Get a Nintendo Switch 2 Screen Protector as Soon as Possible, Even if You Think You Don't Need One
For those who've managed to get their hands on a Nintendo Switch 2, there are few larger worries than accidentally scratching the screen of your shiny new toy. With the console being so hard to get in the first place, the last thing anyone wants is to scuff it up during their first few days of ownership -- and it's easy to cause screen scratches if you're not careful.
Note that the Nintendo Switch 2 comes with a preinstalled screen film that is designed to remain in place. It doesn't provide particularly great scratch resistance, though, and is more designed to protect against splinters of glass should you crack your screen.
Fortunately, even at this very early stage, plenty of accessory makers have released Nintendo Switch 2 screen protectors to keep things in tip-top shape for as long as possible. We've not had a chance to test all of these yet, but we've rounded up plenty of options that are in stock, easy to install and cover a variety of prices.
Dbrand's Prism 2.0 set comes with two screen protectors and promises to be idiot-proof in terms of installation. That's a bit over the top, but we've all applied a screen protector wrong at least once, and these bad boys aim to avoid that issue. Plus, you get two screen protectors in the box if you want a spare or if you were lucky enough to get hold of two Switch 2s in your household.
See at Dbrand
GameStop is offering its own branded Switch 2 screen protector. It's $15 for one tempered glass screen protector that promises to "maintain pristine clarity and touch responsiveness with Anti-Scratch resistant for a clear and epic gaming experience." We haven't tested it out yet, but at least you can grab one of these in store and go back there to complain if it doesn't live up to the billing.
See at GameStop
A lot of the early accessories on offer come from brands that may be unfamiliar to you, but Spigen is a reputable name in the tech space. It's offering two tempered-glass Nintendo Switch 2 screen protectors for $25 and includes its auto-alignment installation kit for "effortless" application.
See at Amazon
Walmart's budget Onn brand has released a Switch 2 screen protector and it's an affordable option at under $13. It's made with glass from Corning, the same company that makes iPhone screens, and should be easy to align correctly with the included application tray.
See at Walmart
It's always a good idea to have an extra screen protector on hand. This affordable pack of three ensures you'll have backups. The Jsaux screen protectors are made with tempered glass and come with a guiding frame for easy installation. Be sure to click the on-page coupon to save an extra 10%.
See at Amazon
The official option is also available. It's $40, which is more than some others, but it also comes with a hard carrying case to make it easier to transport your Nintendo Switch 2. It's currently out of stock online at the major third-party retailers, but you may find local stock if you're lucky. Alternatively, you can order via Nintendo if you have an active invitation to shop there. Just note that this one is plastic as opposed to glass and it has no alignment tray.
See at Nintendo
More Nintendo Switch 2 screen protectors:
Mumba tempered glass screen protector, 2-pack: $17
Ivoler tempered glass screen protector, 3-pack: $8
JETech tempered glass screen protector, 2-pack: $8
Next Elite tempered glass screen protector, 2-pack: $11
Jsaux anti-glare screen protector, 2-pack: $8
FilmExt anti-reflection screen protector: $12
We've not had a chance to test all of the options yet, as the Nintendo Switch 2 is still so new, so we're looking at reviews and the general quality of the brands making each screen protector. It's because of this that the official option is currently our top pick, but that could change as we get a chance to test every option.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
3 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
I just spent a week with the Nintendo Switch 2 — here's the 3 essential accessories to upgrade your console
It's been just over a week since the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, and I'm loving my time with the new console so far. As I wrote in my review, it's pretty much the hybrid device of my dreams — and definitely one of the best handheld consoles — and I've already had some brilliant early play experiences on the Switch 2. However, while the Nintendo Switch 2 is extremely impressive out of the box, like most consoles, it can be further enhanced with a few useful accessories. The range of compatible Switch 2 accessories at present is a little small, but will naturally grow over time. However, there's already a handful of compatible extras that I think are worthy of being considered almost essential. So, if you're a fellow Switch 2 early adopter, then these are the three accessories I've tested so far that upgraded my play experience. This trio has already become a key part of my Nintendo Switch 2 gaming setup. I was late to the Pro controller party with the original Switch, only picking up one at