Following on from Nintendo's statement yesterday, Vice Games has reportedly revealed internal documentation at the video game company is now instructing support service representatives to repair drifting Joy-Con for free and refund any customers who previously paid to have one of their faulty controllers fixed.
Customers will no longer be requested to provide proof of purchase for Joy-Con repairs. Additionally it is not necessary to confirm warranty status. If a customer requests a refund for a previously paid Joy-Con repair [...] confirm the prior repair and then issue a refund.
The source who provided Vice with this information was familiar with Nintendo's updated customer support documentation and wished to remain anonymous, as they have no authorisation to speak publically about the matter.
In yesterday's update, Nintendo acknowledged the recent reports that "some Joy-Con controllers" were not responding correctly and advised any Switch users experiencing this issue to visit the support page for assistance.
At Nintendo, we take great pride in creating quality products and we are continuously making improvements to them. We are aware of recent reports that some Joy-Con controllers are not responding correctly. We want our consumers to have fun with Nintendo Switch, and if anything falls short of this goal we always encourage them to visit http://support.nintendo.com so we can help.
What do you think about this? Have you experienced Joy-Con drift issues yourself? Leave a comment below.
[source vice.com]
Comments 159
Closing the barn door with used sticky tape after the horse has bolted.
@Brutchie-bear source?
It's not enough, some people are dead set on getting a brand new pair of joycons or a brand new switch to go along with it out of this...
Hopefully this means that they are completely fixing the issue as well with these new repairs...
They fixed mine for free even after warranty before this. All the people complaining either didnt bother calling customer service or NOA is more generous than other regions. Either way I'm gonna buy the purple and orange so I dont get confused with my roommates joycons
(....my comment was deleted apparently? :/ )
Maybe I'll send mine in...dunno, I just have it stored away somewhere gathering dust now. >.>
EDIT: ...Never mind, different article apparently...wat? lol
Weirdly enough, I have not yet experienced Joy-Con drift. Not sure if mine were a fluke or if the build quality is a little higher.
Only time I've ever had to send in a Joy-Con to be repaired so far was when I was having connection issues with my right one. They were able to look at it for free because I mentioned I didn't have money, even though I said REPEATEDLY that I would be willing to pay for the repair when I have the money.
This is great for all of us. We the nintendo fans win.
Well done to the Nintendo community.
And thank you nintendo for listening
How much you want to bet that this is because a certain class action lawsuit moved forward?
While I haven't experience Joy-Con drifting, will say this is good news. If I did have hardware trouble like drifting, I would call up Nintendo's customer support anyway, and see what my repair options are.
Years ago, I had to get a new DS Lite fixed as the A button stopped responding, and had trouble with a GBA D-Pad. Gave me no trouble with repairs. I have confidence with their customer service.
this is a good first step, but still a bummer for people who are unable to contact nintendo from other countries. hopefully their next step is fixing the actual build of joycons so the problem can finally be put to rest
Goooood. I’ll send mine in. Started about 3 months ago with my launch joy con.
I actually have this issue with my original gray joycons and yellow joycons. I might send them in if this is the case.
Have 3 sets and none drift, honestly I must just be lucky. This is great for people who have had the issue!
Good on them. Gives me a little peace of mind if mine start to drift.
@Brutchie-bear My stalk joy con had drift issues so I replaced it with the splatoon ones and once again have drift issues. That’s several models apart my guy.
I guess this is one way to "solve" the problem, without really solving it. And to make matters worse, Nintendo Customer Support/warranty repair outside the US and Europe is terrible (takes forever, sometimes returns products without repair)
I think I definitely share the same feelings as that random redditor who's post reached the Front Page of r/NintendoSwitch with 27,000 upvotes a couple of days ago:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/cczxwz/i_know_its_been_said_a_billion_times_but_nintendo/
"And before someone says 'Contact Nintendo and have them repair it' I shouldn’t have to spend $4 and two weeks without my Joycons for them to just come back and break again in 4 months.
I know I’m probably going to be downvoted into oblivion but as a loyal consumer who’s bought every single Nintendo console bar the Wii U and who’s seen the difference in quality between the handhelds and systems it baffles me and honestly genuinely upsets me how they could allow this issue to exist for 2 years now not even a slight adjustment to try and alleviate the wear and tear"
@Brutchie-bear Comments like this make me wish the dislikes weren't capped.
