Digital Foundry and Eurogamer Break Down the Left Joy-Con Disconnect Issue

That's good news. I figured it just had to do with a signal being blocked.

I am reading that the update needs to be applied, and then the system rebooted with the joycon attached, in order for the update to fix the signal issue.
This would make sense, and is perhaps why some people think it doesn't work, as they are yet to do the reboot. Regardless, here's hoping this'll fix it tomorrow

I remember with my 360 if I bumped the controller or accidentally dropped it, it would shut off and lose its connection. Aggravating yes, but I could deal with it. I feel the same towards this left Joycon issue, maybe a little annoying but I see it not really being a big problem for me as long as the controllers aren't obstructed.

This has me very nervous

@JamesNighthawk the system reboots automatically. It should be noted for everyone that Digital Foundary really knows it's stuff so I'm inclined to believe them and regard anyone saying it's "fixed" as anecdotal. Of course as I'm sure someone will point out the reverse could be true

I will know for myself in 12 hours =)

Hope it's fixed - communication isn't exactly Nintendo's strong point, unfortunately!

From what I've read online, the issue seems to occur when the Joy-Con's (left, in particular) are being held like Wii Remotes - when they are attached to the central console, in the Grip, or being held sideways, they seem to function much better...

...certain games (eg. some 1-2-Switch mini-games) require players to hold the Joy-Con like you would a Wii Remote though - so hopefully this has been/will be patched soon!

It may not be fixable. Fingers crossed it can be.

@SuperNictendo Hmm that's a good point, I forgot that updates tend to force a reboot. Naturally, I am hopeful that there is something in the new firmware that isn't being triggered for everyone, hence the disparity in reports. Time will tell, once users number in the millions soon!

Nintendo needs to release a video on the fix for this ASAP. If its as simple as having the joycon attached to the system when updating, they need to make sure that is known otherwise there is going to be a lot of launch day backlash.

I'll find out for myself soon enough.

Also, I think this is 2 entirely separate issues here.

The whole "if I stand across the room and directly block line of site it stutters connection a bit" doesn't seem like the same problem to me. The "my left joycon suddenly lagged sitting directly in front of the TV without obstructing" seems like the real issue. And I think people are confusing the two as one.

This probably fixed the latter issue, while the former is just how it is using bluetooth.

@SuperNictendo It's worth pointing out that Digital Foundry posted this article yesterday with Eurogamer's Switch review, before the update was released.

In terms of the fix, people say you need to install the update, attach the Joy-con and then restart the console.

On a slightly unrelated note I watched your switch comparison video, but I'm wondering how big is the screen of the switch compared to the wii u screen?

@Miles_Edgeworth They're both 6.2"

@JamesNighthawk thanks for the info; I'm glad is fix since I really want to play ARMS and I want it to be perfect sync or at least 95%.

@ThomasBW84
How do I send you a tip for news I've not seen covered elsewhere?

Digital Foundry is avoiding answering whether or not they've tried rebooting the system with the Joy-Con attached. Since they have a history of claiming they're right even when contradicting evidence is brought up, I think they just forgot to reboot the system [with the Joy-Con attached] and are embarrassed that they messed up.

I really do hope this is fixed by a patch. I know lots of people think it's because the joy con isn't shooting out a strong signal due to battery saving so hopefully that's the case but that's really a guess at this point.

I sure hope the switch is a rock hard system... I hope Nintendo does not have a Xbox red ring of death situation on their hands I'm worried about long-term reliability of the switch as a whole, I have only had one Nintendo system break and that was my launch day wii which broke about 3 years later, my Wii U has been Flawless and all my other Nintendo systems have been flawless.

This is kind of unfortunate. I remember being able to still play Wii Bowling even if I went into a completely other room.

I remember my Wii remote becoming completely unresponsive in the early days. The suggested fix online was to bang it face down on the floor, which actually worked!!

I knew the update would fix it. There might be an isolated few cases where it hasn't, but at least the update confirms Nintendo's aware and is working on it. This certainly won't be the last update lol

@Miles_Edgeworth They have the same screen size. But it's overall slimmer and smaller than the Gamepad.

So in other words, Don't try and play while sticking you joycons anywhere.

"though some disagree"

The NDF has a strong presence.

Hopefully it'll get addressed soon. The problem could be an issue for players with big hands. It's not a game breaker for me though. It's a good thing a preordered a pro controller awhile back. All is well...