the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in 2023. But for Switch 2, I've had my hands on a Pro controller from day one, and it might be one of the best pads I've ever used. The Switch 2 Pro controller blows the Joy-Cons 2 housed within the included grip attachment out of the water. Not only does it feel amazing in your hands, with delightfully clicky buttons, triggers and sticks to boot, but it also offers a key upgrade: back buttons. These customizable buttons are a serious boon, and I've already found them highly useful, particularly in Mario Kart World. The Switch 2 Pro controller is a little pricey at $84, but if you're going to be using your new console for any significant length in TV mode, then it's a worthwhile investment as it really does elevate the play experience. Plus, its battery life is fantastic. After a week, I have yet to charge mine, which is quite a pleasant change from the PS5's DualSense, which usually starts flashing 'low battery' after just a couple of play sessions, if not sooner. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is practically guaranteed to be the most in-demand Switch 2 accessory, and it packs a suitable upgrade over its predecessor adding a headphone jack, the new "C" button, and customizable back buttons. Additional retailers: Best Buy | GameStop I've made no secret of my love for the Nintendo Switch 2 at this early stage of the console's lifecycle. However, if I have one criticism (well, I have two — battery life isn't great), it's that the console lacks the in-built ergonomic grips found on the likes of the Steam Deck OLED. In handheld mode, it's not the most comfortable device to hold for long periods of time, but this (relatively) minor issue can be pretty easily fixed via a third-party case. There's already a whole bunch of options, but the one I've been using is dbrand's Killswith case. And I'm impressed with the results. Not only does the Killswitch give the console some extra heft to hold onto, but it also comes in three separate parts (two Joy-Con 2 grips and a casing for the main console unit). This retains the ability to detach the Joy-Con 2s and make use of the Switch 2's tabletop mode. The downside of the Killswitch case is that once snugly fitted around the console, the Switch 2 no longer fits into the standard dock, but dbrand has resolved this problem by including a Dock Adapter with every order. It's not the most elegant solution, but it's effective and takes mere seconds to install. The Nintendo Switch 2 Killswitch from dbrand both protects your console and elevates your gaming experience by making the hybrid even more comfortable to hold in handheld mode. It comes in three bundles starting from $59, but those looking to take their Switch 2 on the road will want to consider the Travel bundle for $79. The Switch 2 packs a respectable 256GB of storage space as standard. That might not seem like it would go far in today's world of 100GB install sizes, but Switch 2 games typically have a smaller file footprint than PS5 or Xbox games. Even the most storage-hungry software like Cyberpunk 2077 demands only 60GB of space, but that's still a fair chunk of your available storage. Even if 256GB base storage stretched further than you might think, I maxed out my Switch 2's hard drive on day one after installing eight launch games, so an increase was needed. I opted for the officially licensed $59 Samsung Express microSD card. It even has a cute little Mario logo etched on. Users looking for a cheaper alternative might want to consider the 256GB Express microSD from Onn, for $35 at Walmart. One of my colleagues just picked it up for their Nintendo Switch 2 and reports that it works just as well. The Switch 2 comes with an increased storage capacity of up to 2TB. However, the Switch 2 is only compatible with microSD Express cards, which means you'll need new storage cards for your console. Additional retailers: Best Buy | GameStop
Tom's Guide
4 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
iOS 26 Messages: 7 biggest changes you need to know
Messages is one of the more popular apps on the iPhone, so Apple's not going to let any opportunity to add new features to its built-in messaging tool go by. So even though the focus with this year's iOS 26 update remains squarely on overhauling the iPhone software's interface, Apple still found room to usher in new features for Messages. Group chats stand to be the big beneficiary from iOS 26, with several additions aimed at sprucing up mobile conversations involving multiple people. And in keeping with iOS 26's themes of simplifying communication, the new version of Messages adds filters that strip out some of the clutter from your list of ongoing conversations. While I've installed the iOS 26 developer beta to get a sense for what's changing on the iPhone, I'm holding off on a full evaluation of the update until I've had a chance to use it more regularly. But ahead of the public beta's release in July, I can share what I've seen so far in Messages based on both my time with the app as well as Apple's public pronouncements on the new Messages capabilities. Let's take a closer look at what you