Switch Named Most Fragile Product Of The Year By French Consumer's Association

Well, they aren't wrong. The Joy-cons are both wonderful and horrid. My left joycon just started drifting yesterday. Yaaaay. :/

In all honesty, this is the first Nintendo product I’ve actually had an issue with. 99% of their stuff lasts years and years. Prior to this only my N64 controllers would wear out relatively fast - thanks a lot Mario Party 1&2, and 1080 Snowboarding!

And minus drift, still a solid product. I’ve dropped my switch more than I can count and it’s still fine

@PBandSmelly You are very fortunate.

I can agree with that. The entire system has me worried ill break it at any moment

Issues with my 3 pair of joycons so far. They are right.

@Kalmaro Not really. I have 2 day 1 models, one of which is frequently used by kids, and have absolutely zero Joycon drift. Sure SOME people will naturally experience hardware defects but I guarantee if you were allowed even 10 hours of observation you'd find that most people with this issue are all self inflicted. It pays to take care of your stuff, but when you know the company will replace it for free many will simply not give a damn anymore and blame the company while exploiting a loophole. That's what most of this is.

In the article would be worth mentioning though the USA gets free repair Europe has no clear policy on this. So many stories are written stating 'at least Nintendo are fixing this'. NO THEY AREN'T. Not in Europe.

@Nintyfan How is it not fortunate that you are not having Joy-con issues? I don't understand why you would disagree with that.

In any case, you're making a lot of assumptions that people aren't just using their product normally. I know I'm not rough with mine and it often stays in the case. It still drifts though and it's my third one, and always the left one.

Meanwhile, my pro controller I bought at switch launch has been flawless.

Nintendo joycons just aren't made very sturdy, unless you're claiming everyone who is having the same problem with the same joycon are all treating it the same way.

I’ve replaced one stick just after the year’s warranty which is typical. It’s not even as if I actually play the Switch that much, the drift is in no way self inflicted when the only games I’ve completed are Mario Odyssey and Katamari Damacy.

My family has had a joycon drift and the signal is spotty from 7 feet away. Joycons are the worst piece of Nintendo hardware I've ever purchased, no question.

How the f does joy-con drift make them one of the worst companies of the year? Clearly they’re working with some kooky metrics.

@Diogmites I'm about to hit best buy and see if I can get some stuff to clean it myself. I don't feel like sending my joycons in again.

Fair criticism! I've got 2 sets of joycons and both have drift issues.

Conversely, my 6 year old PS4 controller is still accurate.

I should temper my previous comment by saying that there are plenty of worse products being offered by worse companies. I mean, Bethesda is selling Fallout 76 in France, right? Joycons actually do work most of the time until they don't.

This is small boats compared to horrindous Software buggy releases that took years to come out aka BloodStained. Fallout 76 is a Prime candidate for failure. Love how articles like to "Cherry Pick" as the worst but fails to see how some software where the worst ever releases and never patched or fixed until internet uproars then they admitted to the mistakes. As Joy-Con and Switch fragile that is "selective Cherry Picking" as well. What about Samsung fires or Smart Phone firestarters. Notice how they only pick on something hot selling items but not others that are even worse.

The d-pad on my joycon drifted so far I can't even find it.

Nintendo QA right now:
(youtube: 6MYAGyZlBY0)

@SwitchForce To be fair, they focus mostly on Nintendo here so they wouldn't talk about fallout 76 or exploding Samsung phones.

@nessisonett How has that worked so far? Cause I'm starting to have some drift and I'm thinking about replacing the sticks.

@JeanPaul I got a wee set off Amazon that came with 2 new sticks and a set of tiny screwdrivers and it’s working perfectly. The only gripe is that the rubber is quite rough compared to the original but when it works a lot better, I can’t really complain. The only thing I’d say is make sure to calibrate the sticks when you replace them, just to make sure everything works correctly.

I do take care of my stuff and never had any problem so far with Nintendo... But my left/blue joycon was repared by Nintendo because I had drift with it after a year and the problem seem to be back with the same one a year later... 🤔😕

The Switch subreddit is full of topics about Switch consoles not working properly.

@Dm9982 it’s like those Mario Party games were designed to break your 64 controller... hmmm

@Moistnado It went third party

@Moonjacket I’ve had lots of problems with PS4 controllers too

God Almighty, BOTH my Joy-Cons drift.

The left one is not too bad, but the right one registers phantom inputs all the damn time. It's flat out infuriating to use, but I've never bothered to send in for a repair because I only have the one set, and I don't want to stop using my Switch that long.

