Nintendo

A Switch library that carries over to the Switch 2:

Nintendo’s newer console plays almost every Switch game, on cartridge or as a download, so an original Switch or an OLED bought second-hand is not a dead end. The old Joy-Con also pair wirelessly with a Switch 2, which matters for games built around them such as Ring Fit Adventure. The OLED is the first-generation model to look for: a larger screen with deeper contrast, a stand that holds at any angle and a dock with a cable network port. The Switch Lite gives up the TV and the detachable controllers, and earns its place on the long bus ride to David rather than in the living room. Plenty of homes keep a Switch for the children next to a PlayStation or an Xbox for football and shooters, and sell whichever one nobody turns on any more.

Japanese boxes, Latin American boxes and the 3DS region lock:

Nintendo hardware reaches Panama by several routes, and a Switch in a Japanese or US box can sit beside the Latin American edition. For Switch games the box hardly matters, because the cartridges play on any console; the exception is the Japan-only Switch 2, which is locked to the Japanese language. Older machines are stricter: every 3DS and 2DS, the Wii and the Wii U play only games from their own region, so a Japanese 3DS will not start an American cartridge, nor the other way round. A Wii U also depends on its GamePad: most games use that screen controller and a replacement is hard to come by, so a console listed without one is worth far less.

An OLED fresh from the box against one that has spent a year in a backpack:

a new Switch OLED runs around $360 to $400, and a used one with its dock and both Joy-Con changes hands for around $200 to $240. Two things pull it down: the Switch 2 plays the same games with more power, and a year of handheld play shows in the battery and the sticks. Nintendo’s own games hold their value far better than its consoles. Mario, Zelda and Pokémon cartridges are rarely discounted new, so a used copy in its case keeps a good share of what it cost.

Reading a used Switch or 3DS by its screen edges, rails and hinge:

lay it flat on a table and look along the edges of the screen. A panel lifting away from the shell, or a back that rocks, means a swollen battery, which needs replacing before anything else. Slide each Joy-Con off and back on: it should click home and not wobble on the rail. On an original Switch, check that the kickstand still clicks into place, since it comes away easily, and look for the fine scratches a dock leaves on an unprotected screen. On a 3DS, open and close the hinge a few times and check the top screen for marks rubbed in by the buttons. The Pro Controller is the accessory most often faked: a genuine one reads an amiibo, and many copies cannot.

Unlinking a Switch from your Nintendo Account before it changes hands:

open your account settings and remove the console from the ones allowed to load your virtual game cards, then sign out and run Initialize Console, so your downloads stop working for whoever owns it next. On a first-generation Switch, take out the microSD card or format it separately, because the reset does not wipe it. Photograph the console switched on, the Joy-Con on and off the rails, the dock and charger, and the label on the back that shows the model, so a buyer can tell an OLED from an original. State the region on anything older than a Switch, mention any drift or battery swelling, and name every cartridge in the bundle. Bring it fully charged and with the dock: most buyers want a few minutes in handheld and a few on a TV, and a Switch that dies halfway through that test looks like a battery problem even when it is not.