Nintendo has apologized for the Joy-Con drift issue that Nintendo Switch users have been experiencing since the hybrid console's launch in early 2017. However, the company does not appear to have a firm solution to the issue.
In a recent financial Q&A with the Japanese company (via Kotaku), Nintendo said it would finally apologize for the Joy-Con drift issue. However, the company did not go into further detail as it is facing a class action lawsuit in the U.S. over the issue.
"We apologize for any inconvenience caused to our customers regarding Joy-Con," said Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa. We will continue to work to improve the product, but since the Joy-Con is the subject of a class action lawsuit in the U.S., which is still pending, we would like to refrain from responding to specifics."
"We will continue to work to improve the Joy-Con, but we will not be able to provide a specific response to the class action lawsuit, as it is still pending.
For those who have not yet experienced Joy-Con drift, it is a problem in Switch games where the Joy-Con joystick appears to detect movement even though it is not physically being moved. Some people who have experienced this drift attribute it to dust or debris that has gotten into the Joy-Con controllers, while others believe it is a calibration issue on the Switch's software side.
So far, however, Nintendo has taken no official position on the reported issue, effectively leaving Switch users to figure out how to fix it. As such, some have tweaked the Switch's settings to recalibrate the Joy-Con, while others have completely disassembled the controller.
Acknowledging that Joy-Con drift exists is a breath of fresh air for those who have experienced the frustrating habit, but it still does not solve the problem. Nintendo has so far only suggested that they raise the Switch issue with Nintendo's support service.
As of July 24, 2019, Nintendo has been rather quietly repairing Joy-Con drifts for free. However, there does not appear to be an overall fix to prevent Joy-Con drift from hitting Switch consoles that have not yet experienced it. Nor is there any guarantee that the fix will simply not recur.
The Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite are firm favorites among Tom's Guide. However, it is arguable that Nintendo's response and handling of the Joy-Con drift issue is not good enough for a company that has prided itself on providing quality hardware and software.
Nintendo has room to ensure that such problems do not occur with the Nintendo Switch 2. However, that console is only a subtle rumor at this point, meaning that the current Switch will likely be with us for a few more years.
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