The quality of Nintendo hardware has never been this bad. Joycon drift is horrible but Nintendo doesn't acknowledge nor fix the problem. Besides that, the switch lite has the worst Dpad Nintendo has ever made.

@Antraxx777 that's significant drift.

My day one Switch has drift, it bent, the screen has been scratched by the dock and there is a little crack on the top edge. Even though I am very careful with using my consoles. It's still working though.

This is journalism? Nobody in nintendolife is able to take this faulty joystick apart? I did. I can just confirm that drift is real and it is caused by scratched graphite layer, simple mechanical damage. I can send you pictures if you want. There is a lot of problems with fragile flex cables too. Sorry, but it is poor design, nothing else.

So let's get this straight. NOA acknowledge there is a drift problem and will fix for free but people in here associate no fault with Nintendo hardware and instead blame the consumer.

In which world does that make any sense?

@PBandSmelly same. My only issues stem from brief disconnects when I’m holding them outside of the grip. Kinda lame but it is what it is. Lots of products have issues like this, my actual switch is sturdy as a rock and hasn’t cracked or swelled or any of the other issues I’ve seen.

The kicker is how Joycons are the most overpriced controller I've seen yet have the highest potential failure / issue rate

The Switch Lite has been out for a couple of months now, has there been any new reports on drift?

I haven't had any problems with the Joy-Cons yet, but the pro controller on the other hand...

So far no problems with my Joy-con, but my dock has started scratching the Switch's screen pretty badly.

I mean can't they fix the issue buy allowing us to set a deadzone?

I have two sets im scared will go bad at some point.

Also how many people are pressing the joystick wrong and just blaming the controller?

Sometimes thats all it is im sure... being a small joy stick with a small moving range.

I have yet to have my joy cons drift on my thankfully but people saying you need to take better care of your controllers is such a cop out answer for people to not make Nintendo at fault.

My Nintendo dock broke early this year which I say was used 30% of the time and even then with the 13 months of owning it the amount of hours i played using it overall is low. So overall the Nintendo switch is easily Nintendo's most flimsy console.

@RainbowGazelle That’s still happening? Geesh

@kobashi100 Fake news?

@Moistnado Haha! Yup

50 million Switch's sold. That's got to be at least 100 million joycons manufactured and issues still persist. Come on Nintendo. I used to regard you as the most reliable for hardware quality.

Both my sets drifted to the point I had to buy a new set. They got what they deserved.

My Let's Go Pokémon console had two dead pixels out of the box. -.- It's especially noticeable during fade-outs.

Meanwhile, my launch console (which I was contemplating gifting, but now considering reverting to) is in tip-top shape.

My launch joy cons having no issues. I did send back not long after launch for wireless disconnect issue. My mother in law's though have had both sticks replaced by myself because of drift. Luck of the draw really. At least it's an easy and cheap fix if needed.

My seven year old Vita doesn't have this issue. I don't play it much anymore but it's clocked A LOT of hours.

@PBandSmelly I still haven't got any drift either.

@matdub Same. But my Vita has some "colour bleeding" though. Slightly noticeable during darker scenes. :/

@PBandSmelly that's because you might be a light user/gamer. Which means if you're not playing a game like Dragons dogma or real fighting games... you won't have heavy gaming so less damage to your controller. However... this is a gaming hardware and there shouldn't be such thing as drifting issues already to people who just got it. I have xbox 360 controller for about 11 years in my closet I can still use it and a bit of course drifting issues... but those started just a year ago. But then again I did play heavy games like dragons dogma/Dark souls/ Fighting games that you really have to use your analag all the time. You have to keep press it in Dragons dogma so you can actually run. How many of us didn't run like crazy playing that game. But my point is the xbox 360 controller didn't have this issue this early with games. I bought for my PC gaming Xbox X official version... and the RB buttong started having issues already and the analog as well. full of drifiting issues. And it doesn't feel like good quality either. 360 controller on other hand can have more damage because good quality was used. The lack of quality in these controllers went downhill that's why we're forced to keep buying each year a new one. That wasn't the case in the past hardwares. It's now a thing... as cheap as possible and still asking the same price or maybe a bit higher than they usually do for the same controller but with less quality. I heard PS4 users having the same problems with the controls. We gamers should demand a better quality hardware or simply lets boycot it. That's why they get away with it because we're don't attack them. So wrong. So i went on PC with other gamepad because I didn't want to spend again 60 euro for a controller that will die in just half year or ayear. We're gamers and a controller should be able to handle all the heavy gaming. Period

I have my launch day switch which has heat cracks and joycon drift I’m surprised by Nintendo usually really reliable but everyone I know who has a switch has had some kind of joycon issue I think they are the weakest aspect of the switch and to be honest my least favourite part of the switch pro controller is good though. I have a 30 year old megadrive without a mark on it and other retro consoles which are perfect my newest console the switch is falling apart on me

How can Nintendo recognise the problem and arrange a fix in the US, yet totally ignore the issue in Europe and pretend it doesn’t exist?

