Random: Hacker Solves Switch Joy-Con Drift By Cannibalising A Valve Steam Controller

I am actually a HUGE fan of the Steam controller. The people who complained about it never messed in the settings. It is great for motion control.

I'm surprised this person calls himself a "hacker." He should say "modder" instead.

I think "solves" should be in quote marks there!

I love my steam controller way too much to do this.

@Dezzy technically considering drift is caused by a mechanical part damaging the graphite contact plates(iirc?) within that control nub's box, something like a touchpad which seem to do without that kind of mechanical components may indeed be free from ever suffering again.

The proper issue is whether such a component would be cost effective for joycons without driving their cost further up when you consider we're talking about controllers that already support motion control in both cases and and NFC reader and IR camera in both cases. And those side charging rails definitely are a more custom design for assembly chains unlike the control nub which is basically flat out a 'generic' component even yourself can buy by the bulk. It could be that costs may remain cheap but still I wouldn't be surprised if replacing that nub would result in price increases considering we're talking about replacing that's likely the cheapest component to acquire(in fact I just replaced my own original nubs with new ones and the whole thing was 16$CAD for a new pair+the actual tools to open the controller and remove the original nub in the first place) with something drift-free but likely more costly.

Joycon drift can actually be quite useful when scrolling through the games on sale on the eshop all I have to do is push down once and it continues to scroll down all on its own great feature lol

The Steam controller is fantastic... for one thing, it allows you to play any PC game with it, even if the game has NO gamepad support. I play a lot of "keyboard and mouse only" games on my TV while sitting on my couch. Art Puzzlers, point-and-click, etc.

I also play a lot of digital pinball and the nearly infinite tweaking that can be done is great for that. I have the triggers right where I want them, the touchpad operates the plunger, the grip paddles will nudge the table...

Lastly, games like DOOM (2016) are way more enjoyable with gyro aiming and camera control via the simulated trackball with the right touchpad.

Even if you're not into tweaking settings, you can just download a profile that someone else has already perfected.

I was very sad when Valve discontinued the Steam Controller... and even more sad that I missed out on the $5 fire sale. I would have purchased several. Luckily, I do have a backup in the closet.

It might be me but was there a slight input lag?

This makes me wish Nintendo went with that style of control stick/pad for the Switch. Perhaps we all though the stick would be better till all the issues started up.

The solution for drift is for Nintendo to spend the extra pennies for a part that that uses a material more durable than graphite. This is not a difficult problem to solve.

@RupeeClock That's fine by me. You know how many times I've clicked that in by accident. While most games dont matter the few that do sucks when you press it by accident.

@RupeeClock All that makes sense and I guess I didn't really think about it. My frustration with the sticks far outweighs my thinking of the reason to include them.

I own a Steam Controller for my PC and although I like it for some games I always tend to return to a traditional controller instead. Playing Pong Quest with it works quite well though and was probably the only game I feel was made for that controller.

This is pretty cool, also I think this would be considered a mod.

I solved mine also, with alcohol and ear-stick.

@PickledKong64 Why are you surprised he used the correct word?
He is a hardware hacker. He hacked hardware together.

Better be careful, people here want hackers dead.

@PickledKong64

Lol i am one of them you have any tips for the settings? Or a link where i can find it.

Finally, a use for those terrible Steam controllers.

• insert Hackerman meme -

Considering how the Steam Controllers are no longer being made or sold by Valve, I'm sort of sad to see one gutted for a different project. Hopefully those patents for a new Steam Controller come to fruition at some point.

Why does he only have 2 games?

@The-Chosen-one I personally messed around with settings myself but I know if you check reddit, or steam conversations you can find configurations for games especially motion control configurations.

@StevenG again that's not really hacking it is modding

@StevenG
He would be a hardware modder. A hacker by definition is someone who gains access through illicit means as opposed to legal ones. Even the base term Hack means to cut roughly which now also is a term for hacking.

How this is still happening and Nintendo continues to manufacture and SELL these faulty controllers is embarrassing and frankly puts a really bad taste in my mouth for Nintendo as a company and this is from someone who loves Switch this generation. It’s my favorite Ninty console since the holy GameCube.