experience the first time you fire up Messages in iOS 26. I imagine a lot of the conversations people have in Messages involve multiple people. I mean, I'm a reluctant texter at best, and I find myself participating in half-a-dozen group chats with carpool participants, friends, family members and collaborators. So a lot of the Messages improvements in iOS 26 are aimed squarely at making group chats more cohesive and productive. A big addition to that end figures to be the inclusion of a new Polls feature. As described by Apple, Polls will allow you to post multiple choice options in group chats so that people can log their preference while making it simple to keep track of who voted for what. It's the sort of thing that comes in handy when trying to plan outings, figure out what to eat or decide what time everyone can be ready to go. To add a poll to your chat, tap the Plus button next to the Message field and select Polls from the same menu where you would access stickers, photos and other features. From there, you populate the fields of the chat with choices and press send. The other members of the group chat tap their choice, with the bars adjusting to indicating the most popular option. As a handy visual cue, the chat avatars of each person appears next to their choice. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Don't worry about making sure that you've covered every option under the sun. There's an Add Choice command right under the poll that anyone in the group chat can tap to insert their own suggestion. You'll get the most use of polls in group chats, obviously, where different people will weigh in with different choices. But I've confirmed via the iOS 26 developer beta that the Polls option is also available in your one-on-one Messages conversations to simplify multiple choice questions and answers. You've been able to send Apple Cash to individuals in Messages for a while now. I routinely use the feature to settle up expenses with a friend with whom I attend college football games. It's a pretty convenient way to split costs without having to turn to third-party payment options like Venmo or, horror of horros, exchange paper money. Now that convenience is coming to group chats, where you'll also be able to access the Apple Cash option from that ever-helpful Plus menu. (To be fair, the Apple Cash option appears in that menu for iOS 18, but if you tap it in a group chat, you get a terse reminder that payments are not available in group conversations.) The convenience of this iOS 26 addition should be readily apparent. Now when you got out for dinner in a group and once person picks up the bill, everyone in the group chat can send them their share of the costs directly through Messages. There's one other group chat addition coming via iOS 26. Apple is adding typing indicators — a much requested feature according to the WWDC 2025 keynote section on Messages' new features. A big part of the iOS 26 changes seems to be about banishing unwanted alerts from view — the Call Screening features coming to the Phone app are a prime example of this. But Messages is getting its own measure of streamlining with a feature that removes texts from unknown senders from the rest of your conversations. Think of it as a spam filter, but for texting. From the main Messages screen, tap a new filter control in the upper right corner, selecting Manage Filtering from the menu that appears. That takes you to the Message section of Settings where you can turn on a slider to screen unknown senders. Once turned on, the menu in Messages adds a Unknown Senders section where messages from people you don't know will appear. You won't be notified when an unknown sender texts you. How well this feature works depends on how easy you'll be able to mark senders as known if they're not already in your Contacts. A Mark as Known button will apparently appear at the bottom of screened texts. Apple also says that time-sensitive texts — think access codes sent to you for two-factor authentication or reservation notifications — won't be screened as unknown senders. We'll have to see how that works in practice once we spend more time with iOS 26 Messages. It's not the most earth-shattering change, but you can now put a stamp on your Messages conversations by adding backgrounds. You'll find collections of curated selections from Apple organized in categories like Color, Sky, Water and Aurora. You can also pick one of your own photos for the background. Just tap on the header for the conversation — the bit that contains the picture or icon for the person or group you're texting with — and tap Backgrounds on the scroll bar that appears in the top third of the screen. Any Messages background you pick will be visible to the other people in that conversation, whether it's an individual or a group. And yes, they'll be able to swap in a background of their own preference if they're so inclined. Apple bills this as a way to personalize your various conversations. In a group chat I have for people who produce a "Magnum, PI" podcast with me, I've added a photo of the Kauai coast to set a proper mood, and it's a fun little detail that