Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con Disconnection Woes Could Be Hardware-Related

Inb4 Yasume or someone else starts shouting doom and gloom.
Though seriously, this is why you wait to get consoles-- make sure all the little hardware and software kinks are worked out.

If this does turn out to be true, Nintendo is gonna have to play the refund game.

hey guys, this is one of the many reasons to not get a new system on launch. ill wait for them to iron out the kinks so i dont have to settle for a defective shoddy modified system.
it doesnt pay to get one just to show off on videos.
lets see that tainted system!

I feel the pain of that left joycon. I hope they fix it and I hope they offer an exchange and fast!!!! Also, make more pro controllers. I want one and can't find one.

My JoyCons work perfectly even when I'm standing way across the room with them behind my back, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was hardware related.

All you people waiting till Nintendo irons out all the kinks can thank all the people that already bought one so they can find these issues out. Otherwise if we had your attitude no one would buy the system and Nintendo would be really doomed.

With that said I've yet to experience any issues whatsoever. If offered a new controller then of course I would except but till then I'm good!

@ogo79 very good point , unfortunately the excitement of a new system launch blinds our thinking lol

Thank god I havent had this issue at all! One thing about Nintendo, is their great customer service. When the top loading NES-2 had video issues with the RF adapters, early 1990s, people sent those in and Nintendo fixed them by replacing the RF output with composite outputs. Those consoles are now highly priced collectors items.

Im not suggesting joycons that loose the sink will become valuable, but given Nintendos typical service, I don't doubt it will be fixed, one way or another.

Amazing! I'm going to repair mine just like this guy did! Thanks NintendoLife! I know some people at my work that can solder so I bet they'll do a great job. Plus I'm A QC Inspector so I'll know what a good solder looks like.

Considering the amount of complaints pouring in about this particular shortcoming, I'm guessing this kind of antenna extension would be up for fixing with the first minor hardware revision.

But for now, Nintendo might have to concentrate on meeting demand in the regions the system is selling out. So quite many non-ideal devices might yet roll off the production line.

When people buy new products at launch most of us know well and truly that there lies the risks of hardware issues. That doesn't make many of us regret our purchases so frankly get off your high horses or do we have to kick the footstool for you?

Back on topic, if it does turn out to be a hardware issue this is disappointing. As I mainly play with the Pro controller or with the Joycons attached it has yet to affect me, although may have experienced it briefly yesterday when fiddling but not confirmed. Nonetheless, would be a major potential issue when playing Arms or future motion based titles.

@oatmealwarrior92
oh i totally understand that at the same time. im just one of those people that knows nothing is perfect lol.
and theres a catch to everything. call it consumer experience

I've played a couple dozen hours of Zelda and I have yet to experience a disconnect. Either I'm lucky, or it's not the massive problem everyone is making it out to be.

Lol. Doesn't this totally void the warranty.

There is always a risk adopting tech early. It's just the way it is.

The article is correct though, if this can be proved as a hardware fault, Nintendo will have some thinking to do. How many people are going to buy faulty hardware if they are aware of it?

Seriously, Google Nintendo Switch. All you get are negatives about the consoles hardware.

I don't believe this is the issue one bit. I have zero Joycon issues until my pro controller is connected - when connected my "left" side of the pro controller has the random disconnects people complain about the left joycon. Worse though, switching to Joycon and my right Joycon gets stuck moving in a down right position and can't aim correctly in Zelda.

No pro controller connected and I have zero issues. There has to Be a bug in there somewhere they need to iron out.

Also people have complained about right Joycon issues - and to counter the guys theory - adding ANY form of extended antenna will clearly help with range. This would have been tested for range before launch and it happens to select people. Too random for a hardware defect.

@Spoony_Tech

"All you people waiting till Nintendo irons out all the kinks can thank all the people that already bought one so they can find these issues out. Otherwise if we had your WISDOM no one would buy the system and Nintendo would be really doomed. With that said I've yet to experience any issues whatsoever. If offered a new controller then of course I would except but till then I'm good!"

I corrected it for you.

In the words of Steve Jobs, "You're holding it wrong!"

Apple issued bumpers... Any chance that would work here?

