I’ve been told that good things come to those who wait, and I certainly had to wait for my Killswitch to arrive from Dbrand. That seems to be because everyone in the world is nabbing a Killswitch for their handheld, whether it’s a new Switch 2, an even newer ROG Xbox Ally X, or a trusty old Steam Deck. I’ve now had this case stuck on my Switch 2 for the last month, it’s been around the world to the Tokyo Game Show, and it’s had about 100 hours of Hollow Knight put into it, so now seems the perfect time to talk about it.
The Killswitch for Nintendo Switch 2 is a full-device protection system. The main body of the unit is made from black thermoplastics, and comes with a cutout and stick-on protection plate for the stand. It has gaps everywhere that you would want them, including around the cooling vents and cartridge slot, and the only place where it becomes mildly annoying is around the power and volume buttons. It doesn’t stop them from being usable, but it does mean they’re slightly further inset than my fingers want them to be.
Each Joy-Con 2 then has a rubberised case of its own, with a large ergonomic grip portion that fundamentally makes the Switch 2 feel more like a Steam Deck. The grips were a little tricky to fit onto the Joy-Con 2, and initially I had an extra fold in there that meant they didn’t sit properly against the body of the Switch 2, but it was relatively straightforward to diagnose the problem and sort it out. Once in place, the Killswitch massively improves the ergonomics of the Switch 2, particularly if you’re an adult with adult-sized hands.
The rubber isn’t quite of the quality I was expecting. It feels rougher and less pliable than I was expecting, and the texture really picks up muck and dead skin. So much so that I’m considering banning my teenage son from even touching it without having first washed his hands – teenagers are kind of filthy. The longer you spend with the Killswitch, the more you come to appreciate the sturdiness and tough build quality, but I’d have still preferred a more premium feel, especially when the case costs north of £50.
They add a lot of extra girth to the Joy-Con 2, and it just about remains useful if you’re taking them off to play multiplayer games. There’s certainly more there to hold onto, but as the grip only runs 50% of the way up the back of the Joy-Con 2, it does feel uneven when you’re just playing on one. They also make it impossible to use the Switch 2’s included Joy-Con 2 grip, so you’ll have to take the grips off every time if that’s a preferred way to play. Not really an issue if you have a Pro Controller 2 or third party option to hand for your TV gaming.
That does make it feel as though the Killswitch is designed overall for the solo player, and one who spends the majority of their time playing in handheld mode. That said, it also includes one of my favourite innovations for docked play: a revised dock attachment.
There is no way the Switch 2 is fitting inside the regular Switch 2 dock when the Killswitch is attached – it’s just too thick. Dbrand have found an excellent way around that problem with the included dock attachment, that moves the stand and the USB-C connection to the front of the dock.
That means that you can more easily place the Switch 2 on the stand, there’s less risk of scratching the screen on the plastic dock edges, and it becomes more of a display unit. Because my Switch 2 dock sits within a TV stand, it just makes the whole process of docking the Switch 2 easier, and frankly, it almost makes the cost of the Killswitch worth it for this alone.
The Killswitch also comes with a sturdy screen cover that houses a magnetic cartridge carrier for all your games. This slots onto the Killswitch perfectly, and is then secured with an elastic catch that stays resolutely in place. It was great for the long plane rides I had to take in the last month, giving me plenty of confidence that my Switch 2 was going to survive the journey without taking any damage.
