PSA: Remember To Update Your Joy-Con, As Well As Your Nintendo Switch

It really seems dumb that we have to do this.

@sketchturner Meh, I have to update various parts of my computer all the time. Including my mouse, keyboard and headset firmware. The smarter tech gets, the more they need these updates to smooth out bugs and improve interactions.

Stealth drift fix?

@sketchturner You're living in a world where products are no longer seen as complete. What else did you expect? We'll never see that non-updatable complete world ever again.

@sketchturner agreed 100% this is stupid

@WolfyTn Chances are someone will datamine this firmware and find that it'll have some Switch Pro feature plan for it. Nintendo doesn't just update it for nothing.

Can't wait for the day where I have to update my toothbrush.

_{What do you mean those already exist?}

Joy-Cons only or is the update for the Pro Controller also?

Given that:
1) Nintendo (like many other companies) has a track record of crippling their systems with a single update.
2) There are apparently no patch notes for the joycon update.

It is ill advised that anyone perform this update until Nintendo explains what it intends to address.

@Tyranexx more like a few years.

@HotGoomba I downloaded the update for my underwear last night. They no longer drift!

@Pirate1 The drifting is 100% hardware related. No firmware update is going to stop it.

But will it brake the drift?

@Ghost_of_Hasashi At least the attached joycons should get updated automatically, without the need to go to a menu and manually do it. For newly attached joycons, the system should detect the firmware and update accordingly.

@Chowdaire What's the fun of life without some drifting underwear?

Ah the good old no joy cons. Haven't used them in years cos of Tokyo Drift.

@vio Not true. A firmware update could mitigate/stop drift.

@Ghost_of_Hasashi I have a feeling it may be related to Skyward Sword HD in order to replicate the 1:1 motion controls found in the original version of the game. The game does come out next week, after all.

Why dont they just automatically update when connected to the system? This still baffles me

@sketchturner Welcome to the world of wireless communication. 🙈

Before complaining about something you don't understand try to educate yourself first on it.

@Ghost_of_Hasashi nah things nowdays are just more complex and as you add more layers they require more fine tuning. Plus everyone is impatient for the game, item, or that pay check so in sense both could be right 🤷

The joy cons get more updates than the pro controller for some odd reason. I only remember doing 1 pro controller update.

@Tyranexx if it was now, it would explain how some people are slow thinkers, because they forget to update.

That Joy-Con cocktail looks delicious... and hella expensive.

people complaining that they're updating the firmware as if it's huge deal. takes less than 10 seconds to do. oh boy hope they didn't put you out too much. put more effort into complaining about it than just doing it.

Let me guess: It fixes drift? Of course not!!

At the moment I just use my Hori split pad. That one has proper analogue sticks with hopefully better parts inside. The pad works fine, but is a little bit to big and to heavy for my tiny hands. But its better then endure all that awful drifting.

Any reason why automatic controller updating arent a thing?
It seems like an easy thing to implement...

@stuntz0rZ the pro controller is already perfect

@Hordak I plugged it in via USB and selected update controllers and it said it was up to date. Assuming I did it right then it doesn't look like it.

My cousin, a few friends and myself have narrowed down the drift. We are all on our third pair OR MORE of Joycons. We have found if you never press in the sticks (to run, jump, etc) they last infinitely longer. We play a lot of FPS and other games where you hold the left stuck down and press up at the same time to run. Doing this the sticks almost always had drift within the first six months to a year. When we remapped the run (left stick click) to the shoulder buttons we've now been DRIFT FREE for over a year! When you click the sticks and press (as many have seen when they take apart the device) up the connections between the sticks gets eaten up and goes bad. My cousin is a professional gamer and he also experienced this with Xbox one controllers to a lesser extent. The range of motion in the switch controllers is just shorter and smaller which is why it happens more often on the switch. He was able to just about eliminate drift on his switch joycons and pro controllers by making the change. Just thought I'd post to help anyone else who might have these issues. I mean the fact that Nintendo hasn't done anything to fix this on a hardware level is insane as they are the hardware kings.

