Accessories maker Dbrand has issued a lengthy apology to Nintendo fans whose complaints it initially brushed off in a response it now describes as “spectacularly terrible.”
The past few weeks have seen a rising number of complaints regarding Dbrand’s Killswitch case for Nintendo Switch 2, which is designed to protect the console and its Joy-Con 2 controllers with a smartphone case-like rubber shell.
Fans have said Killswitch’s extra padding weakens the magnetic connection between the Switch 2 and its controllers, and have posted videos showing that the Joy-Con 2 can easily detach when the console is picked up in a certain way.
Dbrand’s initial response, posted on reddit earlier this week, acknowledged the problem but suggested it had been deliberately overblown by customers, as “hundreds” of its own developers, plus external content creators and journalists, had not experienced it for themselves.
“Not one of them, ourselves included, precariously held the entire console by only one Joy-Con, horizontally, with zero instinctive finger support on the back, loading 87% of the console weight directly onto the Joy-Con hinge,” Dbrand wrote, sharing its own videos as counter-proof the problem was widespread.
Instead, Dbrand said, the issue of detaching Joy-Con 2 controllers should only occur if all three of the following conditions are met:
- You’re holding the NS2 by only one Joy-Con, stressing 87% of the weight on the hinge.
- You’re touching only the Joy-Con itself, without naturally supporting any part of the main console.
- Your console has lowered to an angle that’s more parallel to the ground than it is not.
Still, numerous videos have showed the Joy-Con 2 coming away easily if these conditions are met:
Dbrand continued by suggesting that customers with Killswitch complaints were posting videos highlighting a problem that would not regularly be experienced. Or, as Dbrand put it: “Nobody routinely puts Mentos into their Diet Coke.”
However, further down its statement, the company acknowledged that, in a small number of cases, the Joy-Con was detaching more easily than it would have liked.
“What’s happening with the four Redditors who are experiencing more severe detachment issues? We believe it’s due to these Joy-Con Grips featuring an inner attachment lip that’s a hair thicker than desired,” Dbrand said, adding that it had now “adjusted our tolerance guidelines for mass production to filter out any Joy-Cons that cross that ‘lip is 0.12mm too thick’ threshold.”
Dbrand rounded out its initial post by emphasising once more that the issue was rare, and “an unavoidable reality of making a Joy-Con Grip with a non-adhesive attachment mechanism” that was “not, in any way, reflective of how people actually hold their Switch 2.”
Reaction to Dbrand’s statement, and acknowledgement there was an issue, was swift. “Terrible response,” wrote one fan. “TLDR: You’re holding it wrong,” wrote another, evoking the infamous response from Apple’s former boss Steve Jobs, when the iPhone 4’s antenna issues were pointed out to him.
Days later, Dbrand has now reconsidered, apologised for the tone of its statement, and promised replacement Joy-Con for all customers.
“After reading through your feedback, it’s quite clear that our post was a spectacularly terrible response to the issue at hand,” Dbrand said in a new post. “Some of you have expressed that opinion in a perfectly reasonable way. Others have expressed it with literal death threats.
“As easy as it is to boil our original post down to ‘you’re holding it wrong,’ what we’re sober to now is the point that you should be allowed to hold it however the f**k you want, without detachment occurring. We get it. Please continue dunking on us for the next six to eight months for reincarnating Steve Jobs.”
Dbrand has also said it is now attempting to develop a new, redesigned version of the Killswitch with a “new retaining lip design that fully resolves the detachment issue,” with an update on whether it will be able to move into full production on this solution due next month.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social