This is poor...

It is a bit creaky and with all the add on's, joy cons, bluetooth adapter and grip it's even more creaky.

I guess it depends what other products the French put the Switch up against.

@Kalmaro third one already? I'm on my second, but I have a feeling I'll be joining you soon. Once every few hours it starts to drift, the left one always. Pro controller seems to be going strong though.

£5 can of electrical contact cleaner works wonders. Look it up on YouTube.

The French have an award for fragility...huh.

My right Joy-Con began drifting a short time before I started seeing all these complaints about it everywhere on the Internet. I tried to ignore it and keep playing, hoping that the issue would go away by itself, which it did. Though later this year, it stopped working entirely and wasn't detected by the console when I was charging it one day, and I tried about every method that I found, but nothing worked and the controller acted like it was completely bricked or out of battery.

I eventually replaced it, and haven't had any issues with the newer one yet, but this is probably the first time I've had any problems with a Nintendo console (except the NES) that I haven't caused myself.

@datamonkey
Nintendo haven't officially recognised it as an issue, all they've done is give a generic statement about contacting them for a repair if the user is experiencing any form of technical issue

@BarefootBowser
Don't forget the poor bluetooth range on the joycons

I've stopped using Joycon's for a long time now. Both my Joycon's developed stick drift. Instead of spending £70 on replacing them, I bought a Pro Controller instead. Until they treat UK Nintendo users the same as US and offer replacement or repair - why should I buy another pair of faulty controllers?

@Nintyfan ignorance is bliss.

To this day I still can't understand how Nintendo managed to fudge up such a common component of any game controller. And not fix it yet!!
It's not even worth buying a new joy-con right now because it will just start drifting again.

I went over 30 years with no ninty hardware issues then the shoulder button broke on my 3ds twice and now two left joy cons have drift.
Very sad and suspect all due to dust or dirt getting in.

Hoping a updated switch comes out with more sturdy controls, a d-pad and the ability to run Links Awakening and BOTW without slowdown. I'd get something like that day 1.

This is nothing compared to the infamous red ring of death on Xbox 360, but still needs to be fixed. This is especially a problem for the Lite which can't be easily swapped out. The Switch is a great console/handheld but there's room for improvement, especially on the handheld side of things.

@Dm9982 I only ever used 3rd party pads for Mario Party so have 2 N64 controllers in pretty good condition and one in a box that has never been used. Conversely my Switch joy cons have drift and I barely ever use them

Imho this is completely b***s***. The switch is solid.

@Gwynbleidd it probably would not have generated the same amount of traffic. That is what it is all about these days, coming up with some enticing title. I just received a notification from YouTube on RGT85's latest video: "Sega Game Gear HIDDEN GEMS! The Best Kept Secrets!" What a joke!

3 joycons drifting.
Repair program into EU asap!

@PBandSmelly @Swifthom I got my UK Switch when Spla2n launched. In March (after ~20 months) I had to send the right Joy-Con for repair when the SL and SR buttons stopped working. Repaired for free.

In September (~26 months in) I started to get Drifting in both Joy-Cons. Repaired for free, but somehow the SL/SR buttons on the right one stopped working again. Again, repaired for free.

May just be UK, but I’m definitely out of warranty and have had 3 free repairs in 2019. I can’t say for certain that some part of the blame is on me “not taking care” (though I feel like I do, and had no issues with previous Nintendo products) the last one was 100% the fault of Nintendo’s repair team. And suggests that the fault is inherent to the product design.

@nessisonett got Switch lite x2 for the kids this xmas. It's an outstanding product. For those who do not look for tv gaming with Switch its the way to go!

@carlos82 Yep, I’m still using my original green N64 controller from the late ‘90s and it still works perfectly (as are all my NES, SNES, GC and Wii controllers). By comparison my original blue and red joycons were drifting after 6 months.

Nintendo need to admit the issue like MS did with the red ring and fix the design. Every time they tell people to speak to Nintendo’s support representatives makes my blood boil. We all know support will tell the customer they need to pay for repairs (unless you’re in the US where a class action suit scared them into offering free repairs). Why not just fix the design Nintendo?