Good news for us that had to replace or pay to repair our Joy-Cons. After reading some of the horror stories, I began to wonder when I'd see the dreaded drift again!
To everyone wondering about the lawsuit's utility: Do you understand now? Those were some quick results. Ideally, though, I'd like to see a Joy-Con followup released that doesn't have graphite contact pads.
Bought the pink/green pair when my launch left joycon started to drift to the point of stuff being unplayable. At least they’re offering this, but I already tossed the joycon. Ah well.
They are going to fix them for free, refund anyone who paid, and do so even if they are out of warranty. Good on Nintendo for doing the right thing. This is plenty.
But no, some people think they deserve a free new set instead?
You want a pony too? Get over yourself! My lord!
Great news, my launch set of joy con's has always been slightly iffy, the left stick has always had a mind of its own.
I bought a spare Neon set which I've never had an issue with so naturally I tend to use that set of often than not
Hopefully Nintendo makes an update to fix disconnection. Make it so when one joycon is detached, it stays connected to the system.
@misterflipnote It's not a fluke, it's just not a universal problem. Common, but not universal.
Will ask again to send them in when I hear official confirmation of this.
So I fixed my own, breaking one in the process. Anything for me?
Cool will call them in the morning!
That is one step forward.
Now I think I can deal with my left joycon at least one more time.
It's nice to know I can fix the 2 Joy-Con pairs I have with drift at no extra cost.
Right on...but how about a permanent solution?
I sent my Switch in for repair (an unrelated, self-caused issue) about a year ago. My Switch was outside of its warranty and the left joy con had just started drifting. Nintendo found that it was drifting as part of their routine inspections (completely unprompted by me) and fixed them for free. I was quite impressed, though it shows Nintendo was aware of the situation some time ago.
This is good but what I really want is for them just to fix future versions of the Joy Con to nip this problem in the bud once and for all. This is a great start though.
@jtmnm
He's not wrong, there will be people who broke their Joycons due to carelessness take advantage of the offering. I think Nintendo should test Joycons of drifting before making repairs, and charge consumers who lied 10% more of repair costs. Good to hear Nintendo is trying to remedy the situation though.
Just rang Nintendo support Australia. No change in their policy yet. I have two sets.
They have both been stuffed for over a year. No matter how many times you try and clean and re-callibrate it just gets worse over time. Poor design.
I've had Nintendo's for thirty years . Worst controller yet for durability, Even worse than 64 floppy sticks.
This is great news. I guess I should send my Left Joy-Con for a fixing.
@Brutchie-bear
I would argue that even 20% of a product to be defective is way, way too high to begin with.
@Gravitron same for me they gave me a brand new left joycon last december for free after being sent in 2 times for repair.
@Brutchie-bear I think at least 80% of that statement is rubbish; everyone I know who bought a Switch at launch has had Joy-Con problems.
Seems like a good solution to a potentially tricky problem. Hopefully they’re working on a permanent hardware fix too. But for now this is a good response to what is clearly an issue for a lot of people.
I got my Switch (Grey version) in Feb. 2018. My left joy con started drifting in about April of this year. So I was 3 mos. out of warranty and pretty perturbed. I've been playing with my pro controller in docked mode strictly since then. Nintendo taking care of this really makes me happy and I hope they improve the build of the joy con going forward.
@coderkind my launch ones lasted for 2 and half years so not everyone had that issue right off the bat.
So what's happens if you fixed it yourself?
Mine are fine (launch and yellow ones) and I use them a lot, but this is good and the right thing for Nintendo to be doing.
@RiasGremory fair enough, although you say "lasted 2 and a half years"... which sounds like it eventually did manifest issues? I wasn't suggesting some weren't lucky, but everyone I know who bought a system at launch has had issues with the Joy-Cons (specifically the left one).
Nice!... sending mine in next month. Have a few trips next 2 weeks. I can live with it for a bit longer.
@Gravitron I called twice for two separate sets and they wanted my monies. They weren't doing it for free. Maybe you got lucky with your customer representative.
@Heavyarms55 Dude. If people weren’t vocal about the issue then even this policy would have never existed.
It’s progress and it’s all most of us wanted.
I consider myself fortunante that only 1 of my 4 joycons, the blue left one that came at launch, has had this issue. I noticed it when it started scrolling though my game icons automatically. I disconnected it, re-synced it, and honestly haven't used it much since then because I keep my yellows connected and covered with a Skull and Co dockable case.