@The_New_Butler
Incredible feedback! That’s very interesting. I haven’t used my joycon controllers since experiencing drift while playing breath of the wild. Got an 8bitdo and never looked back.

I too am so surprised they haven’t fixed this issued a recall or done anything about it. Crazy.

I wonder if this will fix the drift on my four month old Dual Shock 4 controller, too. Worth a shot, right?

Update your breakfast! Muffin 1.01, Kix(berry berry)ver.2.3, Milk mod .5, OJ(organic og version yellow.)

@sketchturner Welcome to the future. It is the "Internet of Things"
... the "Things" usually being crap you don't really give a fig about, that somehow is totally useless without an internet connection or an update.

I look forward to the day I can't flush my toilet until I update the firmware /s

@The_New_Butler It sounds like your really like the 8-bitdo pad. How long have you had it? I like it, but I always shy away from 3rd party controllers, because the quality is just never as good as it needs to be. TIA!

@Footloose well, the "stability" updates are normally just them trying to catch people with custom filmware the details of which they don't give to the public because they don't want to make it easy for the hackers. this time around they seem to have changed the master key so the hackers have yet to get all the details as far as i'm aware but will do so eventually as that is the nature of the tug of war with the big 3 video game company's on one end and homebrewers & pirates on the other.

well, my switch may not be homebrewed, but i'm still going to wait about a week to see what bugs show up

@sketchturner Oh it sounds like such hardship.

@Henmii How is that split pad? I was thinking about picking it up since it seems it would fit my hands better than the smaller design of the regular Joy-cons.

@Fifth313ment or buy some WD-40 Electrical Contact Cleaner, spray under the rubber cap on the Joystick and voilá. Drift is gone. Worked for me, cost like 5$. Still have practically a whole can if I need it again, but haven't need to for almost 2 years now. 👍

@HXLXIII

Very good. As I mentioned its a bit to big and heavy for my tiny hands. But It has nice, if a bit soft buttons. A d-pad (also a bit on the soft side). Big chunky analogue sticks that feel good. And its made so that it won't slip out of your hands easily if you have sweaty hands like me. Overall recommended (especially if you have big hands), though keep in mind that it doesn't have rumble, wireless play, motion-controls, etc.

It would be simple to access the menu if my joycons didn't drift so much! When I'm over the setting the cursor jumps to the next... Ho Hum. I got there eventually. And the update didn't fix the drift at all.

@TMNHertl I don't mind installing updates. That's fine. It's simply the fact that I think I should install the update to the console and then it automatically should update the controllers. Having to do them separately when they already are capable of communicating with each other seems silly.

@Donkey-Kong-Fan Nope... Watch Spawn Wave take apart a Joycon and show you why Joycon drift happens.

https://youtu.be/Z7um_1jr2vg

Furthermore, if a simple firmware update could fix it, Nintendo would have done that years ago.

@Pirate1 I was thinking that too. I really hope so.

@Lone_Beagle 8BitDo is awesome! I do not have any of their controllers, but I do have their arcade stick. It is very well made, I have zero complaints. They make quality products at a good price.

Always curious to know what these do

@Donkey-Kong-Fan how exactly?

Xbox controllers get regular updates.

.. and those things break physically really stupidly easy

Can someone enlighten me, please?
What are these Joy-Con updates for?

@HammerGalladeBro Probably to be able to include more colors to more video games and stuff. Remember when the rooms in your house in Pokemon Sword and Shield could be the colors of your Joy Cons? Something like that, I wager.

@HXLXIII I tried contact cleaner and it worked for a couple days. WD-40 will make it worse as dirt will stick to it and makes it go bad faster. My cousins was so bad his contacts were eaten up and nothing fixed them. Its easier to map only buttons to the sticks that you click without moving the stick to stop drift.

@vio Thanks! I have their SNES adapter that lets you use a WiiU Pro Controller as an SNES joypad and it works well. I always try to get genuine Nintendo controllers...but the reviews for the 8bitDo for both PC and Switch gaming are really good. I just am skeptical of reviews written when a 3rd party controller is released; I want to know how it holds up after 3+ months of regular usage.