@Nintyfan "Not really. I have 2 day 1 models, one of which is frequently used by kids, and have absolutely zero Joycon drift." - if you don't encounter any issues does not mean no one has them - you are just lucky. for example: i had no issues with windows phone, windows 8 and microsoft edge web browser (original) - we all know how well it played out

These Joy Con do stink. I am on my second pair. I was going to buy a Switch Lite but opted not to because of this issue. I do not bang my controller. I do not treat them poorly. If your controllers are great, good for you, But that is not the case for me and a lot of other people. You have to send that controller to Nintendo and wait a few weeks or even more for it to return to you. Then you cannot play games during those weeks making you buy more Joy Cons because you have to send that controller to Nintendo and wait a few weeks or even more for it to return to you. At $70 a pop you would think you would be mad. It is shady. I am a fanboy but what the f$*k.

The joycons aren't even profitable compared to a dualshock or a Xbox controller. They're two controllers instead of one which multiplies the cost. Another example of Nintendo making things more complex than they should.

I tried the contact spray under the Analog sticks trick and haven't had any issues with drift since! I was so sure my joycons were trashed but seriously guys it works! Just try it before doing anything rash! Don't blow 70 dollars on new controllers you probably don't need. You'll thank me.

Only my green Joy-con is having drift issues

I used to think Joycon drift was blown out of proportion. But I just got drift in both the left and right Joycon.
I mean, it might be blown out of proportion, confirmation bias is a strong force, but considering that both my sodding Joycons failed within a week... I don’t know, but I am not pleased that’s for sure.

Not the drift thats the problem for me. Ive had 8 joy-cons ... EVERY ONE ended up with SL/SR not working and no green LEDs, meaning you cant connect them for tabletop mode. Seems to be the same ribbon cable fault over and over.

I did the rubbing Alcohol bit and it worked for a few weeks with no issues but you get kind of annoyed when you walk into enemies that kill you or fall do your death.

It shouldn’t take a “future hardware revision” to sort this issue out. If Nintendo really are stand by their Seal of Approval they should be fixing it in all territories

The joycon drift is terrible and Nintendo is terrible for not giving standard service for it in Europe.

@SwitchForce were there more Samsung phone’s caught fire this year?

The more Nintendo gets flag for the joycon drifting the better. While I haven't experienced the issue myself, it's the main reason why I haven't bought more colour variants of the Joycons.

The worrying thing, a lot of Nintendo fans were (and sadly still are) in denial about joycon drift from the start, with many that eventually suffered it, paying to fix the fault themselves instead of sending back to Nintendo - causing their warranty to elapse.

In the uk at least, if you send back to Nintendo and they repair the joycon, you get another 12 months on the warranty, better than paying out of pocket to fix/replace.

I’ve had to send back my joycons on 4 separate occasions since launch and haven’t paid a penny! and due to set up another repair in the new year, it’s a hassle i agree, but I’m not paying more for their mistakes!

@Kalmaro someone told me here to buy a pair of joysticks through eBay .... I had to open my joycons and change the sticks. Now they work flawlessly. I’d recommend you to try that. At least it’s cheaper than buying new ones, and you’ll learn about the insides of your controller. Just a tip to solve that issue.

I’m still mad at nintendo for this cheap controller. It’s the first in all of Nintendo’s generations I’ve had an issue with.

I pretty much use my Pro Controller or 8 Bit Do controller for everything. Hope Nintendo resolves this issue soon.

Fun fact, motion control drift is now a thing too. Yaaay.

@fafonio Thanks, that's step 2 for me. First, I want to see if contact cleaner does anything. I'm hoping best buy has some.

@Dm9982 I remember the N64 control stick shaped dent in my hands I used to get when playing Mario Party, good times

I got my switch a couple of months after launch. Fortunately I haven't got any joycon drift problems. Although most of my gaming is done docked with a pro controller. The only issue I do have is the right joycon comes off the switch far too easy. It's been like that more or less since I got the switch.

@PBandSmelly you are very lucky, I have had problems on all switches I purchased ( I sold them a couple of times and then bought new one when the games library got really big )
The switch I currently have which was bought brand new 6 months ago has constant issues with drifting, to the point I now don’t play with them at all and instead bought a £15 controller which is amazing to play with in comparison to my joy cons. So trust me when I say you are a very lucky guy to not experience any drift.
Fancy swapping joycons? Lol

I know quite a lot of people who own a Switch in real life, but none of them have Joy Con drift. Meanwhile, all four of my own Joy Cons suffer from drift.

FML

Honestly both my joy con drift and Nintendo's poor internet structure are putting me off the console.

@Abeedo Thier local wireless us spotty at times too. My bro and I sometimes get random disconnects even when right next to each other.

