Joycon Drift Issues

[mαrkαsscoρ]

So I made a thread earlier about console reliability, but I didn't think Joycons would be thrown in the mix since they're controllers, just wanted to talk about my constant failing gamecubes, ha.
But since I feel like the Joycon issue is a topic on its own, why not make a thread about it? This is a pretty known issue that overtime, the control sticks on some Joycons would register movement on its own w/o you actually moving it. So building off the last thread, have you yourself ever encountered this issue if you're a Switch owner?

I have personally. I remember playing Xenoblade 2 and I noticed the camera veered off on its own for a moment. I thought I was tripping until it became apparent that it was definitely happening over time. At this moment, my right Joycon is just screwed, I turn the console on and its already moving on its own. The kicker here is that like barley a couple months ago, my left started to act up! I haven't gotten around to resolving them so at this moment, my only Joycon pair is screwed, since my left had gotten worse over time. Not only that, my friend and another person I know also have had issues w/ their own Joycons. So I can say from my own experience that those things are just not that reliable.

 

[Fraxinus]

have you yourself ever encountered this issue if you're a Switch owner?

Yeah, literally as of Wednesday. I've been a total grouch about it too, and I've *****ed to so many people about it (if you were on the receiving end of this, I'm sorry and I love you <3). Had my Switch for a year and a half and play it handheld 90% of the time and only have the one pair of joycons, and never had the issue, so it just got to a point where it was like... I knew it was a timebomb, and yesterday was the day it went off.

It wasn't incredibly bad... I was thinking it was more my paranoia yesterday, because it was so subtle, but after some stupid stuff happening in both Smash and Link's Awakening, I decided to test the L-stick inputs, and sure enough there was a jitter in the down input. Link's Awakening has somewhat unresponsive controls to an extent, so I sort of felt that disguised the problem as it started to emerge, as well as also worsened it because I think I was pressing further in analogue directions than normal because of the controls. But I know Link's Awakening alone wasn't the issue. It's been a year and a half in the making. I play handheld a lot.

The drift is worse today, it's having trouble returning to center after moving the stick. It only seems to be affecting the down input, though. But I can see the same starting jitter in the R-stick now, so I'm sure it's getting ready to start acting up too. I've been playing docked to avoid thinking about it, and am in the process of attempting to clean out my left joycon. I don't want to buy another pair of joycons until they fix the hardware.

I have several friends who've experienced it, and even though it took me this long for it to happen, I think it's safe to say that it will eventually happen to any joycon joystick, no matter what. Nintendo needs to fix this. I had to send my sister the heartbreaking text today, telling her not to get a Switch Lite (which I was kind of looking forward to because then we could play together while she's away at medschool), because Nintendo did not fix this issue in the Switch Lites, and people are already experiencing drift with them. I don't want her to spend money on a flawed system.

 

[Spirit]

I've had my Switch since day one and my left JoyCon has started to drift, it got really bad really fast once it started.

Luckily I bought a pro controller at launch and use that about 98% of the time.

Which means if I add up all of my handheld JoyCon playtime, it really didn't take it long to start drifting at all.

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

I've burned through so many joycons this is probably an accurate representation of the quantity of everyone's drifting joy cons

 

[~Kilza~]

I haven't had any issues with my Joy-Con's drifting. Then again, I've barely used them. I used them when I was playing through Super Mario Odyssey, but then I ended up getting a Switch Pro Controller and now I always use that instead.

 

[the8thark]

My opinion is to wait and see how the lawsuit goes. Hopefully there we shall get some quantifiable data on the issue.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

Reports of Joy-Con drift are too widespread at this point to be something only a minority of people are experiencing. While I've yet to experience it for myself, I've never doubted that it was an isolated issue because I've had friends who I trust who are experiencing it.

Like @BlackWolf//WhiteAngel, I've seen him talking on the SB about all the problems he's had with Joy-Cons. Hell, I'll never forget one of my fellow Writers on ZD was talking about how he was skeptical about drift, and how he thought people were maybe exaggerating things. This came after I wrote a news post about Nintendo of America fixing Joy Cons free of charge. Our Editor in Chief, Andy, came a long and was like "Oh, Nintendo is repairing Joy Cons finally! It's time to send mine in!". Some context, Andy absolutely loves the Switch - he won't say a bad thing about it. So if he's even admitting he has bad drift, it's more than likely a real thing.

The only reason I haven't had my Joy Cons drift is because I barely use them. I play 99% docked, and with my Pro Controller.

 

[A Link In Time]

Terrible, terrible drift on my left joycon. It seems to show up the worst in Mario Maker 2. When I'm in maker mode my character either drifts up or down uncontrollably. Sometimes when I play speedruns it puts me character to the left when I push right.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

I sent my pair in last week and got them back w/ no charge, the stick on my right one was replaced while my left one is a new joy con altogether, we'll see how long these last
in the meantime, I can finally play 3d games again

 

[Azure Sage]

I experience drift a lot. I got some contact cleaner and that does provide a quick temporary fix, but its usually back a few weeks later and I have to spray it again.

 

[the8thark]

Reports of Joy-Con drift are too widespread at this point to be something only a minority of people are experiencing.

Not everyone agrees with this statement. I certainly do not. However I do feel Nintendo should be addressing the issue. Aside from the PR reasons to do it, the small number of people with the issue deserve a fix for it.

This issue being so well known now is the vocal minority doing something good for a change. I even speak up about this issue even thoughall my joycon and pro controllers work just fine. I also want the issue dealt with.

 

[Fraxinus]

Not everyone agrees with this statement. I certainly do not.

If it's widespread to the point that it affects literally every batch, you can't call it isolated, or a manufacturing flaw with one bad batch. It's a design flaw that potentially affects all joycons. Just because the problem doesn't manifest in a joycon, doesn't mean that the flaw is not present. Again, my first pair took a year and a half to start showing signs of it. They lasted a pretty long time considering, but the flaw exists. There are likely factors on the player end that affects its emergence, but the fact that it can manifest is entirely due to its design, whether because it lets debris get into the sensor or its contact is actually grinding it down, or a mix of both.

 

[the8thark]

If it's widespread to the point that it affects literally every batch.

If that is the case then I agree with you, because that would be fact. If, if if. If it's not . . . well you get my point.

Regardless of how widespread or not widespread each individual believes the issue to be, it should be dealt with and fixed by Nintendo. That way no one will have the issue anymore as it will be fixed.

 

[Dizzi]

I think i had a slight drift...

 

[Princess Niki]

My original right one started to drift when Pokemon Sword came out I had not noticed it till I got to the wild area and the camera was going nuts.