@ogo79
this is exactly the press Nintendo does NOT need
"hey everybody don't buy a Switch right now". lol
but I'm totally with you.

Solution - whether they think it's their problem or not - is probably for Nintendo to say/do SOMETHING to correct the problem and appease the masses or things like this, scratching, etc. are going to severely inhibit future sales.

No disconnects whatsoever for me. Condolences to those suffering this terrible affliction.

This is the risk you take by getting a console at launch, unfortunately. I'm glad I've avoided the majority of these problems with my launch system. Hope the afflicted people have their issues solved, and that it doesn't linger like the Xbox 360's red ring debacle.

@ogo79 disagree. I'm still playing my Switch, and if there are hardware or software issues I just get my free replacement. No reason to punish myself by not having one because there might be issues that the company will just fix anyway.

Got my Switch from the UK Nintendo Store so have 2 year warranty on my Switch. Been testing the console all day today, no dead pixels, speakers are fine on the console itself, the joy-cons work fine at 20 feet with no disconnects, it's been smooth so far. I remember PS4 and XB1 having teething issues at launch with bad batches and firmware issues etc, nothing new here.

@speedracer216
hahaha

@Spoony_Tech
Actually the issues should be found during product testing.

Thankfully I'm waiting after being scalded alive numerous times previously by Nintendo and I'll buy the new iteration when it inevitably arrives solving all the guinea pigs problems. Hopefully we get the black Shovel Knight dev kit version. And why not? It's the best looking Switch version yet.

A similar improvement from the original 3DS to New 3DS XL would be ideal.

I've had some issues with one of my two sets of joycons, left one. But it's only occasionally. That is of course not an excuse for faulty hardware. If this turns out to be the case, they'll have to replace them, it's that simple. Warranty is for production defects, and this would be an obvious case of such then.

The headline made me spit out my drink in utter surprise...nooooooon way, really? How come in your extensive Bomberman review you didnt notice anything.
Joke all this..u knew it before..love that journalism

Edit: i posted you the solution before..but i guess we have to wait until the "normal" clients say "hey..wait a moment..somethings not right here..my money gone..my hardware doesnt work"..cause none of the.fanboys did...instead its like "guys, move your arm 45 degrees, dont try fish with curry and avoid wine with beer" ...then it "`works"..in 2017...and u waited already 5 days to "understand" that

@Honelith yep, no issues here, either, but I did get a DOA PS4 at launch, and so did a bunch of people.

(This doesn't excuse it if it's a hardware problem, for Nintendo, but a little perspective would be nice.)

I don't have this issue at all. I put my Switch next to my router, PC, Xbox, and printer and without issue it worked from 20 feet away behind a wall. I feel like this only affected some of the units.

@callmeking17 i agree, i just asked Reggie...he didnt confirm but just nodded his head

So this is not the final verdict but a very interesting find.

I've only had the Switch for four days and have yet to see any problems with my left Joy-Con. Then again, I've only used it when in portable mode. While docked to the TV, I use my Pro Controller

Have had zero issues, also won't most people play with the pro controller anyways when at home?

@idork99 u sure u didnt buy the nvidea switch by mistake?...sorry shield

I'm now hearing reports that if you use the joy cons in a room with an unspayed cat, he/she will spontaneously combust.

@CrazedCavalier IF they get worked out. This being Nintendo, they might never be, otherwise they would acknowledge it and tell players that they're going to fix it and reissue new JoyCons to anyone experiencing difficulties, but no. Instead they tell you that it's your fault if you have an aquarium or laptop or whatever, you need to get rid of those.

How did this problem NOT arise during the thousands of hours of play-testing Nintendo (should have) performed? You really have to wonder what's going with this company sometimes.

Not saying the problem doesn't exist but, my joycons have given me zero problems. I performed the same test that GameXplain did like putting the left one behind your back or covering it while moving the joystick and no matter what it works perfectly fine for me and I couldn't replicate the issue. That does make it lean more towards hardware oriented but maybe it's only a few select consoles that are affected and Nintendo can simply do a recall on the models of left joycons that they figured out were affected. Its a problem for every new technology; computers, video game systems, TVs, the first iteration always has a few hiccups and then things start to even out later. The Xbox 360 had the red ring of death and ended up being incredibly successful. Even the PS3 had the yellow light of death which wasn't as apparent but still an issue. And a lot of problems with early disc based systems too from the 90s like the Sega CD/Mega CD. Anyways, my point is that it's definitely a shame for those who have the issue but not an end of Nintendo. They're only just getting started with the Switch and have a long ways to go.