This is a damn problem.

Bought horis split pad pro. Problem fixed. But I think Nintendo are going bad. Stooping to sourcing cheap materials from poor countries is low and is only supporting slave labour aka human suffering. There products now keep breaking (had to replace my joy cons 3 times not to mention there faulty first gen pro controllers) And a total lack of innovation beyond labo. Zelda botw felt like Ubisoft.. I miss the old ninty where they boldly led the way. Now they like to incorporate the mainstream. Yeah I love my games. But Nintendo are a bunch of greedy old men and are now well past there prime.

The only time I’ve ever had an issue with my joycon is with the left one when it loses connection because I have the system behind my tv.

iv'e had my Switch since launch, iv'e dropped it a couple times and iv'e had 0 drift issues same with my pro controler no drift what so ever for over 2 years

I don't understand how you can call the switch the most fragile thing ever all because of some control stick issues. Heck you can easily solve joy con drift with a bit of WD 40 or any other electronic contact cleaner.

@Nintyfan how incredibly downright condescending of you. I have many consoles and peripherals and all are treated with the same level of respect. To say such a huge worldwide issue is people using them wrong is just stupid. If that were the case then why aren't millions of people complaining about PS4 and Xbox One controllers? This is a HARDWARE issue and always has been.

My Switch has been cared for properly. I am an adult. I do not have lots of spare money to replace products. I'm not throwing the joy cons all over the place. I have had drift in both the left and right, but more so the left, which of course gets more use. There is clearly a problem when the sensors in the analog are detecting motion when there is none. My console is always in a protective case out of the house. I treat it like a newborn baby. How dare you say consumers are the cause of all this.

@wazlon I remember having a blister in my palm a couple times from MP battles and 1080 high score chasing. Still can’t believe the one mother tried to sue Nintendo for her kid having a blister on his hand. Not Nintendo’s fault we gamed as hard as we did! 🤣😂

@Dm9982 That blister was a badge of honor!

l agreed with the crazy French

....Switch is fragile because of a control stick issue?

@Joeynator3000 Well yeah, it's an integral part of the Switch. It was a huge part of the advertising for the Switch itself, the new controllers and the ability to have local gaming with a friend on the go.

I had to mail all four of my joycons to Nintendo, and I was stuck using my pro controller for about 3 months. They sent back my controllers, with my left blue and right red being completely replaced, and my left red and right blue being the same. The right blue has a slight lump, like the plastic was bent or not put together right. Its barely noticeable, but I definitely notice it when I rub my hand across a joycon grip or across my switch. It isn’t flush and smooth. Recently while playing Mario Maker 2, I experienced drift starting to happen again with the left red and right bumpy blue. So far I’m okay, and maybe it was a fluke... I keep the mint controllers put away.

I've been playing with my Switch today with my two cousins and two friends of theirs, and had to split up the two Joy-con pairs I have while waiting for my repaired Smash-branded Joy-cons to come back because I left my GCN adapter at home. I've been dreading the drift all day.

Most fragile due to drift? Sure.

One of the worst companies? What the hell are they on? What about EA or Blizzard or Activision?

I can’t believe there’s still people out there who think people who’ve had joy con drift are mishandling their hardware. What? We’re not throwing our Switches down a flight of stairs every day. In most cases, it has just been from normal use. That isn’t normal, it’s a design flaw in the hardware. Just cause you haven’t had an issue doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem overall. You’ve just been lucky so far.

I’ve had systems since the SNES days, and I’ve never had a problem with any of my systems, Nintendo or Sony. But the Switch has a chipped top on the back plate and joy con drift 3 times. My wife’s Switch, which is about a year old, just started drifting as well. She doesn't throw her Switch down the stairs either.

Nintendolife: I can't think of any way to get people's minds off of the Pokemon controversy.
Nintendolife, again: Hold my beer.

Always funny how people with a sample size of one or two sets of joycons will confidently declare that the issue does not exist and that it is clearly people, who they do not know, that are mishandling their stuff(by using them as intended). There have been plenty of reports of drift all over the place, and persistently, over the last couple of years that it seems more likely than not that it's a design flaw. That's even more likely if the people who replaced the analog sticks don't have drift anymore. What we don't know is how widespread it is, though it seems wide enough. It's like declaring that XBox 360's red ring of death didn't exist because you knew of two 360s that didn't overheat(yet), despite the failure rate that might have been well above 50 percent.

@SwitchForce it’s hardware.. expensive and you cannot choose them. This is waaaaay worse. Stop defending this. Software is something you can choose. This hardware defects are like a lottery.

