Four years on and the Switch’s Joycon drift issue still hasn’t been solved

Nintendo released a new Switch model with an OLED display. Many had hoped that the device would also include updated Joycons that would finally address the drifting issue. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case.

“The Joy-Con controllers included with Nintendo Switch (OLED model) are the same as the controllers currently available,” the company said in an FAQ on their official UK website.

Several media outlets further pressed the company to finally issue a statement on the drifting issue. “We asked about drift, which is a reliability issue. And when we asked the question again in an even clearer fashion, we were referred to the same statement,” The Verge reported, referencing the line in the FAQ.

The Joy-con’s reliability problems have been an ongoing odyssey for quite some time now. In fact, we first commented on it two years ago. Since then, Nintendo has continued to dance around the issue. Several class action lawsuits against the company have also been filed.

The issue boils down to an alleged flaw with the thumb sticks that causes gunk to build up, wearing out the contacts prematurely. This can cause the system to report erratic inputs known as “drift”. It seems to crop up within two years of normal use. Though some owners have reported seeing issues after only a few months.

Drift will eventually get so bad that many games will be rendered unplayable. Forcing players to either send their Joy-cons in for repairs, or go through the trouble of buying new ones. New controllers cost $40 USD each, or $80 for the pair. Yep, no savings for buying the complete set. Due to the high cost, a cottage industry for DIY repairs has popped up, selling cleaners and replacement sticks on sites like Amazon. These can be far more cost effective solutions for handy gamers. And judging by how many of these products are up for sale, it’s quite the lucrative business too.

Yet despite this, Nintendo still refuses to officially acknowledge that there’s even a problem. Which is quite unusual for them. Even the NES’s notoriously wonky cartridge slot got a redesign. Well, eventually. Even then, the problem wasn’t enough to cripple the system. For the most part, their products have been practically bullet proof. However, with the general delicateness of the Switch compounded by the Joy-con issues, it’s a notable decline in quality for the company. The drift issue is also something that probably never would have dragged on this long under past leaders like Hiroshi Yamauchi or Satoru Iwata.

It is worth noting that Nintendo isn’t the only company experiencing drift issues. Owner’s Sony’s DualSense controller have already been reporting problems with the thumb sticks, only some 8-months after launch. Microsoft is also facing a lawsuit over drift issues, specifically with the Xbox One Elite controllers. Though there have been reports that the Series controllers are also affected. Most companies source their thumbsticks from the same small pool of Chinese manufacturers, and all use a very similar design. Though the Switch’s are certainly a lot flimsier than those in its bigger brothers.

While Nintendo is quietly offering to repair stick drift for free, it still doesn’t resolve the issue. It’s more like plugging a damn with chewing gum. It’s really unacceptable that there has been no official fix to this problem yet. It’s really a black mark on what’s otherwise their best handheld since the original Game Boy.