The cause of the Joy-Con drift issue on the Nintendo Switch is a fundamental design flaw according to a UK consumer group.
As I mentioned Eurogamer, a report from Who claims that, even after only a few months of use, the Joy-Con’s plastic circuit boards show significant wear at the joystick slide contact points. This causes Joy-Con drift, an issue Nintendo has not been able to fully address in the five years the device has been on the market.
The report also criticizes Nintendo’s return and refund policy regarding Joy-Con drift issues, saying it should provide a refund or compensation plan to anyone who can prove they’ve purchased a replacement Joy-Con since the Switch’s launch in 2017.
Nintendo did not agree that the issue is so widespread, however, saying in response to the survey that only a small number of consoles were affected and that it has improved the design several times since launch.
“The percentage of Joy-Con controllers reported as having issues with the analog stick in the past is small, and we have been making continuous improvements to the Joy-Con joystick since its launch in 2017,” she said.
“We expect all of our devices to function as designed, and if anything falls short of that goal, we always encourage consumers to contact Nintendo Customer Support, who will be happy to resolve any consumer issues relating to Joy-Con controllers frankly and leniently” and analog sticks, Including cases where the warranty may not apply.
Nintendo launched a Switch repair subscription service in Japan earlier this year, but has yet to announce a release for the US or Europe.
It opened a specific repair service for Joy-Con drift back in 2019, but it recently verified that the repair centers themselves were so overwhelmed that mistakes were made when the controllers were supposed to be repaired. The problem is so persistent that Nintendo has faced multiple lawsuits as a result of Joy-Con malfunctions.
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance journalist for IGN and UK news editor. He’ll be talking about The Witcher all day.
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