Switch Lite users with drifting joycons can throw their device right back at Nintendo hoping for a fix. Waiting 4 weeks.

European owners don’t even get it replaced for free.

I'm protecting my switch as if it was a wee baby..... All of my four joy cons got serious drifting

@SwitchForce Lol, Samsung was way better at handling their failures and did not continue to sell the Note 7. It took Nintenod a class action lawsuit to replace joy cons for free, and guess what? they still release and sell the same shoddy joy cons instead of just re-engineering them and fixing the issue once and for all.

@Moistnado
Great joke, it made my day, thanks!

I've talked to an official local reseller about this, and they say that the current official replacement sticks don't have the problem anymore. I don't know if this is reliable information.

Can anyone who've had the replacements for long enough comment?

I'm growing away from my Switch. It's a funny thing, I actually loved my Wii U and I wanted Nintendo to rise with the Switch, which they did. I don't care about them anymore. Switch has an extreme total cost of ownership, and Nintendo left us in the dust with the hardware issues. **** them.

Most of the day, at least one of my hands is holding tpe overmolded polycarbonate or glass reinforced nylon, carbon fiber, drop forged or cnc’d and hardened chrome vanadium molybendum steel, managnese bronze, tungsten carbide, diamond, aircraft grade aluminum and enameled magnesium.

Dude, all consumer gadgets are fragile.

My 1 1/2 year old black joy con (L), which wasn't used that often (pro controller ftw) - startet to crack while using the stick. something inside is kinda "blocking" while moving .... i have used the joy con probably 100 times in these 500 days since i bought this replacement switch.

even my pro controller's stick is in a really bad condition. the plastic around the stick is horribly frayed. and i am carefully using my hardware ... i love the switch and it's hardware, but at the same time i hate it'S build quality, which is really low .... especially if you think about the price tag!

for me, it seems like nintendo tried to compensate the HIGH loss with their wii u system ... produce cheaper, sell more expensive, to fill their bank account ;P the wii u pro controller was higher quality, than the switch's one ...

70bucks for the pro, 77+ for the joy cons ... (€) - my 38€ xbox 360 for windows controller from 2006(!!!!) is in a better condition than the 1 year old pro controller .... and i'm using the xbox 360 pad daily since 13 years now ...

i really hope the quality from the switch lite's built-in joy cons is higher ... if my light is starting to freak out in a couple of months - i'll say bye bye nintendo hardware and hello sony hahaha ;D

Personally, I've had 4 Joy-Cons and 4 Pro Controllers and yet not a single one of them has had controller drift. I use them all very extensively as well. Treat your controllers well and you'll be fine. And to those who're experiencing Joy-Con drift, it's not uncommon for this to happen. I've had 3 PS4 controllers that had control stick drift or triggers that stopped working. Every console has defects or controllers that don't work as well as others. This isn't some phenomenon. It's just a very vocal minority online that likes to share their grievances with one another to get confirmation bias from their peers. That's all. If I can have that many controllers not have any problems, and I use them constantly and extensively, then the average person shouldn't be having this problem. But of course the internet exasperates any problem that occurs among a few into some major issue, when in reality, it's far from the earth shattering and global issue that the internet would make you think. Congratulations all of you in the comments that have said you have Joy-Con drift, you found other hardcore fanboys who have similiar problems, not your average consumer. You've all duped yourselves into believing a narrative that really isn't as big as you think.

@XenoEmblem " If I can have that many controllers not have any problems, and I use them constantly and extensively, then the average person shouldn't be having this problem."
Really? Well I have 4 joycons and 2 of them had drifting issues and If I can have that many controllers have problems, and I use them constantly and extensively, then on average 50% of people should be having this problem.

@XenoEmblem You may want to get a larger sample size before saying that just because you had no problems, barely anyone else is.

I've had various problems with my Joy-Con, but I feel like products made of glass are probably more fragile than a Nintendo Switch. I also feel like this alone naming Nintendo "one of the worst companies" is just a LITTLE bit overdramatic.

I got my Switch in February of this year and since then I've had to send my Joy-Cons back to Nintendo to be repaired for drifting 3 times. The Switch is basically the modern Atari 5200. Neat system with great games, but the analog sticks aren't worth a darn in the reliability department.

@PBandSmelly Trust me, you are in the minority. The Joycons are 70 frickin' dollars worth of hot garbage. The analog sticks on them anyway..

@XenoEmblem Your entire rant is the biggest load of caca I've read in a while. Get off your high horse. I'm 39 year old adult who takes very good care of my controllers, thank you very much. Next time research a little instead of knocking others for legitimate complaints. Now take a few minutes to watch this video. Spawn Wave takes apart a Joycon and shows you the design flaw that causes the drift.