Nintendo should release a "Fixed version" of Switch in different color. Let's say White and Blue Nintendo Switch with same price as Black one but with more polished, updated version and sturdier material. I will gonna buy White Nintendo Switch once it launched.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Totally agree, and one of the crazy things about hardware locked saves. I mean, Nintendo ALWAYS has different iterations of its systems, even more so for portables.

No doubt whether now or later there will be a Switch XL or at least different colors (like Gamecube, etc.) Yet..... save data can't transfer? I know people are saying cloud, but unless that cloud is FREE it doesn't help.

I can still play saves (battery permitting) on NES and SNES without paying someone to transfer them or paying for online service to transfer them. I buy the game, I play the game, done.

So far mine have been fine; however, the official troubleshooting steps that Nintendo gave made me think this was hardware. All of their tips were ways to avoid interference, whereas that would not be effective for software troubleshooting/isolation.

"...the left Joy-Con's antenna is built directly into the circuit board itself and runs up the top outside edge - right next to where the controller usually rests in your hand."

"...Spawn Wave also notes that the antenna is sitting alongside a piece of metal, which may result in additional interference."

There ain't no patch for that. The only thing you can do is get your hands dirty and open 'er up for a fixing session, just as it was for the ol' X360 X-clamp contributing towards or causing overheating. This is definitely an engineering oversight. Smooth move, Nintendo, you're in the company of Microsoft now. 😆

@ all the comments saying, "this is what you have to deal with for early adopters..."

I call total BS, no Nintendo product I've ever gotten (which were almost all at or near launch) ever had a potentially critical engineering flaw like this. Looks like it was a good thing to wait for a year or more on getting an NS...

Strange note: i have this issue to a minor degree, but only in Breath of the Wild. I just played through the first cup in FAST RMX with no issues at all. Is heat a factor? It doesn't show up right away in BOTW, and the entire cup in FAST rmx only took 7 minutes. Could be a soldering issue.

is anyone even having this problem in real life and not trying to force it to happen?

@speedracer216 neither 3DS nor Wii U had system transfers at launch. they always add it later.

I haven't had this issue yet. Wonder how or what these people are doing to get this problem.

@manu0 of course they are fake, we aquarium people know this...freaking fish made me restart all my previous 1-2-pullmyfinger "game"saves...

Dont be shy, i tried but failed, now all Nintendo trust is on you....explain HOW to use this nasa equiptment with no issues?

Its like jeopardy....its the 300 question.....For 300 ..."how you dont mess up your switch nojoy-cons connections?"...now all hum along ...

@liljmoore same here, crazy...i think these people make this up

@Ichiban Well yeah but Nintendo has in their mission statement that they hate cats and plan to kill them all.

As for the article topic, people are going to have to wait until April 1 before Nintendo decides to replace the joy cons. It will put a hurt on the bottom line and they'll want it in the next fiscal year.

@ogo79 I don't have these issues.

Weird...I haven't had any issues at all. When I got the system I immediately plugged in the adapter then plugged in the Switch Screen with Joycons plugged in. Let it sit 2 hours. Then I docked the screen and disconnected the joycons. I messed with the system for about an hour. Took the screen out of the dock and plugged in the joycons. I shut everything down plugged in the adapter and let it charge over night. Since then the most I have played is 3 hours in a sitting and the Joycons didn't even lose any charge. So far I have been charging the Joycons over night but I haven't seen them lose any charge yet. I have also not been disconnected

Nintendo really needs to address this asap. More and more people with faulty Joy cons in their hands will only increase the problem of exchanging them. Completely unacceptable. No excuses. This should've never happened.

20, 30 feet. Who has a living with 30 feet? How big is your tv? I have a maybe 15 ft max ever and a 51 inch tv. Well, in my tiny little house, j have had 0 issues with my switch or anything related to it. I've been putting it through its own set of tests this week and right now I'm playing it as a tablet with the procontroller to see battery life is different then with attached joycons.