@RobotReptile I'm not saying people shouldn't have talked about the issue, but there are people still saying Nintendo fixing them for free and refunding people who paid for repairs isn't enough. They are acting like they are entitled to brand new joycons. Frankly I find that entitled and ridiculous.
Whenever you buy a product, any product, there's a chance it's gonna be defective. It sucks and I would be angry too if mine shared this defect. But no one was hurt and this is a luxury item, not a necessity. Nintendo didn't sell anyone exploding phones, defective car tires or tainted food. This is an annoying inconvenience, that's all.
@MoonKnight7 that is completely different then what I said. 80 percent of the people saying they have problems I think are untrue it would only be 20 percent if 100 percent of owners were saying they were having problems
Good move, Nintendo. Now get this fixed for good.
@ComposedJam I am a joke? Wow that is a bit of an over reaction. Can I ask do you handle them with care? Do you Snack while you play? I ask because I have 5 sets none have problems and I use joycon the vast majority of the time I play
@jtmnm @childofacid uhh okay?
Cool, but repairing them individually is a temporary fix. This was a good move, but not entirely the move that should have been made, which would be fixing the error entirely as soon as reports started coming in within months of the Switch's release, rather then waiting until legal action cropped up.
Don't get me wrong, I like this, but it still seems a bit annoying that it wasn't until the company had a risk that they decided to do anything about the problem.
And the issue isn't "I want new joycons!", barely anyone is saying that and people who paint everyone who has an issue with this as that are strawmanning, the issue is, I want to know that Nintendo will continue to make quality products in order to satisfy customers, not ignore them until profit margins are in danger
basically what I am saying is, they are fixing them for free, that's great, fantastic even, but that wasn't on the table until AFTER they got in trouble, and frankly, I shouldn't ever have to get them repaired at all. Aside from third party controllers, I have NEVER in my decades of gaming had an issue, and seeing how common it was shows that it's not an issue of lack of care.
@Tasuki I imagine that voids any warranty you had, as it generally is with tech, unfortunately
@Brutchie-bear
It’s a real problem, I don’t understand why you think most people are lying about it. If I told you I had the drift problem 3 separate times, would you believe me? By your calculations, statistically you shouldn’t.
@MortalKombat2007 The primary cause behind drift is a design flaw and will be easily identifiable to a trained eye. If you were aware of this, I don't think you would've made this comment.
Guess I’ll send mine in. Drift started about 2 months after I got the console, just the left one.
Good work everyone! THIS is why we contributed to the class-action lawsuit — this almost certainly wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the threat of a lawsuit. I’m fully satisfied at this point. Of course a new redesign of Joy Con that actually fixes this issue would be appreciated, but this is perfect for anyone who had or has Joy Con drift issues.
The only drifting I've experienced was the 2 joycons that my nephew's use (and they are beat up, the plastic on the sticks ripped and pretty sure they have been thrown multiple times.....not really taken care of ).
My other 2 pairs that I only use (and let the adults use) haven't had any issues. Even after 2 years of use.
Glad that this is up to help those who have experienced the drifting. I'll keep in mind when getting new pairs.
@MoonKnight7 no I think that is for sure possible. I was just wondering if it could be due being hard on them
Well that’s a plus but doesn’t help me out now that I traded them to Gamestop after not wanting to send them out a second time. But good to know if a pair in the future does this it will be covered. Nothing like a little pressure to get a quick solution.
Vice is following the issue? Interesting.
So Nintendo does good after threat of a lawsuit.
I'll be sending my left Yellow in. My launch left Grey drifted in the summer of 2017. Sold it to GameStop (haha) and bought the Yellows, which the left started drifting barely 2 months in. I'm careful and take care of my stuff. Until the entire hardware (analog stick) is re-worked, it's not solved and I'm not happy.
I'll get my repaired Joy-Con back and it'll happen again. If Nintendo wants a process of repeated repairs, then that's on them. Not buying another Joy-Con.
If you ask me, it is not enough to offer to fix it for free or offer refunds. I don't want any money from them.
What I want Nintendo to do is redesign the Joy-Cons with superior components for the analog sticks. The analog sticks break so easily, they're down there with the Atari 5200 controllers in terms of quality.
Lmao this problem really brought out all the shills that are so afraid of any criticism their precious company gets.