I really hope this will be fixable

@gatorboi352 They sure do lol. It's a shame for them to be extreme on an imaginary battlefield. Their sensitivity causes quite the chuckle though, at least recently speaking..

Digital Foundry have not confirmed if they attached the joy-cons when rebooting. I get that they are well-regarded experts, but the fact is they haven't confirmed their method and there are people posting videos showing the method works.

@the-madprofessor the article has an update that reads with today's date. And tl;dr for anyone who doesn't feel like reading the update..yes..joycons were attached. Hopefully Nintendo does SOMETHING. Even if it's something insane like replacing joycons

@8itmap_k1d In fact, someone asked them on Twitter if they had done that and they simply told them to "read the article" which is funny cause the article doesn't state if they did.

EDIT: Looks like they updated the article now.

I hope for all "day one" Switch owners that this is in fact fixed and does not become an issue.

I think I'll wait though, just to make sure.

So many nervous nellies

@idrawrobots You also remember using a sensor bar don't you........

I'll find out if it's an issue when I go to my brother's house to play the Switch tomorrow night!

@Ernest_The_Crab Yes, they've now changed the wording in the update. Yet I've also seen user videos showing the difference between before and after, testing ranges and "behind the back" play.

Guess we'll just have to hope we get lucky!

I really hope this isn't a problem for me though the furthest I'll be from the console is 3 metres so any disturbance should be minimal if anything. (I've got small hands and won't be playing with my hands behind my back)

@Nintendoforlife I never had an issue with the sensor bar. Wii Bowling didn't need the sensor bar at all anyway.

Two meters slight drops is a little concerning, but overall manageable i think.
Does the left JoyCon have any gadgets on board that could cause these issues ?
Id guesses its the NFC scanner, but afaik, thats in the right JoyCon.

I have this problem. Didn't know about it and so I let the console update without attaching the joycons. Now the left sometimes gets disconnected (I think if obstructed)

@idrawrobots A sensor bar was the only reason you were able to bowl. It picked up the sensors coming from your remote hence the name "sensor" bar. Without it your remote would do nothing whatsoever.

@SuperNictendo I had the problem before and after the update, but the reboot with the Joy-Con attached to the console worked for me. I have zero disconnection right now, even with my hand or body in front of the Joy-Con and at more than 2 meters.

@the-madprofessor that worked for me.

@setezerocinco thanks, I'll try me too

@SuperNictendo The system downloads the update, installs it, reboots und then has to be rebooted again with joycons attached. There ate videos out there showing the problem is fixed. It's pretty much confirmed and I'm convinced Eurogamer didn't reboot the system manually a second time.

@Nintendoforlife The sensor bar on the Wii was basically a couple of lights that your wiimote used to know where the screen was. The Wii used Bluetooth and the tech inside the remote only. Some people even used tea lights as a sensor bar.

@Nintendoforlife

That's not what the 'sensor' bar was for dude. It's nothing but two infra red beacons that the IR camera in the wii remote could easily distinguish. It was only for the pointer. Any actual motion sensing was done entirely within the wii remote.

I didn't think it would be fixed with the day one updated to be honest, which is just a shame really, especially considering that this is pretty big problem with the hardware. Hopefully it gets fixed soon though, and indeed actually can be fixed, or this is a MAJOR issue in my opinion. I mean, let's face it, if thing stops working for some people just because they're holding/covering "too much" of the Joy-Con during normal use then that's a series hardware design flaw as far as I'm concerned. Let's just pray it's either just some people being total morons in how the hold the Joy-Cons, which I actually doubt, or it's entirely fixable and will be fixed in the very near future. Nintendo. . . .

This is why I still haven't ordered a second set of Joy Cons YET. Not that I won't just that I want to be fully informed before I drop another $80. Instead I pre-ordered a $70 Pro Controller

For me the problem with the disconnection of the joycon is solved now. Remains the problem that the left analog sometimes freezes the input in one direction in desktop mode. My Link has already got 2 suicide from cliffs thanks to this

@Kalmaro Digital Foundry says NO.

How can that be good news????

@scamander FAKE videos showing the problem is fixed.

@liveswired Looks like people have been solving it via an update.

I'm sure it'll be fine, and if not, it will be fixed eventually.

Dunno where else to put this so I'll put it here and tag @JaxonH to get his thoughts, considering he figured Nintendo would never have this sort of situation occur on Switch:

http://www.polygon.com/2017/3/2/14790702/nintendo-switch-game-saves-backup-sd-card

It's actually worse than Wii U's management setup!