I have fixed 6 joy-con with drift by following some steps from a Nintendrew video. It involves some ethanol and a qtip. They are working flawless for months now. I still think it's ridiculous the drift appears in the first place but I do feel like a lot of people give up too easily on their joy-con.

@PickledKong64
Oh tnx will try that!

Very cool project. Paving the way for more of those hacky banana controllers for Switch?

@PickledKong64 No, he is a hacker. The term is widely used in hardware communities. Just because you don't agree on the term because you are only familiar with one definition doesn't invalidate his use of the word.

This doesn't solve anything...

It did nothing to fix it as it requires MOD and sticks out of the Controller that is pathetic excuse for a MOD. That won't fit any protective case or a GripCase. So that clearly is not done with doing their HomeWork and needs to go back to the drawing board to rethink as a failure.

I love Nintendo but they should be embarrassed by this joycon drift debacle and the fact it has apparently still not been properly addressed.

Personally haven't had the issue but it is cleary there.

It’s a nice idea, but I think the final result is too big and messy. A cleaned up and fitted one would likely look and function pretty decently. Still waiting for Nintendo to release a fixed joy-con without the drifting issues...

@PickledKong64 Just because he's modding something doesn't mean he isn't a hacker. If a pro football player came up with a new sandwich idea, he probably would be referred to as a football player, not a sandwich maker.

@NickOfTime90 I haven't tried ethanol, bought I bought some replacement sticks for $5 a pop and fixed three joycons that way. They've all worked flawlessly since I fixed them and one of them I replaced, my own left Joycon, in July 2018. I had sent it into Nintendo and it started drifting again within 6 months. Since my warranty had ended, I figured I'd try myself before paying to get it fixed or buying a new one. Even if it drifts again some day, getting two years nearly so far from $5 isn't bad. Still, if the ethanol fix works, I may give that a shot next time I know someone with drift.

That’s BS!
It not a hardware problem.. it’s more likely to be some firmware or software problem!
The drifting happens when using my 8BitDo controller also.

@RupeeClock I have a Steam Controller, you can click in the touchpads like L3/R3. I was excited for the thing, gave it a go, could never adjust to the awful button placement. I would've preferred a D-pad in place of the left touchpad, and a smaller touchpad on the right with the buttons higher.

As it stands, I'm sticking with my Xbox Elite Series 2 controller and a Corsair Lapdog for my PC gaming in the living room. Wish Valve had refined their Steam Controller with revisions, maybe made it modular or maybe customizable when ordered.

@PickledKong64 No that's hardware hacking.
Kiddo, these terms were used before you saw your first NIntendo.

@Zidentia Look kiddo, these terms existed before you. That's hardware hacking. Like you said to cut something up, which is exactly what he did here.

@StevenG Look spanky or whatever you like to call people assumptions must be the bane of your existence because you suck at it. Hardware hacking is by its definition gaining access illegally outside of its normal legal access points. Modifying, or modding, is a term that existed well before you and that is what was done here. The term Hacking was created after I and others broke into government FTP's and control systems. I also phreaked where we, "gasp", modified hardware to call anywhere we needed for free.

Just because a term has been hijacked and forced onto an already labeled activity does not make it legitimate.

@Zidentia No it isn't. You are using words and have no idea what they mean.

The term hacking predates the definition you have given it. If you are as old as you claim, then this is just pathetic.
The fact that you mix phreaking and FTP is interesting. Not much overlap. Also unauthorized access isn't hardware hacking. Not by any definition.
So as far as I can tell you are a liar and a pretty poor one at that.

https://www.sparkfun.com/news/1314

@StevenG
To begin with I have reported your post as abusive. Calling someone pathetic and a liar are abusive behaviors. And you are just wrong. The term did not predate that period in time and your link is hardly a bastion of truthful information. It is a site that is co-opting the term for people that want to believe.

I can see your grasp on this is not up to speed and we will end this now since you are trying to get a reaction instead of actually debating a point of view.

@Zidentia Whatever it takes to make you feel better about being wrong.

@StevenG 5 days later I dont care