At this point there really isn't much of a reason for this to be said, but my joy cons have experienced drift about a month or 2 after I got my switch. All my other consoles' controllers have been working perfectly except I had to buy another PS4 controller recently after having it for 3 years now. I'm happy I'll be able to get to use the joy cons again without having to paying a single penny to have them repaired.
But I also agree that they needed to do more. They need to actually fix the problem so if anyone wants to buy joy cons in the future, they won't have to live in fear that they'll drift so soon after purchase.
They'll be so swamped in Joy Cons, but they kind of deserve it... I know for a fact I'll be sending my left one in...
@Tasuki that's what i want to know, genuinely. I was forced to fix mine. It'd be nice to send them in for actual factory sticks
@Brutchie-bear
I don’t think so, I took good care of it. Wasn’t handled by kids or anything ether, they just went bad all of a sudden. Nintendo fixed both joy cons, then just a few months later, the left one started drifting AGAIN. Somethings definitely not right with them. I’ve never had this problem with any of my consoles, Nintendo or otherwise, so I really don’t think it’s anything I’m doing. So when I hear people having the same problem, I tend to believe them.
As great as this is, what’s the point of this if it just starts happening again a few months down the line? This is only good if they have solved the problem and will swap out the old guts for one without the inherent flaw, if that’s even possible.
@jtmnm
I already aware of the issue. Did you even bother to read my comment? I merely suggesting that some people might try to send broken joycons claiming they are drifting when it could be a different issue, for example Joycons not working at all. I never once said drifting was not manufacturing defect. I know defects can happen as well.
That's awesome, really it is, but it doesn't solve the underlying issue of why drifting happens so frequently and how can future revisions fix the issue. I barely use my Joy-Cons but I am super careful when I do and I am paranoid about somehow causing drifting.
@MortalKombat2007 Then you know the drifting is mostly caused by graphite debris and will be distinguishable from, for example, a Joy-Con that's been hurled at a wall. Since this policy only covers drift, servicing one that's been abused would likely be denied.
Now Damien McFerran just had the air removed from his inflatable "soapbox".
I requested a repair yesterday and confirmed today with customer service my left joy con will be repaired at no cost. Good to see Nintendo is addressing the issue.
I really don't understand the venom towards those who complained. I'm going to send all 4 of my joycons in, and just operate off the pro controller while I wait. Regardless of the motivating factor, I'm glad Nintendo chose to go this route.
If you think your Joycons drift, Nintendo thinks you are a moron. Look at Nintendo America's training video on what they thought of their customers:
So far, so good. Wish they would've responded sooner, when this issue became more widespread. But hey, better late than never I suppose.
The fact that people had to pay is ridiculous. Nintendo knows that 95% of those who paid will not even realize they can get a refund for obvious reasons. Its Nintendo though. People will praise them and make the buyers out to be liars.
It sounds like this is only for NOA. Either way as someone whose Joy-Con work flawlessly after a year, I'm glad to hear Nintendo has a plan in case they ever do start acting up.
They didn't say it, but since this will be something people can try to abuse, it's in their best interests to improve the hardware. So I can see a redesign coming.
So, that class action lawsuit just got sh*t on, right? I mean, if Nintendo is gonna fix the issue for free, how's the lawsuit gonna hold water? That's cool of Nintendo to offer and take control of the issue🤔
Although it seems to be good news, it is only for NOA (United States and Canada), because Mexico, all of Latin America and Brazil, as almost always, in relation to Hardware guarantees, we are forgotten, lack of a real support and that in most cases, we will always end up buying new Hardware that "wait" for the damaged one to be repaired ...
@jtmnm
Nintendo will still have to test Joycons to determine drifting apart from Joycons with damaged components. I am not just talking about aesthetic damage. Though, it would not surprise me if someone tried send a cracked Joycon for drifting. Like I said, Nintendo should still charge dishonest consumers.
@Gravitron I did contact them a few months ago in fact. They said they could fix them for $40, and I live in the US, so you're wrong there.
I can't believe it took a proposed class action lawsuit for Nintendo to actually get on top of this. As someone who has self-repaired four joycon due to drifting I can only hope going forward they will actually fix the issue from the factory level. Obviously I can't ask for a refund and I'm not using OEM parts but even if I could I'd rather they just get this right instead of claiming it is us that are wrong.