Heavy drops start to be encountered from only three meters away? That's hardly any distance at all! I remember the Wavebird and Wii Remotes being showcased as working up to ten meters... This doesn't bode well for home console enthusiasts. The NS is seeming more and more like a "mobile console"...

@gatorboi352 So basically, the way the system formats the SD card is meant to ensure copy protection, at the cost of convenience. (Maybe to change with a future update?) Bizarre...

I guess this is Nintendo's challenge to hackers/modders, considering every major homebrew backdoor installation process on the Wii and 3DS involves an SD card. "Try putting custom firmware on this! You can't even natively transfer the save data, so you can't manipulate it! Mwahahahaha!"

...Or it's just a sign the NS firmware and software handling isn't really ready for prime time, but is nevertheless being sent out with BotW to replace the Wii U ASAP.

Spawnwave on youtube didnt had any issues at all in his unboxing video

@gatorboi352
Think they could have stored them on carts like 3DS, BUT, then you'd lose your save if you sell the game. And Powersaves has put a scare into them with saves on cartridges, since that's how 3DS started getting hacked. edit Same for SD, which would be even more risk.

As it stands here, your save is always with you, unless you ever sell your system and rebuy. And that's not gonna cut it. I'm thinking they're going to implement cloud save backups, because then they ensure you can't mod a save file to hack, yet at the same time people can transfer saves to any device they buy down the line. That's the only solution that makes sense.

I suspect that could be part of the whole online sub (didn't we hear rumors of cloud saves? In fact I was actually under the impression we had them confirmed but apparently not).

So ya. Cloud saves are the solution, and tbh... something that needs to happen anyways. Nintendo knows people will break systems, buy new ones, upgrade to new models, etc, and they know they're going to have to figure this out... and sooner rather than later. Which is why the cloud saves coming with the online app makes sense but again, I'm just speculating here. That to me seems like a no brainer- if Nintendo doesn't do that they're going to be getting it from all sides when people start breaking a system and buying a new one and can't transfer saves

Bought Switch today from local store in Finland and sadly, the problem is real. Left Joy-Con lose contact couple of times during installation process. Left stick stopped working while entering text, put Joy-Cons into grip and works again... Distance to unit below 2 meters. Haven't even tried to play Zelda yet...

I attended to midnight launch to pickup my Switch system preorder. And I tested the Joy-Cons from the IGN video, and I have no issues at all with neither controllers before and after the update.

[PROBLEM SOLVED] Rebooted the system after update, and played Shovel Knight about 1 hour without problems. Tiny controls feel weird, but getting used to them. System update & downloading from e-shop was FAST. I like it a lot.

Would it be considered "blocked" if I have my Switch set up to my right instead of in front of me?

Due to my entertainment system's setup, it made more sense to get a longer HDMI and set it up next to me. However, if I need to have it pointed at the Switch, I may need to reconsider...

@N-Gage tiny controls? how do you mean?

Strange that everyone seems to think an update will fix this. My money is on a hardware issue. Perhaps even a major design flaw. I'm pressing the big red panic button and will halt buying a switch until it comes with fully functioning joy-cons.

@gatorboi352 Very small sticks and buttons.

@N-Gage ah, yes. of course! Sad really.

@Aneira that's paranoid. It went millions of tests. This if anything is a small glitch easily fixed. They can literally do almost anything with online fixes to the firmware.

This sounds more like a hardware problem, I doubt any firmware upgrade will solve that. For some reason, the left Joycon is probably just more prone to interference.
I don't know what went wrong with the Joycons, but I have a similar problem with my Blackberry Priv and my Bluetooth headphones. I've never had any issues with other phones or my PC, but with the Priv, the audio gets interrupted if I put on slightly thicker pants or a jacket. It's not even one meter away! Meanwhile, with my PC's Bluetooth, I can easily move ten metres away, so obviously the Bluetooth chip on Blackberry phones is inferior to the industry standard.
Maybe the Joy-Cons also have inferior Bluetooth chips on them?

Didnt fix anything, i updated my Switch with the joycons attached and even rebooted it aswell the same. The left joycon is brutally unreliable. And makes playing Zelda on the TV beyond frustrating.

Mine doesn't appear to have the issue. Even from several meters from the Switch unit and held behind my back pointing way from the system, the left joycon was functioning as it should on the calibration test and Super Bomberman R.

@Kalmaro They haven't, it has since been shown as a design flaw. Epic fail by penny-pinching Nintendo

@liveswired They were dead set on making the console $300, guess this is the result.