In Japan, Nintendo Says Newly Purchased Switch Units Might Have Setup Error [Update]

It’s the holiday season. People in Japan are obviously shopping for presents, and no doubt the Nintendo Switch will be a popular gift item. However, it might be a good idea to check those Switch units before gifting them.

Nintendo announced that customers in Japan are reporting the error code 2162-0002, preventing them from completing the initial setup of their consoles. If customers in Japan experience this issue, Nintendo will quickly replace the defective units after filling out an online form.

Interestingly, the error code 2162-0002 has plagued some Switch owners over the past few years in one form or another. One Redditor, for example, recalled back in 2017 how it was a system breaking crash and required a replacement unit. Other mentions of the error I’ve seen online have appeared after charging it in handheld mode or even checking out friend requests.

Nintendo of America has a page for this error code, telling people to restart by holding down the power button for three seconds, before selecting Power Options and then Restart.

Kotaku has reached out to Nintendo of America for comment as to whether there have been similar set-up errors for new Switches in the US, and will update this article should the company respond.

Update December 17, 2020 - 4:05AM: Nintendo of America issued the following statement to Kotaku: “The error code that a small number of Nintendo Switch users encounter during initial system setup has not occurred on Nintendo Switch systems in territories outside of Japan, including the U.S. If any consumers experience this issue, they should visit support.nintendo.com for steps to help resolve the error.”