Sounds like it is the fault of the manufacturer not Nintendo. It'll be interesting to see how Nintendo handles this issue.

@faint
im definitely glad you dont

Whatever happened to sending it to Nintendo for repair?

Haven't had a single problem with this.

No problem here either, which leads me to believe that its a production batch error.
Did anyone curate the error reports and see where they were coming from (locationwise) ?

And stuff like this is why I wait a year or so before I buy a new console

@Equinox Oh you better bet this little boi will try it at home, I am pretty decent with a soldering iron

I have had no problems with my Switch. Is this kind of thing widespread? I have no Joycon issues, dead pixels, etc. (knock on wood)

@ogo79 Hopefully they do rev up a the version that won't get people on the internet saying "THE LEFT ONE IS NOT RIGHT!" ironed out b4 the launch of Spla2-I mean, Splatoon 2, when I was planning on getting a Switch, but my Sister is using my B-day as an excuse to get one maybe in about a week, go figure ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) skating I said, lol

@Spoony_Tech exactly. I had no issues, for me this is completely imaginary. I do use the Pro a lot though. Anyway, those suggesting to buy the console later, yeah, real smart, except then there will be other games and I'll never get to properly play Zelda BOTW. It happened before.. you wait you buy consoles years later and then you have no time to play so many games you would have wanted. Very little time. Lots of cool Nintendo games. Lots of Zelda games too.'

Incidentally, if this is an actual issue with my left joy con (and my TV is much closer than 30 feet or 20 feet so I can't see how it will ever be even if this is all true....), by the time this ever becomes an issue I imagine I will have a few more left joycons hanging around, and from the imaginary hyptohesis here they might be "fixed" (just looking at the number of different colored wii remotes I bought).

@DBPirate no, not anymore than the myriad of imaginary issues that inflicted all other consoles every launch... it's the internet (so something affecting 0.01% of the demographic looks huge).

@brutalpanda you're missing the point. It doesn't matter if this is an actual problem in the practical sense... it matters in the sense of obsessive people who like to imagine stuff/complain about video game consoles or Nintendo and so on.. the audience here is not... very typical. You have to walk all over to the neighbor, then use the joycon behind your back, lift your left leg, right hand, while titling your head upward and have someone scratch your nose at the same time - then it, sometimes, maybe, not positively, but certainly in the realm of remote possibility, loses connection for some people or so some people have heard and it's a BIG BIG issue.

This sucks. I do have the problem but only holding the Joy Con separately in each hand. In the grip I do not experience the problem. Hopefully they can fix this issue with a revision and replace the ones that are already out. Honestly though I wasn't expecting the grip to be comfortable at all, but surprisingly it is. It took a little getting used to coming from the Dualshock 4.

My experience is that it will drop connection on occasion, but only when there's something obstructing the signal between the system and the controller. It's almost like it's IR and needs clear line-of-sight. Still, all I have to do is keep my knee down and it works just fine.

@Equinox

Not without a competent adult you mean.

I had a slight problem getting the right one to come on after charging then found there was a little reset button in the middle, pressed it and hey presto it came on.

@OzHuski I agree. It is too random. Nintendo have a good track record of ace-ing the hardware. The cause of the problem stated sounds like it would have been too much of an oversight.

It seems strange that lots of people commenting on here don't seem to be having any problems with this. Maybe this is a stupid theory but maybe certain people cause the interference with their bodies. I've heard that some people can't wear battery powered watches because their bodies somehow drain the battery or something like that. Maybe that is an urban legend but I suppose it is possible that for some their bodies are not ready.

Of course it's hardware related. A software fix rarely solves the worlds problems.

Mine hasn't disconnected once. o.o

@Spoony_Tech Of course,we have to thank the guinea pigs. Thank you guinea pigs.

It'll be interesting to see how Nintendo handles this one. They will need to replace the faulty hardware in the minority of cases where it's occurring. But presumably they will have to insist that customers send back both cons, to avoid crafty people claiming free extra controllers...

