The display side of the unit faces out, covered only by a single cardboard layer. Stapling stuff to the box is definitely weird, but the box layout is too. Just not very resistant to shipping damage in general. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t have the unit facing upside down at least. Then the first thing you’d see upon opening would be the laser-etched Switch 2 logo.
I ended up digging up my old Switch 1 box after reading this story, and it’s packaged very similarly. It was screen-up, with nothing covering it but a plastic baggie and the cardboard layer of the box. Though it was slightly more recessed, there wasn’t much stopping anything that would’ve punctured the box from damaging the screen on that model, either.
I think the lack of any major packaging issues from the Switch 1, and that there aren’t reports of other mass damages on the Switch 2 outside of this particular store, should tell us that the packaging is fine. Not ideal (clearly), but fine for 99.999% of units shipped. I can’t imagine that they didn’t do stress-testing on the packaging designs before shipping and accounted for being kicked around in a FedEx truck, but I doubt they accounted for somebody deliberately puncturing the packaging.
For me that begs the question though, what is gained by the layout being the way it is? If it were a compromise between adequate packaging strength based on whatever stress tests they did and the appeal of the unboxing experience for example, then fair enough. Maybe it’s just me that doesn’t find the featureless black rectangle of a powered-off LCD display that appealing.
In my general experience when I don’t have enough information to reason a decision like that - it was just to minimise cost.
The display side of the unit faces out, covered only by a single cardboard layer. Stapling stuff to the box is definitely weird, but the box layout is too. Just not very resistant to shipping damage in general. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t have the unit facing upside down at least. Then the first thing you’d see upon opening would be the laser-etched Switch 2 logo.
I ended up digging up my old Switch 1 box after reading this story, and it’s packaged very similarly. It was screen-up, with nothing covering it but a plastic baggie and the cardboard layer of the box. Though it was slightly more recessed, there wasn’t much stopping anything that would’ve punctured the box from damaging the screen on that model, either.
I think the lack of any major packaging issues from the Switch 1, and that there aren’t reports of other mass damages on the Switch 2 outside of this particular store, should tell us that the packaging is fine. Not ideal (clearly), but fine for 99.999% of units shipped. I can’t imagine that they didn’t do stress-testing on the packaging designs before shipping and accounted for being kicked around in a FedEx truck, but I doubt they accounted for somebody deliberately puncturing the packaging.
The side forms would protect from lateral motion, as long as nothing was slammed onto the face of the box it’s pretty right.
To staple a receipt onto a box (eg: no baseplate to fold the prongs) you need to use some force, which is where the problem starts…
For me that begs the question though, what is gained by the layout being the way it is? If it were a compromise between adequate packaging strength based on whatever stress tests they did and the appeal of the unboxing experience for example, then fair enough. Maybe it’s just me that doesn’t find the featureless black rectangle of a powered-off LCD display that appealing.
In my general experience when I don’t have enough information to reason a decision like that - it was just to minimise cost.
Mate, a hand stapler can penetratively attach rubber to wood, it’s not a packaging fault.