Do your Joy-Cons drift?(pic: Nintendo)
A Which? study suggests that a mechanical fault is at the heart of Joy-Con drift issues and that Nintendo needs to do more to fix it.
The Nintendo Switch was an instant hit when it was first released in 2017 but there was a fly in the ointment when it came to its innovative Joy-Con controllers, with many people reporting that the controller calibration would ‘drift’ – moving on its own and making precise control impossible.
It took a long time for Nintendo to officially acknowledge the problem but although it’s far less prevalent with newer models it is still an issue for some people, and there have been mixed reports of how helpful Nintendo is about repairs in the UK.
Since Nintendo has never offered any detailed explanation, there’s been no agreement on what actually causes the problem, but consumer group Which? has issued a new report which blames a ‘mechanical fault’ that indicates intrinsic ‘design flaws.’
The report stops short of offering any definitive explanation but suggests that the dustproofing cowls on the Joy-Cons are insufficient, with dust and other contaminants still getting through.
They also found ‘noticeable wear’ on the joystick slide contact points they looked at, which they attribute to a ‘mechanical issue.’
‘It may therefore be the case that the drift issue is caused by the wear to the circuit board, or a combination of this wear together with the dust/contamination ingress,’ states the report.
Which? doesn’t really acknowledge the fact that the issue has become less prominent in recent years (we used to get multiple emails a day about it from readers but haven’t had any in a long while now) but Nintendo states exactly that in their response:
‘The percentage of Joy-Con controllers that have been reported as experiencing issues with the analogue stick in the past is small, and we have been making continuous improvements to the Joy-Con analogue stick since its launch in 2017.
‘We expect all our hardware to perform as designed, and, if anything falls short of this goal, we always encourage consumers to contact Nintendo customer support, who will be happy to openly and leniently resolve any consumer issues related to the Joy-Con controllers’ analogue sticks, including in cases where the warranty may no longer apply.’
Given the complexity of modern controllers, the drift issue has been reported with almost every new device and joypad, from the current gen consoles to the Steam Deck.
However, what’s angered people more than the problem itself is Nintendo UK’s inconsistent policy on the issue, especially when compared to the more straightforward arrangements in the US and elsewhere.
‘Nintendo must get a grip on the problem and provide free repairs, compensation, refunds or replacements to any consumers who have been impacted by this issue since the launch of the console,’ says Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy.
According to Which?, 19% of people who contacted Nintendo for a repair didn’t receive a free replacement or repair. 52% with the problem apparently just bought new Joy-Cons, which cost around £70.
It’s not clear why so many people didn’t even try to get them fixed but the best advice if you experience the problem is to contact Nintendo Support directly.
Which? has found dust in people’s Joy-Cons (pic: Which?)
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A Which? study suggests that a mechanical fault is at the heart of Joy-Con drift issues and that Nintendo needs to do more to fix it.