Hopefully they can find a more efficient design for the assembly of the joysticks and just swap them out in a quiet revision, if they haven't done so already for the Switch Mini and 'battery efficient' revision.
@diwdiws No, that would be calling something BS as a counterargument.
@AshFoxX I agree with you. This is not enough and they need to redesign and replace the stick assembly with one's that will not drift as easily for free. Then I will call the matter resolved.
Until then this is a good start, they just need to take that extra step or else the problem will just keep returning and it's a major hassle to send these in and get them back over and over again.
I'm still fixing my own either way. At $4 a stick I don't have to wait for a week to get them back.
Still they will continue to use the same sticks and we will have to endlessly send them in time and time again. Fix the root of the problem Nintendo!
@AlexSwitch10 Lol, I read your comment after my post. We have the same thoughts so it would seem.
This is progress, but honestly, redesign them so we don't need to send them in for repair all the time
@JudgeMethos People act like this invalidates the lawsuit when it's likely that this is the direct result of it. Rather than face lawyer fees and have the courts tell them to fix people's controllers Nintendo is skipping the middleman. This will stop the lawsuit, but only because the reason for the lawsuit is finally getting taken care of. In the end the lawsuit achieved it's goal.
@AshFoxX I was hoping that the threat of the lawsuit would kick them into gear on a controller revision. With how long I've been seeing complaints about and experiencing for myself drifting issues I'm starting to think they probably already worked on it for the Switch Lite. I have a hard time seeing them offer something like this unless they were sure it'd be a one and done fix once and for all.
@Brutchie-bear The majority of us have ONE set of joycons (that work without drift) at any given time and those who play regularly, eventually get the drift after heavy or daily usage. You and many others who say we're complaining over a nonexistent issue or just assuming the majority of people are lying or lazy, reckless adults also unsurprisingly, have several sets of controllers and haven't experienced it yourself...yet.
You yourself stated you have 5 sets and not one of them has had the drift defect, think about why that hasn't happened...I would rotate my joycons too every time I played the Switch if I had more than one set. Not to mention, it would also take a lot longer for the problem to start, much longer if you don't play it regularly.
And no, my original set and the replacement set haven't had the same issues because I've abused my joycons or haven't properly taken care of them less than you have. They're well taken care of and only used by a sanitary and clean hands girl.
I don't want money or reimbursement or free joycons because I know the problem isn't gone with a new set, it's just delayed until I've used it enough and it starts up all over again. I want redesigned joycons that I can purchase without having to worry about a drift issue. I know that controllers won't last forever but I shouldn't HAVE TO buy a new set once a year because the previous isn't working the way it should. Every couple of years understandable, but not EVERY year.
You don't truly understand the situation and frustration until you have the problem yourself, you know it's not because you've abused your Switch, and people are calling you a liar or berating you that you don't take care of your consoles.
@Spoony_Tech It's quite alright, happens to me all the time lol. Good to see other people feel that way that I do when I say they need a redesign for all of us with issues.
I've fixed mine myself about 5 times already across 6 Joycons and it's annoying to have to keep doing it every few months. For some customers even the simple DIY solutions are daunting and I don't blame the consumers for feeling that way. Fix the root Nintendo.
@AlexSwitch10
Yeah me too, except I only had one go out on me. Odd thing is, when I swapped the offending stick with another joycon, it started working just fine in the other joycon that I swapped with. I think maybe some of them might just get their ribbon cable worked lose somehow? I was playing alot of Smash before it happened. I have a few extra joysticks on hand now either way, so I’ll be ready. I’m not sure Nintendo would honor the offer with non- Nintendo shells and a voided warranty.
Good. That's the only reasonable response to this situation. I'm glad the negative media attention compelled them to change their policy. People shouldn't have to pay because Nintendo's controllers tend to have issues.
I wonder how this works for places where there is no official Nintendo service center or support...If I were to send this in for repair to a country where there is Nintendo support, the shipping expense would be discouraging...maybe that's why others prefer to try and fix it themselves.
Good on Nintendo to offer repairs for free even outside the warranty period.
