- Reaction score
- 1,712
The Switch is without a doubt one of Nintendo’s most successful, versatile consoles ever, but it comes with one massive caveat: it might also be the least durable hardware Nintendo has made. While the design flaws with the system itself are largely trivial (a cracked backplate sucks, but it doesn’t stop you from gleefully turning Mario into a T-rex), the same can’t be said for the issues that come with its controllers.
Problems with the Joy-Con cropped up pretty much as soon as the Switch launched in 2017, and it’s downright baffling that we’re still dealing with them in 2020 – especially the now infamous Joy-Con drift. With three years of experience using the hardware to look back on, a second iteration in the Switch Lite, and the unfortunate reality that COVID-19 has temporarily closed Nintendo’s repair centers and dried up all available retail stock, I’m now confident calling the Joy-Con’s continued faults what they truly are: an unmitigated disaster.
It’s a shame, because I actually really like using my Joy-Con. I don’t find them uncomfortably small as some others do, and I’m not bothered by the off-set positioning of the right joystick, even when using it solo. I think the Joy-Con have a charming design that looks great, generally feels good to use, and cleverly delivers on the Switch’s goal of being both a handheld and a traditional console in one.
However, I don’t think I know a single person who hasn’t experienced problems with their Joy-Con at one point or another. Drifting joysticks, syncing issues, part deterioration – you name it, and these little controllers have probably put someone through it. And despite none of these defects being new, Nintendo hasn’t really provided a proper solution to any of them even three full years after launch.
www.ign.com
Problems with the Joy-Con cropped up pretty much as soon as the Switch launched in 2017, and it’s downright baffling that we’re still dealing with them in 2020 – especially the now infamous Joy-Con drift. With three years of experience using the hardware to look back on, a second iteration in the Switch Lite, and the unfortunate reality that COVID-19 has temporarily closed Nintendo’s repair centers and dried up all available retail stock, I’m now confident calling the Joy-Con’s continued faults what they truly are: an unmitigated disaster.
It’s a shame, because I actually really like using my Joy-Con. I don’t find them uncomfortably small as some others do, and I’m not bothered by the off-set positioning of the right joystick, even when using it solo. I think the Joy-Con have a charming design that looks great, generally feels good to use, and cleverly delivers on the Switch’s goal of being both a handheld and a traditional console in one.
However, I don’t think I know a single person who hasn’t experienced problems with their Joy-Con at one point or another. Drifting joysticks, syncing issues, part deterioration – you name it, and these little controllers have probably put someone through it. And despite none of these defects being new, Nintendo hasn’t really provided a proper solution to any of them even three full years after launch.
3 Years Later, Joy-Con Drift is Still a Huge Problem - IGN
Joy-Con drift is a disaster Nintendo needs to find a real fix for.
Last edited by a moderator:
