All articles tagged with #joy con drift
Nintendo of Europe will pay a €35 million fine after France’s DGCCRF found it misled customers about Joy-Con drift defects, allegedly knowing about the issue since 2018 but not disclosing it until 2020; the settlement is described as an amicable resolution and not an admission of guilt, with past related actions including a US class-action case (dismissed in 2024) and ongoing concerns over drift rates.
France's DGCCRF fined Nintendo €35 million for allegedly misleading consumers about Joy-Con drift on the original Switch; the investigation says Nintendo may have known about the defects as early as 2018 but notified customers only in 2020, drawing accusations of planned obsolescence from UFC-Que Choisir. Nintendo says the settlement is an amicable resolution and not an admission of guilt, noting a roughly ¥6.4B hit on litigation in its balance sheet; the company had previously offered free repairs for drift issues.
France's DGCCRF ruled Nintendo Europe engaged in misleading practices regarding Switch Joy-Con drift from 2018–2023, ordering a €35 million settlement; Nintendo accepted and will publish a press release on its French homepage, after UFC-Que Choisir filed the complaint in 2020.
The article discusses concerns about Joy-Con drift on the new Nintendo Switch 2, noting that while the issue is common in gaming controllers, early reports of drift on the Switch 2 are rare and often fixable. Nintendo claims improvements in controller durability, but long-term susceptibility remains to be seen. Repair options are available, and the overall risk of pervasive hardware flaws appears similar to other gaming controllers.
A teardown of the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller reveals it uses Alps Alpine sticks, which are potentially easier to replace without soldering, and highlights design changes aimed at improving durability and repairability, addressing issues like Joy-Con drift.
iFixit has rated the Nintendo Switch 2's repairability very low at 3/10, citing issues such as persistent Joy-Con stick drift, difficult component replacements due to adhesive and anti-tamper measures, and the soldered game cartridge reader and USB-C ports, making repairs challenging for most users.
Nintendo has filed a patent for a joystick that uses a magnetic field to register input, potentially addressing the issue of Joy-Con drift experienced by many Switch owners. The magnetic field approach is similar to Hall Effect technology used in some third-party Joy-Con and joysticks. It remains uncertain whether Nintendo will release this joystick for the current Switch or its successor, but fans are hopeful for a solution to the Joy-Con drift problem.
Nintendo has cancelled its Nintendo Switch repair subscription service in Japan after just a year. The service, which allowed subscribers up to six repairs a year, including two hardware repairs, was not renewed or offered to new customers after August 31, 2023. While fans hoped for a similar service in North America and Europe, Nintendo has not made any announcements regarding its availability in those regions. The cancellation comes as the Joy-Con controllers continue to face issues with "Joy-Con drift," leading to lawsuits against Nintendo.
Nintendo has agreed to offer free lifetime repairs of Nintendo Switch controllers experiencing the "Joy-Con drift" to consumers across the European Union. The move comes in response to years of organized complaints and a pressure campaign from the European Consumer Organization (BEUC). Despite the European victory, the BEUC said that Nintendo extending its free repair program is "only a short-term fix" for a wider issue.
Nintendo has released an upgraded version of the Switch console that addresses the issue of Joy-Con drift, a problem that has plagued the original console since its launch. The new model features an improved design for the Joy-Con controllers that should prevent the drifting issue from occurring.