Very very good news, now I can send mine for reapairs
Honestly they’ve been doing this for awhile now. I called them a couple months ago since one of my joycons was drifting really bad, to the point that it wouldn’t even calibrate. I got my Switch for Christmas so I thought it was still under warranty, but the customer service rep told me the joycons only have a 90 day warranty and it would cost $45 to fix it. I barely had time to respond, and he quickly offered to give me 50% off the repair price. Again, I started to respond, but then he said that they valued me as a customer and wanted me to keep playing my Switch as much as possible, and that they’d just waive the repair fee and I only had to pay shipping. So Nintendo is being really cool about this.
@humbucker : "my joycons was drifting really bad, to the point that it wouldn’t even calibrate. I got my Switch for Christmas...and I only had to pay shipping."
Customers like you are gold for big companies.
You're really a kind guy humbucker because it's absolutely insane to have to pay even 1 cent for something that you just bought (Christmas)...
In a normal world, your Switch should work perfectly and if there is a problem, Nintendo should do a change for free through a return policy with the store you got your Switch.
@Brutchie-bear I'm on my third pair. They generally start drifting after a couple of months. I must say I dont use them too often. More than likely someone who puts a lot of use in them will experience it sooner. So far 100 percent of my joycons have experienced this issue.
So I can fix my drifting joy-con for free now even if my warranty expired?
It's sad it has to take a lawsuit to make a company more user-friendlu
I actually just contacted Nintendo about this and they confirmed the repair will be free. I'm so glad, too! I hardly used my JoyCons except in portable mode and it was just getting infuriating to use.
So is the Pokéball controller using the same cheapo graphite component as the regular joycons? Its joystick actually feels extremely similar to the Vita's (with an added ability to click it), so I'm not sure.
So far I've luckily only had one joycon develop the issue. I still have to send it in, though.
Still no drifting on my two launch pairs. All is good.
Really good response from Nintendo. I hope it applies to all countries, because my left joy-con still drifts from time to time, and 2-year warranty already passed.
In quite coincidental timing, left joy-con drift issue became unbearable last week. So I sent it off to Nintendo UK Repairs a few days ago. On Monday I received an email saying it was being repaired and sent back to me. It's not in warranty and didn't cost a penny. I don't understand how Nintendo support gets such a bad rep.
Thank you for doing something Nintendo. It shows you listen and care, which is always good for consumer trust. Now how about listening to us on other stuff😉? .maybe better online?
This is super but is it known if this applies EU / UK?
@moomoo
Absolutely nothing is free in this world.
The first comment shows how incompetent mods are on this website when it comes to regulating the forum.
Let’s all lie about a critical and factory flaw that Nintendo let go so we can all get new/repaired Joy-Cons, because nothing matters more in life!
Pathetic.
@Carnictis In the EU you have better consumer protection than in the US. So if this is true in the US, then you could make a case in the EU as well. And I think Nintendo would like to avoid another lawsuit here.
So yeah, just contact Nintendo if your Joy-Con drifts.
Good on them! Just submitted my repair form.
Good on Nintendo!!
I had this happen multiple times, and kept sending them in for repair, and Nintendo would give me a new 12 month warranty period after each repair, but I got fed up and just bought a new pair of Joy Cons in the end. A friend of mine bought a second hand Switch from CeX two days ago and I told him buying used means he may be unable to get a repair under Nintendo's warranty, if he has Joy Con drift, and he said it'll be fine. I was with him yesterday and he was trying to type in a wifi password and asked why the thing for selecting letters was moving down constantly, and I recognised it as the Joy Con drift I'd warned him about. He ended up going into CeX and they swapped the Joy Con for him.
They must have worked out a cost effective fix.
@humbucker If it was the Joy-Cons that came with the system they would still be under warranty. It's the ones bought separately that have a 90 day warranty.
@Paddle1 That’s what I assumed as well, but the Nintendo rep said otherwise.
Oh no now what will people complain about?
Looking at the comments, that'll just complain about this.
I dont think this issue is limited to joycons. I had to send my pro controller back for repair back in January with the exact same problem. Guessing these aren't as easy to repair either as they just sent me a new one.
Great news!
However don’t get excited JUST yet, I just spoke to NOE and they have said that this news is only for people in the US and that NOE WILL NOT be refunding ANY costs and that future joycon drift issues WILL still be chargeable with the standard rates
I think if NOA are refipunding and doing this for free it should roll our to other areas of the world too
This is not true for NoE. I contacted their support this morning and they told me that this is just a rumor. So they're still a bunch of dinguses for not owning up to the controlsticks' poor quality.
