your unit, the replacement comes back without them unless you backed up first.
- Opened consoles. Nintendo can refuse a repair if the fault comes from modification or unofficial repair. If the console has been opened, they may say no.
What an independent repairer offers
A fixed price, below the caps
My prices are fixed and listed up front. For example, a Switch Lite screen is £75, an original Switch screen £85, a battery £55 and a charging port £65. Most jobs come in well under Nintendo's caps. The full list is in my Switch repair cost guide.
Your own console comes back
I repair the console you send, rather than swapping it. For most component repairs, such as a screen, battery, fan, charging port or game card reader, the internal storage isn't touched, so your saves should still be there. I'd still ask you to back up first, because any repair carries a small risk. Here's how to back up your Switch save data.
Upgrades Nintendo doesn't offer
Nintendo refits the same type of potentiometer stick that drifted in the first place. I fit Hall effect sticks in original Joy-Con and the Switch Lite, and TMR sticks in Joy-Con 2. Magnetic sticks don't wear the same way as a sliding contact, which is why some people pay for a drift repair even though Nintendo's is free.
The honest downside
Once I've opened your console, Nintendo may refuse later warranty work on it. If your Switch is still in warranty and the fault isn't accidental damage, that's a real cost, and it's the main reason I'd point you to Nintendo first.
When to pick which
Go to Nintendo if:
- the console is in warranty and the fault isn't accidental damage;
- the only problem is stick drift and you're happy with a like-for-like stick;
- you've got a Switch 2 in warranty with a fault that isn't accidental damage (Nintendo has its own Switch 2 repair route, including a Joy-Con 2 request form);
- you don't mind waiting and your saves are backed up.
Go independent if:
- the console is out of warranty, or the damage is accidental, such as a cracked screen;
- you want a fixed price below Nintendo's cap;
- you want your own console back rather than a swap;
- you'd like Hall effect or TMR sticks instead of the original type;
- Nintendo has already turned it down because it's been opened.
How it works with me
You book and pay online, post the console to me, and I repair it, test it on my bench and send it back insured and tracked. You pay the inbound postage; the return is included. Every repair is no fix, no fee, and comes with a 12-month warranty. If I can't fix it, I refund what you paid, less return postage. You can see every service on the Nintendo Switch repairs page, or the Switch 2 repairs page if you've got the newer console.
Frequently asked questions
Will Nintendo repair my Switch if an independent shop has opened it?
They may not. Nintendo can refuse a repair where the fault comes from modification or unofficial repair, so if your console is still under Nintendo's warranty, it's worth using Nintendo first.
Does Nintendo give me my own console back?
Not always. Nintendo's price list says its maximum price applies when the item is swapped with a replacement or re-manufactured product, and a swapped console comes back without your save data unless you backed it up.
Why pay for a drift repair when Nintendo's is free?
Nintendo fits the same type of stick that drifted, while I fit Hall effect or TMR sticks, which sense position with magnets rather than a wearing contact. If a like-for-like stick is fine for you, Nintendo's free repair is the sensible choice.