I think it's hilarious people are still trying to defend nintendo on this. I've got 3 pairs of joycon that all drift to a certain degree. I've never had this issue with any other console. So it must be a design fault of the switch specifically. A fault that really should have been corrected by now.

Should've done circle pads instead.

@XenoEmblem

“If I can have that many controllers not have any problems, and I use them constantly and extensively, then the average person shouldn't be having this problem.”

Interesting logic there, I’ll play along.

I have 3 joy con sets in my house. 2 of them have drift issues, therefore I can determine that drift is occurring on 66% of the average Switch users! Math is fun.

@vio

I watched that earlier this year. It’s a good video, and probably the most in-depth review on the internals of the joy con.

How do these "the joycons are fine it's a you problem" conspiracies make a lick of sense? Do other console scenes have this problem? Hoards of PS4 players with qualms about controllers not functioning properly constantly and consistently? Or do other scenes have very fubctional, working peripherals that seemingly never warrant any mass discussion? I haven't seen a single article on pro controllers. Do all the same people who you presume ditch their joycons into the sun every time they lose a round of Garou play with the calmness of a Nepalese monk as soon as the larger controller sinks into their grip? Every time I see someone accuse this inordinately large customer base experiencing this one specific and well documented problem that no other triple A console manufacturer is having anything close to comparable issues of being to blame, my grasp on reality weakens and I fear I'm one pseudo-broken joycon away from passing on into a parallel universe.

I keep my stuff in fantastic condition. I have played Nintendo since NES & GameBoy.
The JoyCon are fragile - both my L & R are having issues in less than a year.

My brother got a Pro Controller nearly instantly after getting his Switch over a year ago. He's barely used his JoyCon. His L Joycon is drifting.

Both of us have had issues getting Nintendo to fix their faulty product. Person on the Nintendo helpline in the UK was unhelpful and rude to me too. One of the most unpleasant experiences I've had with a company and very sad it's with a company I've loved since a very early age.

@MundaneName That's odd, the helpers in America have been nothing but super polite. I wonder why there's a difference.

@Dm9982 I still have a 1989 o g GameBoy that STILL works. That thing has been through it all. Same with all the other kit I’ve ever bought from them, no issues. My og day 1 switch, yup drifted and replaced. Hope they are a bit more robust with their quality testing next time.

@Kalmaro I've been told that the company in the UK are hired by Nintendo to deal with repairs. Not sure how true this is though!
Unsure if repairs are dealt with in-house in the US?

@Nintyfan can you provide sources? Since you're claiming joycon drift is objectively caused by people not looking after it, Im sure you'll have no problem posting your proof/findings

Oh wait, it was speculation and not fact? Nvm then.

I rarely use the joycon, but they do have drift. Hopefully by the time they release some colors i'm really interested in getting maybe just maybe they'll have fixed the drift issue, but it sure seems to not be getting fixed quickly.

So the iPad Pro doesn't exist in France? Last I heard many units were coming prebent due to it's extremely delicate nature

Well deserved!

@XenoEmblem I’m with you. I have my Switch since August 2017 and still using the same joycons with no issues whatsoever.
Cheers.

@XenoEmblem Yep, let's just discredit the lawsuit Nintendo got and the abundance of evidence supporting that the Joy-cons are flawed because you said we're all wrong.

I had no idea that you were the authority on this.

@MarcusM

Glad you've got no issues. I've got 3 sets of joycons and they all drift. I don't treat them differently from any of my other controllers. After I've finished playing they go in a draw with my PS4 controllers, or are reattached to the switch. The main games I play are Xenoblade, 2d fighting games and rocket league. I've never had an issue like this with any other controller. I've played games since the SNES and have owned multiple controllers for each system.

People saying take better care of your controllers, what do you folks do? Clean them after each use? That seems a tad OCD. I don't have to do that on Xbox, PS4, Wii or Gamecube.

I've had 3 pro controllers go bad. The most recent has held up much better. Maybe the problems are being addressed. I hope so.

@XenoEmblem You know, using personal anecdote as an excuse to call an entire group of people "pathetic" is a little bit silly. It just so happens every Fire Emblem and Xenoblade fan I've ever been in contact with is adverse to using hygiene products. I've only met two in the wild, but that's a large enough sample size!

People really be out here creating an account just to call people who are upset their expensive peripheral is suffering from a very specific issue that's got widespread internet coverage "pathetic". Oh, what, your AC doesn't work? Stop whinging about it and use it properly maybe, you absolute stoner. My AC keeps my house cool all through the summer months, as do the ACs of everyone I know! It's a very specific issue among a select brand of ACs that is well documented, to the point its even won awards for its fragility? Must have been your fanboyism.