@Gravitron the 5 dislikes must be the lazy ones who didn't call just whined lol
@twadebarcelona I call BS to your story
Besides I had mine since launch and no issues
@misterflipnote Not a fluke. The vast majority of people have not had problems with their Joy-Cons.
I'm on my second pair personally. My original launch day JC started drifting and were replaced in October 2017. The replacements have had no problems whatsoever.
Drifting is a real thing, but it's not by any means a thing that's guaranteed to happen to everyone.
@Darkyoshi98
But wait, I thought drift was only caused by people mishandling/being too rough with their controller? Why would Nintendo do this if this were the case? They were making 40-50 bucks per repair!
@JasmineDragon
Dang, you've talked/surveyed to the "vast majority" of people who own a Switch. That would be somewhere around 18 million people you'd have knowledge of their Joycon issues or non issues? You have connections, my friend. Or are you one of those people that think forums like these are representative of entire populations?
It’s funny to see some Nintendo fans behave exactly like Microsoft fanboys in 2007. “No, no there’s no RROD, it’s made up, well it is real but it only affects one or two people, MS don’t have to be bullied into doing anyth.....Oh”
OK so when you get to their Support page where do you go next? I typed in a search for controller drift and none of the options were helpful.
Good for Nintendo. I haven't experienced the issue lately, but it is good to know there is an official solution to it. I would imagine that once they redesign the Joy-Cons there will be a "replacement" behind the scenes when they go in for repair.
This is nice and all, but they should be working on replacements that don't develope a drift.
The bad thing about free repair is that a ton of owners with broken controllers are going to be sending their controllers in now..... Get ready for longer then normal times to receive your Joy Cons back.
@Kit if you are uk based be prepared for disappointment. They confirmed that the policy has changed in the states and they are fixing free of charge but NOT in the uk. So they are only fixing it where they are getting sued
@Darkyoshi98 My story is true, although out of the many people I know who own Switch systems, my friend and I are 2 out of 3 people that have had issues with Joy Con drift. Nobody else I know with a Switch has this issue. I can show you video footage of the drift issues in my original Joy Cons if you want, as well as proof that they've been sent for repair multiple times. I'm not saying this issue is as huge as some are, I'm just saying that it is an issue that does exist for at least a few people.
Well, I've got 5 pairs of Joycon, and they're all going back. Sucks, but I'll be glad to have them fixed.
"and wished to remain anonymous, as they have no authorisation to speak publically about the matter"
Which, nonetheless, we are left to conclude THEY JUST DID.
What other contract clauses and job instructions does anonymity render optional, I wonder? Not that gaming press has any problem with that.
@Mr_Pepperami Time to open up a court case on this side of the pond then.
TBH I'll just fix it myself, I've got both switch cleaning fluid and a spare joystick to replace it with.
I have a spare joystick to replace the one I have left that's drifting, but may figure out which one it is so I can contact support and send it in for an official repair. I did replace the stick on one that was drifting pretty badly. It's not bad, but did take ~ 30 minutes. Re-assembled, calibrated, and it's been pretty good so far. But I shouldn't have to self-repair.
Agreed with the others above that the better option would be to fix the design issue that results in this problem in the first place. I imagine that's got to be in the works as repair/replace costs are about to go up quite a bit with this news.
l think l will get my fix for free because l want to use the controllers again on small screen. Even it was my sister fault who threw the joy-con controllers on the floor twice on that day.
That's nice. I'm sure this is entirely out of their love for the community and not the threat of investigation and potential lawsuit.
Yet Nintendo hasn't said this yet. Going with the whole hear say thing. I'll wait for a actual response from Nintendo.
@rallydefault No, actually, I think forums like this are extremely UNrepresentative of the world's population. And since Nintendo have sold over 30 million Switches, and Driftgate ISN'T front page news all across the world, I think it's pretty safe to assume that the vast majority of Switch buyers have not had a problem.
Or do you think that millions of people are having problems with their brand new consoles and just shrugging them off?
There we go. All is well. Hopefully the lawsuit gets dismissed. I am sure that R&D is working on a revision that will get seeded into distro eventually. Manufacturing changes don't happen overnight.
Reading the comments someone with a name like brunchiebear must have made some ignorant statements as he has deleted them and left us reading posts responding to whatever he was spewing lol
I’m interested to see what a epic fail the posts were 😂
@saintayu I know right!
