Nintendo Switch controllers have ‘design flaw’

A UK consumer group has reported that a widespread issue with Nintendo Switch controllers is the result of a flaw with Nintendo’s design

A UK consumer group has released a report detailing a known issue with Nintendo Switch controllers, calling it a “design flaw” and has called on Nintendo to “get a grip on the problem”.

The issue in question is commonly known as “Joy-Con drift”, which affects Joy-Con controllers, which come bundled with the Nintendo Switch and attach to the side of the console for handheld use. Joy-Con drift is when the analog sticks on the controllers become faulty, causing unintentional inputs to occur even when the player isn’t touching the controls.

UK consumer group Which? says that up to 40% of UK Nintendo Switch owners have experienced drift in their controllers, and that in some cases can make video games on the console “unplayable”.

In new research conducted by Which?, the group sourced five sets of Joy-Con controllers, as well as the Switch consoles they came with, in order to get to the root of the problem. The controllers were then sent to a specialist lab, who tested various aspects of the controller and tore them down to figure out what was going wrong.

According to Which?, the lab verified that all five sets of controllers, which were all purchased between 2017 and 2019, had drift issues. A teardown of the controllers reportedly revealed what Which? calls a design flaw resulting in mechanical issues.

Joy-Con drift has also been reported on the analog sticks of the Nintendo Switch Lite. Picture: Nintendo

“While there were dust proofing cowls on the joystick components of the Joy-Cons, the presence of dust and other contaminants in the internal components suggested that this protection was insufficient,” Which? said of the lab’s analysis, “All the plastic circuit boards exhibited noticeable wear on the joystick slider contact points, despite only being used for months. It was concluded that this wear, and the drift issue that resulted from it, were likely due to a mechanical issue.”

Director of policy and advocacy at Which? Rocio Concha said that Nintendo has to “get a grip on the problem”, calling on the company to provide free repairs, compensation, or replacements for any affected customers.

In a response to the report, Nintendo UK said that the amount of controllers reported to be affected is very small, and that the company has been making continuous improvements to the Joy-Con since the console’s launch in 2017. Some players have reported that more recent Joy-Con controllers seem to be less prone to the issue, but others say it still persists, sometimes even on new controllers.

Many have turned to third-party controllers to avoid Joy-Con drift. Picture: 8bitdo

Nintendo has been the subject of a lot of drama lately, after the company had to promise to fix the new Pokemon games that launched late last month. Players complained that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were filled with bugs and had performance problems, with the games’ frame rate frequently dropping.

Nintendo Switch Sports finally got its golf update last month too, after fans spent six long months waiting. The additional sport, which is now available to players for free, was originally scheduled to launch in Q3, but Nintendo opted to push it back to the holiday season.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.