Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

I’m actually very careful with my controllers. No Nintendo controller I have ever had in my life has failed me until the Switch. Both 2 sets have drifting issues to the point it’s unplayable. I had to stop playing Darksouls because can you imagine exploring Blighttown with you drifting all over the place? I love these controllers but they are cheaply made and they don’t even come close to the quality of Nintendo I am used to; no seal of quality this time baby.

So here I am with all these great games that are coming out soon but I’m not as excited as I could be all because of some faulty hardware. Oh Wii U... you were so strong lol.

My Wii U gamepad developed drift on the L-thumbstick within 12 months (though thankfully it disappeared after it had been back to Nintendo twice and has never returned)

My Switch pro controllers got slight stick drift last year while playing XC2 but they're both the original model which is worse quality than the pro controllers released from XC2 onwards. Missed out on the XC2 one and I don't like the Smash pro controller's design so hopefully something like Link's Awakening gets one.

IGN seemingly leaked THQ’s last announcement, A Destroy All Humans remake. Doesn’t seem to be heading to Switch.

Darksiders, Destroy All Humans, and Spongebob. Honestly not a bad list of surprises. I truly think this E3 is gonna be an exciting one, for me at least. We have a Darksiders game, confirmed information/playable Luigi's Mansion 3, an inevitable Animal Crossing announcement, and Microsoft looks to be showing off at least some exciting things, if not just alot of them(oh and not that anyone here would care, but the Destiny 2 news was pretty hype for me, too, in particular the cross-save). I'm pretty much already satisfied and E3 hasn't even actually started yet

I have had drifting issues with both pairs of Joy-Con I own. The newer pair's left Joy-Con had its first issues after 3 months. My original right Joy-Con had some serious trouble at one point too. I'd be playing Smash and suddenly my character would do down air and that's really fun when you're above a pit with a character that has a move that goes straight down. And to top it off, the position of the right stick would also affect actions done with the left stick. I use tap jump and I had matches where I could jump maybe 40% of the time.

I've since found a temporary solution with compressed air. Seems to make the drifting mostly nonexistent and sometimes gets rid of it completely. Unfortunately it seems that the problem keeps coming back after a while. I really wish they'd make new Joy-Con that don't have the same problem but since they haven't bothered yet, I don't expect it to happen anytime soon.

@Grumblevolcano Those OG Pro controllers should have been recalled. I haven't heard of one that hasn't failed in some way.

@NEStalgia I have an original pro controller and haven't had an issue with it yet(knock on wood). Granted, I don't use it nearly as much as my joy con that's started to crap out. I didn't even realize there's been an issues with the pro controller, but I've heard countless joy con issues. What's wrong with the pros?

@NintendoByNature
I think the main issue of the Pro is the d-pad, it sometimes registers wrong imputs when pressing down on it. Mine had it, but I used a fix that I found online and it's been working without issues since then.

@NintendoByNature Problems with the D-Pad, generally.

No mass manufactured product has a failure rate of 100%. I bought my Xbox 360 in the midst of the red ring epidemic and never had an issue, for example. Other people I knew went through five to ten 360s before they got one that didn't crap out.

@Luna_110 @Ralizah I'll admit the d pad does blow. Only Because of stiffness. I haven't noticed an input issue though. Now I'm interested to find out. I'll take a closer look this weekend

First footage of the Switch version of CTR:NF (note the lack of fur)

@NintendoByNature The D-Pad was pretty consistently flawed on that original run, where left and right often pressed diagonal instead. The updated models have a totally different feel to the D-Pad as well. The sticks also had high failure rates. Mine barely had use on it , and the stick had horrendous drift after just sitting there. I've had a lot of controllers with stick drift but they were abused by heavy use. Joycon included.... It was just that first few waves of them at launch. Starting with the XC2 model they fixed the D-Pad issue, and I haven't heard of as many stick issues since. (Another launch day one in the house, the stick works but feels odd and squeaks... That's a first for me on any controller.)

@Ralizah X360 (depending on which model you bought, anything pre-Jasper revision has the problem) does have a 100% failure rate. The nature of the problem was the use of pinless sockets combined with the switch to RoHS lead-free solder during the transition. The factory was still using soldering equipment set to the cooler temperatures of leaded solder, and thus never fully flowed the solder properly. Add to that the stresses of the pinless socket where the solder was holding the CPU on, and at some point, it will reach temperature flexes enough times the solder cracks. Not all of them failed, based on circumstances of insufficient use/temp change etc. But ultimately, if you use it sufficiently, 100% of them will crack because it was a consistent materials processing failure by "design"...not a percentage of flawed units, but the set temp on soldering didn't correctly flow the solder on any unit that out the door. Thus why the oven & towel trick worked.

Unless someone can confirm otherwise, it would appear that any and all versions of the Switch Pro Controller has this analogue stick defect built-in. It is often only a matter of time before the ‘drift’ issue begins to appear.

There’s folks online who have literally bought dozens of the things and demonstrated in videos how every one becomes prone to the drifting. It’s due to the material of the sticks themselves and the dust that gathers about them as they rub against the circular ring of the controller. This dust gets inside the controller and then causes input detection errors.

The error is clearly visible if you go into the calibration menu and most commonly, push up on the affected stick. The cursor will drop back to the centre and then often rise and fall of its own accord.

For the cost of a Switch Pro Controller, this issue is not acceptable in IMHO. I flat-out refuse to buy another one. Such a shame as I honestly really, really like the Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Cons.

Just wish Nintendo would accept responsibility and take whatever the financial hit and invest the time and decision-making to fix the issue at production level.

I adore the Switch and own two. But even as pro-Nintendo as I am, I think this poor experience with their controllers passed onto existing and presumably any future customer leaves a poor taste in the mouth.

To each his own though, @gcunit offers a different opinion and of course we may have different experiences/expectations with the hardware.

Stupid question I may already know the answer to. If it's an ongoing/common issue with the launch pro, after my d pad gets screwy as well as the sticks, will Nintendo warranty the fix? Even if I had the controller about a month or two after it launched

@NintendoByNature
Only if you are covered by warranty, same as any defects you have with the joy cons. If you're out of warranty, then they'll fix it but they'll charge you.

Hmm.

Anyway, I used mine pretty extensively that generation with no issue. Not obsessively, mind you, but more than a lot of people who were running into the issue.

Ultimately, I tend to be careful AND get lucky with my electronics.

@NintendoByNature In my limited contact with Nintendo UK, they not only refused to acknowledge this well documented design flaw with the Switch Pro Controller, they also refused to enter into any agreement regarding its repair (offered to pay them whatever they wanted) as I had owned it for over 12 months and didn’t buy it directly from Nintendo UK Store.

Now I do know others have used Nintendo’s repair service and only speak highly of it, so again experiences and opinions will vary.

But unless you bought your Pro from Nintendo directly and have owned it less than 24 months (Nintendo themselves give you two years warranty), I suspect you won’t get any helpful response from Nintendo at all.

But hey, I’m likely just pissed the woman I spoke with was so unhelpful.

@Luna_110 odds are I'm probabaly past the warranty due to the timing.

@Luna_110 I offered to pay for my Switch Pro Controller to be repaired by Nintendo UK as I was just outside the 12 months warranty period, they told me was offered by non-Nintendo outlets. They flatly refused to even consider such a scenario. Told me to take it back to the store and get the sales clerk to sort it out, lol!!!!