How dare people spend nearly £300 on a console and have issues with their controllers almost immediately and THEN have the nerve to complain about it!
If you think your crap don’t don’t stink try putting your head in the the bowl for a closer sniff!
@Gravitron
People complained on the internet before actually doing their research? My god..../s
@ComposedJam lol chill out home slice. I never said everyone was lying. If you want to pretend people were not just jumping on this issue online because they don’t like Nintendo go ahead. Yes it is so incredibly likely everyone who said there’s broke actually has a switch. Regardless I never said it wasn’t and issue. I claimed and believe it is being blown out of proportion by people online. They have offered a great solution so there’s really no reason for you to be so dang salty. Eaaaassse up big dog. You look like the joke
@Deathwalka as much as I love your "down home" wisdom about my bowel movements it's a big thing to blame other people for problems you caused.
People are acting completely crazed about a problem all controllers have. It's ridiculous.
@saintayu i had a ps2 for like... God idk how long 10 years? 12 years? Same controller and it never drifted, i have been gaming for like 20+ years now and didnt encounter drift untill switch.
Not even my old n64 or my gamecube had issues my sega had issues after awhile but thata because it had been used so much the buttons were wore out and basically caked into the controller
All in all this is a cop out trying to avoid bad PR and will appease the majority of the people.
By doing so boom return customers for switch light and switch pro
That is nice. Even though I fixed 2 of my joy-cons (blue), I haven’t got around to fixing the other 2 (red) since I have another pair (yellow) and a Pro controller me and my girlfriend been using. I’ll likely call them to set a repair order tomorrow, saving my 2 replacement analog for another time.
@Neft just because this is the first time you've had it doesn't mean it never existed before.
No one is saying it never happens. We are saying it's being overblown massively and that at least some of the people are more than likely at fault.
@saintayu im not saying it never existed im saying the fact its complained about this badly means it was an actual issue not bad enough for a CAL but still worse than others.
The fact i didnt have it untill switch after 20years of gaming is saying something especially since it happened after about 600-800hours.
See where im going? Next time try to understand someone instead of assuming they are saying it didnt exist at all, i know things wear down overtime just the joycon lifespan in some cases is SIGNIFICANTLY smaller.
If this is really true, I may send in my neon yellow set that had the left stick go nuts and drift last year. I replaced them already, but I might as well get them fixed! It was a weird drift because in the calibration screen it would show as fine, but then in the game, would drift. The replacement doesn't have the problem.
@saintayu honestly you don’t what your talking about, what is your point? Your making all these posts like it’s a frenzy and people are going in wild over it!
You are the epitome of an emotional drama queen, because NONE of these guys who have drift issues are at fault, it’s the actual device.
3 of my switches have had issues, 3! Seven of my mates 6 have had issues, the one is ok but he has had it a month so far, so you need to stop making these false narratives that this is blown out of proportion your highness.
@saintayu “it’s a big thing to blame people for problems YOU caused”
Wow, your blaming me and saying most people are just exaggerating? You are one slimy character kid
@Neft I did understand your comment. You literally said your Sega was the first one you had drift for after saying that the Switch was the first. I was simply pointing out that people had problems with drift for every previous console. I had several PS3 controllers and one of my XOne. None of them were fixed for free. I had friends who had the issue too and people I met online. Yet there was no massive outrage.
@Deathwalka are you familiar with speaking rhetorically? No, I didn't think so.
Also the only one being overly dramatic is you as anyone can see.
@Deathwalka so in lieu of actual discourse you're just going to throw around personal insults repeatedly.
I don't know why you're taking this so personal but I know if I had had that many problems I'd have just stopped buying consoles at that point. Seems a bit silly to keep buying them.
But then your mate has had problems with seven of his six so I guess anything is possible.
P.S downvotes don't mean anything except you're not going with popular opinion.
Well now I have a drifting joy con now
@lordzand you are literally an idiot, buttons caked into controller after insane use does not = drift.
It = buttons not working or sometimes activating on their own.
You assuming it was "drift" even with this conversation was sheer idiocy also yes I'm responding to you in 2020 because your idiocy was so astounding I just ignored you
I have about 3 joycons with this problem! It's one of the most annoying things I have had to deal with with any games console ever (all things considered)
In italy Nintendo asks 50 euros for repairing a pair of joycons. (With 3 months warranty!!!)
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