makes me smile. The Liquid Glass design is very much in effect in iOS 26 Message. You only need to tap on the top of each conversation to see the effect it has on the look of the information page for the person you're chatting with. The blocky buttons to call, FaceTime, or email that person are now rounded circles. That new submenu that lets you change conversations backgrounds also has filters for the photos, links, and documents they've shared with you via text — handy when you know they've sent you a particular photo but can't remember exactly when in the conversation it happened. The panel is also a little more translucent keeping with iOS 26's overall look. If you're the type of person who finds themselves talking with people from around the world, you'll appreciate that Messages is part of iOS 26's push for automatic translations. Should a text come in that's in a different language, on-board AI should be able to translate that text automatically. I say "should be," because this is an Apple Intelligence-powered feature meaning you'll need to be running iOS 26 on an iPhone 15 Pro or later to see it in action. Alas, I have the developer beta running on an iPhone 15, so when my wife texts me in German as she is wont to do, I can't be sure exactly what she's saying to me. That's an overview of what's different in the new version of Messages. It's possible we could uncover more features as we spend more time with iOS 26 ahead of the public beta release in July and the full release later this fall. At this point, the biggest thrust appears to be in streamlining the app with text filtering while also building up the capabilities of group chats. Given the importance iPhone users place on Messages, I'll be paying special attention to how well these new additions integrate into the app.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
PA's community colleges key as NEPA becoming target zone for data centers
Jun. 14—John Yudichak, President of Luzerne County Community College, said this week that for the past decade, Pennsylvania lost economic ground to states like Virginia. He said Virginia used creative economic incentives that built the largest data center market in the world that sustains 74,000 jobs and contributes $9.1 billion to the GDP of that state's economy. "It is not lost on me that Luzerne County, which played a central role in the industrial revolution with the production of coal, now stands to be a prominent player in the technological revolution as the epicenter of hyper-scale data center development that will fuel American dominance in artificial intelligence technologies," Yudichak said. On Monday, June 9, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that Amazon is planning to invest $20 billion to establish multiple high-tech cloud computing and artificial intelligence innovation campuses across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The governor said Amazon's investment will create at least 1,250 high-paying, high-tech jobs. The first communities identified as sites for these future campuses are Salem Township, Luzerne County, and Falls Township, Bucks County. Several additional Pennsylvania communities are under consideration for data center development. NEPA becomes target zone for data centers John Augustine, President/CEO at Penn's Northeast, said the close proximity of natural gas through the Marcellus Shale and the reliable and robust infrastructure of our utilities make our region one of the top spots in the United States. Since Monday's announcement by the governor, Augustine said he has received a half dozen calls from companies interested in locating data centers in NEPA. "This is in addition, to the four that we are working with in Lackawanna County, three more in Luzerne County and another in Schuylkill County," Augustine said. Augustine said for every $26 dollars of tax revenue that a data center generates, they spend a $1 on servicing the center. He said each campus is providing millions of dollars in local and state revenue along with thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of high-tech, high-paying positions. "The hyper-scale facility in Salem Township alone is a $10 billion dollar investment," Augustine said. "Besides ongoing manufacturing, we are seeing the third wave of industrial development in Northeastern PA — coal, warehousing/distribution facilities and now data centers. Our region is poised to be a leader in the race for artificial intelligence infrastructure. This is a generational opportunity to provide huge tax revenue and high paying jobs for our residents." Community colleges performing critical role Bucks County Community College President & CEO Dr. Patrick Jones spoke at the Amazon announcement, stressing a vision as more hyper-scale data centers are planned. "Through a unique, consortium approach, we will be able to better focus on the needs of data centers and help ensure students are prepared with the knowledge and skills required for this unique sector," Jones said. "We will collaborate to determine industry needs and share expertise and resources so that no matter where someone lives, one of our colleges will