Does your Nintendo Switch seem like it’s overheating?

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If you’ve noticed that your docked Nintendo Switch seems like it’s putting out lots of heat after trying to save the Kingdom of Hyrule in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you’re not alone. That’s still one of the most resource-heavy games for your console, giving the Nvidia Tegra X1 that powers it a real workout.

But wait, isn’t heat bad for electronics? I mean, that’s why you have big cooling fans in your computer, and why smartphones are limited in their choice of CPU. Can that heat actually damage your Nintendo Switch? Does having it in the dock for extended periods of time shorten the lifespan of your console?

So, is your Nintendo Switch getting hot a problem?

Short answer: Probably not

Nintendo’s official word on this is that unless you are using the console in a place where the temperature is 95f, the heat produced by the Nintendo Switch shouldn’t be a problem. They also say that while the Nintendo Switch is plugged in charging or in docked mode, that it’s perfectly normal for it to get hot. Oh, and stop using it if it does feel overly hot in handheld mode, you don’t want to risk low-temperature burns.

Now, if your Switch is hot and the air coming out of the vents is cold, or not coming out at all, you may have a fault on the fan or the cooling circuit. In that case, it’s time to contact Nintendo and ask for a repair.

What do you think? Have you ever noticed your Nintendo Switch getting overly warm? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• What can you do if your Nintendo Switch stops turning on?
• Can you gameshare with the Nintendo Switch?
• Can the Switch play games from Nintendo’s other consoles?
• How many Nintendo Switch games are two-player?

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.