This has been obvious from the moment the first issue occurred. How on earth was a software update EVER going to magically make the connection stronger? Shame on sites like NL for peddling the 'patch' myth, also shame on you for only ranking this damning flaw as 'fair-ish' in your silly article.

I used to think this site was objective, but the past week has shown its true colours as a fanboy dishrag.

It's nice to see Spawn Wave making his appearance here at Nintendo Life hahahah I love that guy

Just to point out, spawnwave stated he didn't have any problems with his joycons previously and had the same range as his ps4 controller. After this hack, it doubled.
If it was completely a hardware thing everyone would have the problem, but they don't. The majority seem to be fine, so I still think it could be a software bug.

Regardless, for those effected, I'm sure Nintendo will sort it either with software or exchange when the culprit is definitively tracked down. No need to stress.

i was having major issues with my left joy con all Friday and Saturday, it was so bad (disconnecting every 20 minutes) I could only play in portable mode but then I moved my dock (it was in a cupboard with my router, sky box and xbox) and haven't had a issue since!

@gokev13
Urban legend ?
Hm... sounds mysterious...
Maybe some people here have different fates when they got Switch.
Some of them are Lucky, the other are Unlucky.
Lucky will keep the machine fine but Unlucky will cause several troubles when they get the machine.
I don't know how to say but.... something mysterious happens.
Can't described by words.

@Mogster I see a comments section full of people above you saying they've never had problems, so this is obviously something that's going to vary from person to person.

Besides which, the article you're referencing does explicitly acknowledge a full half-dozen complaints about the system as valid, and you even undersell their acknowledgement of this one, which they currently give a rating of 'Valid/Fair-ish' instead of your claim that they only rate it fair-ish.

It really isn't my place to condemn your condemnation of N Life's unprofessionality, since I was in a similar position just a few days ago over on their sister site Push Square, but I'll be darned if it doesn't seem like you have a massive axe to grind.

@manu0 "is anyone even having this problem in real life and not trying to force it to happen?"

So basically what you're saying is... people are just holding the Joycons the wrong way?

This console is looking more rushed by the day.

Can't say I've had any problems with mine, although I've not played it as much as I'd like and I spend most of my time looking at the Game Over screen on Zelda.

All you people waiting till Nintendo irons out all the kinks can thank all the people that already bought one so they can find these issues out. Otherwise if we had your attitude no one would buy the system and Nintendo would be forced to test the system properly, and drop the price to something reasonable.

@Mogster Personally, I think something is going on behind the scenes, relating to what Nintendo allows the press to output when they're in a particular insider program. This has gradually changed how NL and other such sites operate, over the past year or so. We just didn't notice it until it became blatantly obvious. It didn't used to be like this...

Also, as XCWarrior hinted, the NS launch was pushed to the brink at March, not just because it wasn't fully ready last holiday (or even today), but because the first month burst from a much anticipated Nintendo console will greatly pad the final quarter of their fiscal year.

Nintendo tried and failed with the 3DS first year to make this type of March launch tactic work out, and were forced to scramble to rectify the situation. Based on the chain of events, I thought history was going to repeat itself here, but the influence of media channels is much stronger now than it was 6 years ago. I don't know if that level of consumer autonomy will resurface this time.

@Franklin "Otherwise if we had your attitude no one would buy the system and Nintendo would be forced to test the system properly, and drop the price to something reasonable."

You mean... like the early 3DS situation... which radically helped it change course, and also prompted it to be more affordable, and subsequently successful. And the problem with that was...?

No problems with any of my 6 joy con. . . No Problems with any of my New Nintendo SWITCH software or Hardware - it all works Beautifully. ..

Not had a single issue with my Switch or any of its Joy-Con controllers. Unless you class not being able to stop playing on it an issue.

@CrazedCavalier wait, so, you are pointing the finger at the customers?

I'd just love at this point to actually have Nintendo respond to these hardware issues. They don't feel dissimilar to a car salesman at this moment in time.

I hate apologists!

@WolfyWardark whether you have are not, MANY others have had. It's not always about just you, you know?

@PlywoodStick

Yes, my point.

