Reviewer: John B.
Manufacturer: Aixmeet
Price (at time of review): $14.99 | $16.99
Buy Aixmeet Ultimate Nintendo Switch Detachable Case
Black ($14.99) - Amazon
Red ($16.99) - Amazon
Blue ($16.99) - Amazon
Following a successful Indiegogo campaign, the Aixmeet is finally shipping for backers or available for purchase at the finest retailers. It boasts a solid TPU construction for protection, two solid kickstands, a more comfortable grip for your Joy-Cons, and – most importantly – detachable controllers. It makes a lot of promises, which is usually a red flag for crowdfunding campaigns, but Aixmeet actually delivers. Let’s take a look at those claims point by point.
TPU Stands For Thermoplastic Polyurethane
So we’re just going to stick to calling it TPU. The shell promises a durable layer of protection for your Switch, which it really does. The shell is flexible and easy to pull on and take off your Switch console and Joy-Cons. It took me thirty seconds, tops, to get it on and about the same amount of time to take it back off. Once on, though, it feels very sturdy, so as long as you don’t drop your Switch on the screen side I’m pretty confident it will keep your console safe. Its marketing boasts that it is “dust, splash, and drop-proof,” but it doesn’t really explain what that means, exactly. The case leaves spaces for the charger port, headphone jack, game card slot, vents, and speakers, so it’s not exactly airtight in that sense, but then what good would a case that blocks those things be?
The most consistent problem I’ve had with the case are the power and volume buttons. The case has coverings for those buttons, but these coverings are thinner and more flexible than the rest of the case and have marks where you should press to hit either the power, volume up, or volume down button. The volume buttons work fine, but when I hit the power button it also hits the volume down button every time. So, basically, whenever I hit the power button to go into sleep mode or turn the console off, the volume goes all the way down and I have to turn it up again when I turn the Switch back on again. It’s a relatively minor annoyance as far as problems go, but it happens every time. A less stubborn man would have just started using the menu screen and/or home button to enter sleep mode instead of fixating on the button cover, but I have my principles.
Double the Kickstands, Double the Fun
Everybody knows the Switch’s kickstand is… iffy, at best. Having two of them makes your Switch way more stable when you’re using it undocked like that, which is nice. It’s even stable enough to withstand someone bumping into the table; I set it up and bumped the table several times from the side, on the table’s surface, and from underneath and the thing barely budged. It only fell over when I actually hit the table hard enough to move it. I don’t really know if this is worth mentioning, but for the sake of completeness I will; the kickstands can only be opened with the Joy-Cons detached. It doesn’t do anything to change my opinion of the case, but just in case that’s a trigger for anyone there it is.
Joy for the Joy-Cons
Probably the best feature of the Aixmeet case is the separate grips for the Joy-Cons. The Joy-Cons can be removed from your Switch as easily and smoothly as if there was no case at all. In fact, the button on the case is actually a little easier to press than the one on the Joy-Con since it sticks out farther. The case also adds some much-needed thickness to the Joy-Con, making it heavier, but also way more comfortable to hold whether they’re attached or not. Of course the trade-off to the extra size is that when I have the cover on, my Switch no longer fits in smaller carrying cases, such as the Limited Run Games carrying case we reviewed a while ago here. It probably won’t fit in any carrying cases made to fit the exact dimensions of the Switch, either. It also won’t fit in the Switch’s dock, so you’ll have to take it off if you want to play anything on your TV.
Solid, Functional Protection
The Aixmeet Ultimate Nintendo Switch Detachable Case delivers exactly what it promised it would; a tough, comfortable-to-hold case that (finally!) allows you to have the protection of a hard case and still detach your Joy-Cons. The double-kickstand design is very stable for when you’re playing undocked without the Joy-Cons attached. It goes on and comes off super-easily, so if you want to dock your Switch or put it in a carrying case it’s no trouble at all. The power button thing can be a bit of a sticking point if you’re too proud to use the home screen, but overall, the Aixmeet case offers a great level of protection and flexibility for a very reasonable price.
Score: 9/10
Buy Aixmeet Ultimate Nintendo Switch Detachable Case
Black ($14.99) - Amazon
Red ($16.99) - Amazon
Blue ($16.99) - Amazon
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