For such a popular console, it’s been surprisingly difficult to find the perfect grip case for the Nintendo Switch 2. We’ve reviewed the Savage Raven NeoGrip, the Savage Raven StandGrip, the JSAUX Split Protective Case, and the Genki Attack Vector so far. dbrand’s Killswitch 2 had some problems when it launched earlier this year – namely, the Joy-Con would often fall off and disconnect from the Nintendo Switch 2 unit entirely during normal gameplay (or if you held the console with one hand, which is a pretty common thing to do).
We’ve now just received the dbrand Killswitch 2 travel case with updated Joy-Lock grips. This new updated design promises to fix the Killswitch 2’s previous attachment issues. Now that customers are finally getting their revised units, is this the best Switch 2 case on the market? It’s certainly the most expensive one, costing around $60 for the essential kit and around $80 for the travel kit.
As mentioned before, we’re reviewing the travel kit this time around, which includes the Killswitch case, Joy-Con 2 skins of your choice, the dock adapter, and stick grips. Right off the bat, the box the Killswitch comes in is extra fancy – it’s sleek, organized, and very premium-feeling, so it gives off a strong first impression. If we were reviewing boxes, this one would definitely get a 10 out of 10. As for the contents, the actual Killswitch case wraps around your Nintendo Switch 2 and uses a low-grade adhesive to ensure the bottom lip of the case stays firmly attached. At first, I thought this might make removing the case difficult – and thankfully, it’s not. To test this, I applied and re-applied the case over and over again a few times, and it doesn’t leave any kind of residue on the system. Doing this may cause the adhesive to wear out over time, though, so the package contains extra adhesive strips just in case you need them.
The case itself feels very premium. It’s made of a tough material that will definitely provide some much-needed protection. I’d say this part of the Killswitch is pretty much perfect, from what I can tell – it offers plenty of padding for your console and leaves the headphone jack, game card case, and charging ports open. I should mention here, I usually use the Savage Raven StandGrip as my go-to Nintendo Switch 2 case since I mainly play it in handheld. That’ll be important in just a bit – if you’re reading this review, you’re probably at least somewhat interested in choosing the ideal case to buy for your console, so I’ll be making some comparisons between the ones I’ve tested already.
Now for the important part: the fabled Joy-Lock grips. The first round of Joy-Con grips would disconnect from the Nintendo Switch 2 console if you held them the wrong way – for example, with one hand or upside-down. The good news is that the Joy-Lock grips are extremely comfortable, and they let you detach the Joy-Cons from the console (unlike other cases, which wrap around the Joy-Cons and hold them in place). That kind of flexibility is always a good thing in theory! I’d say the Joy-Lock grips, in terms of ergonomics, are close to perfect – they’re absolutely some of the most comfortable grips we’ve seen for the system yet. Unfortunately, while they may be perfect ergonomically, they’re still not perfect functionally. The Joy-Con are designed to wobble and wiggle around a little bit – we actually learned this in Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which tells us that this helps prevent the magnets from wearing out over time. Even with that in mind, the Joy-Lock grips are noticeably wobbly, and at the very least the ones I received made little squeaking noises semi-regularly during gameplay. This made me wonder if the Joy-Con were really securely attached or if that extra wobbliness would have any long-term effect on the Switch 2’s magnets – given we’re publishing this review before the console is even five months old, I couldn’t say whether that shakiness is detrimental to the console or if it’s just me being paranoid.
Swinging back around to positives, the thumb grips are quite good as well. They feel extremely precise and are certainly an upgrade over Nintendo Switch 2’s default smooth joystick covers. I did find myself going back to the Savage Raven thumb sticks, however – I like the feel of them better; the dbrand ones kind of felt slippery after a while whereas the Savage Raven ones seem sort of slip-resistant. Then we have the travel case, which is the best part of the entire Killswitch in my opinion. It’s a sturdy protective shell that wraps around the front of your Nintendo Switch 2 with the Killswitch case equipped, and it even contains a game card holder that’s secured in place for easy storage. It’s really a shame that the Joy-Cons were squeaky, at least in the unit I received – the travel cover is a perfect option for those who get out of the house a lot and want to throw their Switch 2 in a backpack without worrying about scratching the screen.
Then there’s the dock adapter, which in my opinion is the worst part of the bundle overall. With the Killswitch case equipped, the Nintendo Switch 2 unit can’t be docked. You can take the case off rather easily, but it’s definitely a pain to take it off and put it back on whenever you want to play in docked mode. The dock adapter snaps onto the dock, and it’s intended to let you use your Nintendo Switch 2 without removing the case. It’s not an elegant solution in the slightest, however, and it’s the only part of the kit I really didn’t touch. Sliding the Nintendo Switch 2 onto the dock adapter is a bit finicky – it’s not as easy to dock there as it is in the official dock, and it’s sometimes tough to align the USB-C connector into the system’s bottom port. I get that this was created to potentially circumvent having to take the Killswitch case on and off, but for me, it wound up being a bit too particular. In the end, I wound up simply taking the case off any time I had to dock the console.
The last product included in the bundle are the Joy-Con 2 skins, and these are a hit or miss depending on who you ask. I’m not personally a huge fan of attaching stickers or adhesives to my controllers, but if you don’t mind the idea, the skins are of high quality and there are plenty of neat designs to choose from. It’s important to note that you can actually purchase the Joy-Lock grips alone if you’re not interested in the rest of the package – just click “I don’t need the case” at the very bottom and you can choose what exactly you want to purchase out of all the products they have available.
So, with all of the individual pieces of the Killswitch covered, how does it hold up? As mentioned before, it’s currently one of the more expensive cases on the market. I think it’s very close to perfect – if the Joy-Con didn’t make those little squeaking noises during normal use, it’d be an easy recommendation. The overall feel of the case and the travel cover is super premium, but I question how sturdy the Joy-Lock grips really are and how well they’ll hold up over time. This one’s really a hit or miss – it’s entirely possible the creaking noises I experienced are a one-off issue, though I’ve seen a few other users complain of the same thing over the last few days. For me personally, I switched back to the Savage Raven StandGrip – that grip feels much sturdier for a much cheaper price, so make of that what you will.
If you have the Killswitch 2 already, do you like it so far? Have you experienced any of the problems I mentioned above, or have things been mostly smooth sailing for you? Let us know in the comments down below – I’d be really interested to see if anyone has had similar experiences.