@XenoEmblem oh boy, you're really asking for people to @ you huh? Food for thought. After 20 years my n64 controllers still work and work great. I was 12 when I played my n64 extensively, not to mention, vigorously with games like Mario party. I had my v1 switch for exactly 2 years before It started drifting. I replaced it myself before Nintendo offered the return and replace program they promoted earlier this year( NA at least).

Are you in fact saying that my 12 year old self, who had his games and controllers sprawling all over his messy room, and dropping them continuously, including 20+years of use btw, treated his controller better than 32 yr old me who gently places his switch in a case or in the dock with each time i used it? Plus, I rarely took them off the switch. I babied those controllers and they drifted like crazy. Its a real issue, not a fictitious one.

Oh and take a look at this poll that shows the " far and few between "

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/07/poll_have_your_joy-con_been_drifting

Just trying to shed some light for you. Definitely NOT trying to sound pathetic 😊

@XenoEmblem

“You've deluded yourselves and others into believing everyone is experiancing what you're experiancing.”

Funny, I was gonna tell you the exact same thing.

@Seananigans Yah I used to think like that too, I'm on a fixed income (very cautious with my kit) and purchased a pro controller day 1, and use my joy-cons less than 20 hours. They drift like the wind. I thought that's about the hinge breaking ds lites until mine broke and N admitted publically they used inferior materials (plastics) in early productions.

@XenoEmblem You certainly cared enough to reply...

I have hundreds of hours on Pro Controller and only about 20 hours on the joy-cons and they [joy cons] drift like the wind, exactly how is that mishandled? Why should they react/survive any differently?

Love that we can ignore trolls.

@Jasonmd Likewise, though I tend not to just so I can see what they are saying, sometimes.

I'm in the pro controller master race but I'm probably gonna buy some replacements for handheld play

sounds about right, its astonishing how expensive and defective these things are. extra scummy that they come in a variety of colors, enticing collectors

Fragile? No. Seriously flawed controllers? Definitely. My joycons have started drifting and we haven't even had it for a year. I refuse to replace them because of the high price and high failure.

Its a good thing there are alternate controller options out there or I'd be livid.

@XenoEmblem Why'd you delete your comments?

@Kalmaro think they realized how silly they looked lol

I'm sorely tempted to agree because my left joycon started drifting about 9 months in and it was so bad that the calibration screen showed it jumping around in real time.

I sent mine in for a free repair and amazingly, it came back to me relatively quickly.

I agree with @Tempestryke - the joycons - at least mine as well - are seriously flawed if they can't stand up to even a year of use and the worst part is, they're very costly to replace.

@NintendoByNature @Kalmaro I removed their replies. I would appreciate if we could drop the subject now.

@Eel no problem. Already forgot and dropped 😉

@Eel Moved on, pardon my late reply.

@Kalmaro i want to help you with your issue.. so i will do that. i have recently been ahead of this issue and purchased a device called the mayflash magic ns adapter which allows for a different brand controller, "mainly the ps4, ps3, xbox one or xbox 360" controllers. NO IM NOT A SELLER OF THE PRODUCT .. i just want to help others find a way to get around the issue without spending hundreds of dollars buying replacement joy-cons every time they drift... mine havent drifted yet but if they do i will send them to nintendo to get them repaired. the adapter btw is on amazon. just look for "mayflash magic ns".. just be aware that used controllers that are connected to it may drift as well... it depends on how much you used it. i would reccomend using or getting a new ps3 controller because they seem to be cheaper and less drifty than the others when brand new. ps4 controllers are too expensive to consider... and wired xbox 360 controllers have a big deadzone from my experience. xbox one controllers are also too expensive.. in fact they are as expensive as a pair of joycons from what ive seen on amazon unless you have one to begin with. also you should tell people you know who has a switch about the device... if you dont want to thats fine too. because again.. im not a seller... im just happy that i got something that will substitute for nintendo's "china quality" mistake.

@GlydeFisher I actually just connect my CO thriller to my PC via Bluetooth, but I think I'm getting confused, how will this adapter help me again?

It's been a few months so I can't remember what the issue was.

@Kalmaro its for the switch not the pc ...also wtf is a CO Thriller? XD

@GlydeFisher Obviously, it's a horror movie centered around Co's!

That or my keyboard auto-correcting when it shouldn't and I wasn't paying attention.

I never thought of using the adaptor for my Switch. Luckily, my pro controller still works like a charm so it's not that big of a deal.