Happy to hear this doesn't effect everyone. However, why are there so many comments sticking up for Nintendo? I just don't get this style of group think! They released faulty hardware that is negatively effecting quite a large portion of their consumer base. It is their duty to offer refunds and sort this out.

@Damo could you set up a poll to see how many of us have actually had hardware issues? I'd be curious to see if there are a lot of people with these issues or if they are just jumping on the bandwagon.

In a way, I'm almost glad I couldn't afford one of these at launch. I may have ended up with this problem. Definitely will wait until all issues are smoothed out.

This is a minor issue compared to the widespread issues regarding WiFi and Console crashes.
Replacing left joy-con's is a lot cheaper than an entire console.

I seriously wish companies would stop sourcing crap from Broadcom! They are a terrible component supplier with shoddy hardware and drivers!

I wouldn't be surprised these Joy-con issues are related to this as well, since it's a Broadcom Bluetooth chip!

I understand people waiting to buy it. Im also waiting but more because i still have a lot of 3ds games to finish. But if everybody would be waiting for 'childhiks' then the switch would be a flop right now as would any other console because stuff like this happend with other consoles at launch too, nintendo or not. Besides, if there wouldnt be early adopters then we wouldnt have known about these issues on a consumers basis. So its al very contradicting.

No issues here. Both my joy-con haven't disconnected once. But if I do get an issue of some sort, I'll just get a replacement sent through Nintendo. No big deal.

I think issues like this shouldnt happen. Wonder what nintendo will do about it...
This and the screen scratching dock were the reasons why I eventually postponed my purchase of the switch (had a very good offer on monday with zero interest installments!!!)

@Andrzej777 What Nintendo will do about it?
If you check their support site, they are blaming us the user, as we should clear the room, including aquarium so only the TV and dock remain. /lol

This is kind of a behaviour I have come to expect from Apple, not Nintendo and seeing how widespread this is becoming, next to the widespread WiFi issues people are experiencing... I don't think Nintendo can hold that ignorant stance much longer.
Especially with the internet and youtube an people tearing apart every piece of hardware, so flaws like these get exposed much more easily these days.

If Nintendo has any care for their reputation it would suit them to redesign/update the left joy-con with better antenna and offer a replacement program for people that have issue and want to replace their left joy-con.
Especially since the left joy-con can apparently be easily retrofitted with a better antenna and put back into a refurbishment program.

Hell, a lot of large retailers have their own technical support and could (with permission from Nintendo) take back left joy-con's from people who wish to and retrofit an antenna as support service. That would be cheaper for Nintendo.

YouTube hacker?! He didn't hack YouTube!

@Agent721 Yes but to be fair if this is a hardware fault they would need to replace them or refund according to law as they are not fit for the purpose in which they were sold. So whether NIntendo's customer service is good or not, it would be irrelevant in this case...

@Jeronan
I thought you were joking - then I saw it for myself! - they even say to turn of mobile phones! Funny, cause if they are planning to include mobiles in their silly voice chat plan...

It pays to wait. There's not much worth playing right away.

Come Christmas time when Mario Odyssey hopefully launches; (and who knows what else after E3) guarantee the kinks will be ironed out.

@manu0 Both my sister and I got Switches at launch. We were playing Zelda, Snipperclips, and Shovel Knight with my joy-cons, and mine (left one) kept giving me trouble. I paired my sister's with my console and guess what... problem solved.

I couldn't play anywhere further than 3 ft. with mine, and hers reached all the way to the counter behind the kitchen (12-15 ft. away). Called Nintendo and put a repair order. People aren't making this stuff up.

@subpopz You don't have to check online.

I received a faulty unit and need to return it as it completely crashed and died on me within a couple hours of use.
I called the store's customer support and they have already received over a dozen returns due to faulty units within last two days. They have so far shipped just over a hundred units, so that is more than a 10% failure rate from this store's shipment.
This is just one store out of many in my country alone.

I am not saying that it will be 10% failure rate world wide, ( I'm seriously not waiting for another red ring of death fiasco!) as different production batches go to different countries and my country seems to be obviously affected by bad batch.

But there are issues and it's more widespread than people think.
Just because your Switch isn't affected (lucky you and I am happy for you), doesn't mean there aren't problems!