be able to help them attain the skills they need for success in this growing industry." Under the lead of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges (PACCC), Luzerne County Community College, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Northampton Community College and Bucks County Community College are joining forces to partner on a Technology and Trades Workforce Consortium in an expanded Northeast Region of Pennsylvania. The PACCC collaboration will bring together these four community colleges to address workforce needs during the construction of hyper-scale data centers and the jobs needed once they are built. As more hyper-scale data centers are constructed, other community colleges across the Commonwealth will join to expand the ADVANCEPA Technology & Trade Workforce Consortium. Technology and Trades Workforce Consortium Yudichak said there is no sector of higher education better equipped to adeptly respond to the changing workforce development demands of the technological revolution that is driving historic economic growth than Pennsylvania's community colleges. He said the three pillars planned by the Technology and Trades Workforce Consortium are: Career & Technology Academy An innovative regional partnership formed by community colleges and career and technical center high schools to create new pathways for career and technical center students to earn post-secondary credentials in technology and the skilled construction trades. The goal of a Career & Technology Academy is to serve under-served student populations in career and technical center high schools to build a consistent workforce pipeline of entry level technicians and skilled trade workers. MicroCredential Academy The MicroCredential Academy will rapidly develop post-secondary credential programming that makes upskilling career credentials for Pennsylvania workers efficient, cost-effective, and accessible. The goal of the MicroCredential Academy is to serve Pennsylvania workers where they live and work by identifying high demand industry clusters and providing online, mobile, and campus based microcrendential programming that empowers workers to advance to a high wage, high demand career. Construction & Trade Pre-Apprenticeship Academy The Construction & Trade Pre-Apprenticeship Academy will forge a strategic partnership the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trade Unions is to build a pre-apprenticeship pipeline of students who will learn from a foundational curriculum that will prepare them to enter union registered apprenticeship programs and secure employment in the skilled building and construction trade industry. The goal of the Construction & Trade PreApprenticeship Academy is to promote, educate, and drive interest in students pursuing union apprenticeship programs to meet the growing demand for skilled trade workers in the Pennsylvania economy. Yudichak said: —Pennsylvania's 15 community colleges collectively serve nearly 240,000 students annually through academic programing and workforce development training programs that focus on high demand and high wage jobs. —Pennsylvania community colleges fuel regional economic growth and serve as the central workforce development pipeline in the Commonwealth with 90% of community college graduates going on to live and work in Pennsylvania after graduation. —Pennsylvania's community colleges partner with over 2,000 industries in the Commonwealth to align their academic and workforce development programing with a rapidly changing economy driven by technological innovation. The Technology and Trades Workforce Consortium will strategically coordinate resources, avoid duplicative investments in equipment, and foster innovative college and industry collaborations that will streamline a fragmented workforce development system to deliver the highest quality workforce in Pennsylvania history, Yudichak said. The Consortium will work with the State Board of Higher Education, federal and state agencies, Career and Technical Centers, high schools, Pennsylvania Construction & Trade Unions, and employers to ensure that curricula remain current and aligned with workforce needs to establish clear educational and career pathways for students, Yudichak said. As the former state senator and chairman of the Pennsylvania State Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee, Yudichak said he worked on the passage of Act 25 of 2021 that established data center tax exemption to serve as a economic incentive to attract data center development to Pennsylvania. He said as president of LCCC, he is honored to be working with the Pennsylvania State Board of Higher Education, the Shapiro Administration's Department of Community & Economic Development, and the Pennsylvania Commission on Community Colleges to establish a historic workforce development partnership through the new Technology & Trades Workforce Consortium. "This will be the central workforce development pipeline to supply thousands of new technology and skilled trade workers to meet the demand of Pennsylvania's 21st century economy," Yudichak said. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
