Nintendo Switch 2 Motherboards with Chips Available for $124 in China — Direct from Production Lines

Oh man, where do I even start with this whole Nintendo Switch 2 situation? It’s been, like, what—two weeks since it hit the shelves? And boom, already Chinese resellers are all over these production-line motherboards. Seriously, they’re on sale for around $120. Kinda like how those massive bags of chips are mostly air, right? It’s that wild.

So, I came across these pics from some reseller, and we’re talking panelized PCB design. That probably means nothing unless you’re soldering school, but it’s like, these things get all lined up together, ready to be snapped apart by folks like Foxconn. The same kind of process you’d use to break a gigantic bar of chocolate into smaller pieces. Also, with these boards, it’s like getting the real deal, you know? Minus a few shiny metal bits. But who even notices that?

And Nintendo, man, they’ll ask you for $175 if you need a repair that’s not under warranty. These resellers, though, they’re honestly cheaper. Kind of feels like buying knock-off sneakers that look just like the original because you know, life is expensive! Do they at least verify each part with a special ID? That’s the kind of detail I’d expect from a spy movie, not a gaming console.

Oh, by the way, ever just daydream about building your own Switch 2 from scratch? Sounds cool, right? But practically impossible, given how fresh it is on the scene. The PCB is housing all this fancy stuff like Nvidia’s custom Tegra T239 SoC. I know, tech specs can make my brain freeze, but basically, it’s got some top-notch cores and a sweet GPU.

Then there’s this durability gossip. People have tried smashing the Switch 2 screen with pliers—like, who even does that? But here’s the kicker: it didn’t break until someone thought it’d be cute to staple receipts to the box. Way to go, retail! Anyway, iFixit—those kings of tearing gadgets apart—dropped the repairability score for this new version. I mean, would it kill ’em to make it a little DIY-friendly? Guess problems really start when the warranty’s up or Nintendo’s just not feeling like helping out.

Follow Tom’s Hardware if you want more juicy scoops, or don’t—it’s a free world, right? Anyway, that’s all I got for now. Keep those controllers charged, folks!