@KirbyTheVampire And mine drop connection all the time with a clear line of site at around only 10 feet away =/ When I called Nintendo support, they mentioned doing a repair, and the agent assured me it was a hardware issue. This wasn't first level support, I got escalated to someone's direct line. That was the first time I heard anyone from Nintendo confirm it was hardware related. I'm still hoping the issue can be partially resolved via firmware updates, AND they do a recall for affected Joy-Con.

@Jeronan At the same time, people spreading information that would imply a 10% failure rate makes the problem seem worse than it is. And I say this as someone severely affected by the left joy-con disconnect issues. I know you clarified you didn't mean a 10% global failure rate, but people are stupid and read what they want to read =)

I'll reserve judgement until Nintendo has a chance to react. Unfortunately, things like this happen to every company. Nintendo gave me a Pro Controller at half price shipped overnight, and provided an overnight shipping label to return my left joy-con for repairs (Which I haven't done yet). As long as Nintendo is reacting responsibly (Which they have in my case) I'm not going to be too upset. It's disappointing, sure, but it happens to everyone.

Quite amused by the 'I'm alright Jack' comments.

This is just more fuel for my argument I'm having with my two sons about waiting to buy a Switch in October/November/December. It's not like were missing out on something that is time sensitive. Don't get me wrong, I would buy and play Zelda today if I had a Switch but that game will still be on the shelves a year from now and there isn't online play that is dependent on people playing online together. Games that have online should be purchased upon release so that you can enjoy the game while people are still playing it.

@Franklin Ah hah, I see what you meant now... My bad.

@Shellcore Didn't you know? Nintendo doesn't have to spend millions upon millions of dollars on PR damage control, they have a massive volunteer base to do that for them...

@dkxcalibur That's very democratic of you. My parents told me to only ask for big presents for birthday, milestone graduation events, end of year holiday, and that's it. No big presents otherwise. (April and December, and occasionally June, in my case.)

@Jeronan "Nintendo Switch only, no aquariums, Final microwave use near the console Destination!"

@ironside1911 You just asked Reggie? Just like that? Do you have an office next to him? Lol

@Anti-Matter I imagine that some people buy the switch and after happily playing for a bit the screen goes black. They then hear the Happy Mask Salesman laughing as the words, "You've met with a terrible fate haven't you?" appear on the screen. Then their left joy con starts disconnecting.

@datamonkey

Not all companies issue refunds or follow the law. Look how long it took for MSFT to acknowledge the RRoD! And that compromises the entire system. Some of you on here sound quite young.

@BinaryFragger

Nintendo is definitely no longer what they used to be, thats for sure. They seem to have lost their path.
Maybe they have realized they dont need to be better than the competition or something when it comes to reliability. Think about x360 rod , still sold very well... its actually an overall trend. If things break easily new stuff will be sold. If things last forever, well....

@PlywoodStick To be honest, we've saved money that was gifted to us for Christmas to buy the Switch so some of that money belongs to them. However, all three of our birthdays fall between August 31st and October 27th so I making the push for buying one on Black Friday in November. By then, all these kinks being reported will be worked out and by then Splatoon and Mario should both be out.

I've not been a victim of theft, so theft must not exist.

@Andrzej777 Riiiiiight. That whole "greatest game ever" thing that came out the other day wasn't Nintendo, that was some OTHER developer who HASN'T "lost their path" lol.

@SheldonRandoms
THE RIGHT ONE IS NOT LEFT!
yeah im not one to figure sk8 i mean skate myself.
thats terrible

@Spoony_Tech

Or we could have expected Nintendo would be aware of the issue before release and resolve it.

If you want to be a beta tester, that's fine. I'm not sure it's deserving of our thanks as much as Nintendo's.

If it were software they'd have it patched already. it is hardware. my nephew and I have the same problem. I've almost returned it and have it posted on Craigslist and will sell for the right price. I just really do enjoy Zelda. I just don't think it's right to be sold faulty hardware. So far Nintendo is silent too and I'm not happy.

@thesilverbrick Distance is the key. How far from the Switch are you? My nephew and I are between 8 and 12 or so feet from the console. Even closer it will drop if you even let a body part pass in between the joycon and console.