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Do you experience joycon drift?

  • I own an OG Switch, never experienced drift

    Votes: 402 42.6%
  • I own an OG Switch and experienced joycon drift

    Votes: 526 55.7%
  • I own a Switch Lite and don't have Lite problems

    Votes: 12 1.3%
  • I own a Switch Lite and experience Joycon drift

    Votes: 4 0.4%

  • Total voters
    944

Dekuman

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,026
I'm hoping the lawsuit will sort this out as evidence would be required to prove it one way or another.
 

Salty Rice

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,612
Pancake City
Had a launch switch and never had any problems until a like 3 months ago and now the drift got even worse.

I used the Swtich rarely over that time and still got it. So no i dont think its exaggerated.
 

Oni

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
311
Remember reading headlines mentioning it and just ignoring them, then a couple weeks later I got it and instantly knew what those headlines were on about.
 

D.Lo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,348
Sydney
When I was the only one using the Switch I never had a problem.

But once I shared it with the kids they trashed the joy cons very quickly. Mario Party is the perfect game seemingly to destroy controllers.
This was my exact experience with N64. My controllers were perfect for years, almost a decade, then some kids who used them ruined them within weeks.

Zero issues with launch joycons so far. Sounds like I should keep them away from the kids.
 

Alvis

Saw the truth behind the copied door
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,230
Spain
My Switch, my gf's Switch and my brother's Switch, all launch units, have drift in both joycons.
 

Protome

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,682
I don't have drift on my launch Joy Cons but my Splatoon 2 ones have drift on the left stick.
 
Oct 25, 2017
5,179
Can only represent myself: two OG switches, one from launch and one from the first Christmas, neither with drift issues. Both have a pro controller bought alongside and no issues there either. One switch lite, no issues yet either. Obviously these issues are happening to a percentage of people, but I haven't experienced them personally, and both OG switches have had heavy usage from adults and kids alike.
 

Froli

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,655
Philippines
The problem is real.
And there is an update on the class action lawsuit

The law firm of Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith have amended its class-action lawsuit on behalf of anyone who purchased a Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and separate Nintendo Switch Joy-Con.

The Amended Complaint alleges that the Joy-Con controllers are defective, leading to a phenomenon known as 'drift.'" The Amended Complaint also claims that Joy-Cons are in breach of warranty, fraud, and "violations of numerous state consumer protection statutes.
 

LuigiMario

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,937
I had friends that would absolutely destroy 360 controllers playing call of duty. Stick drift, worn bridle rubber, the whole 9 yards. I had 2 PS4 controllers shit out on me in different ways (ones R2 button broke, the others dpad just stopped working).

I will say the switch joycon seems more prone to issues than standard controllers, which sucks considering they're not cheap, but considering Nintendo is replacing the drift issues right now I don't think it's as damning as the internet is making it out to be. Almost all controllers are prone to common failure points and the sticks seem to be the common issue On joycons. Hoping at some point they switch stick suppliers or something and also that this isn't an issue on the Switch Lite, where IMO it's a bigger issue.
 

Dog of Bork

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,989
Texas
Almost all controllers are prone to common failure points and the sticks seem to be the common issue On joycons.
And yet most manufacturers don't go out of their way to repair damaged products out of warranty. Typically that only happens when failure is widespread and over the expected rate (see RRoD).

The set of joycons in my house saw under 100 hours of use (split with a Pro controller) and already drift. They're easily the quickest controller to break on us in recent memory.
 

Mechaplum

Enlightened
Member
Oct 26, 2017
18,815
JP
If it wasn't significant Nintendo A wouldn't have addressed it. Don't need to poll ERA to know this.
 

K' Dash

Banned
Nov 10, 2017
4,156
I don't know any switch owners with the problem, of course, this is anecdotal, also, if Nintendo is offering free repairs for it, it's obvious they're acknowledging there is a problem.
 

MasterChumly

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,902
Its just as bad as the Red ring of death. The only reason why it doesn't get as much publicity is because the console itself still works.
 

johnyqd

Member
Nov 13, 2017
35
I got an OG switch and an extra set of joycons at launch. I've put a huge amount of time on the system and all four had to be repaired/replaced by Nintendo. Based on my friends anecdotes it seems like it correlates to usage and drift seems almost inevitable somewhere in the 1000+ hour usage range.

I also have a launch pro controller that is not usable due to drift (completely different internal problem if I understand correctly) even after having been repaired by Nintendo once.
 

Vlad

Member
Oct 25, 2017
382
I got the Switch about six months after launch, and have had drifting issues on both the right and left joy-con. The right one started to drift a little bit about a year ago and then got better on its own, then the left one started in about six months later, right when I was in the middle of playing through Dark Souls for the first time.

And to anybody who says that drift doesn't make games unplayable, going through Sen's Fortress with a character that randomly decides to start walking to the left is pretty damn unplayable.

I managed to make the left stick drift go away with some contact cleaner, and I gave the right one a shot, just to be safe. Got a pro controller not too long afterwards, and haven't played much in portable mode anyway since apparently most of the people developing games for the Switch don't scale their text for people who are actually playing on the small screen (Helloooo Skyrim and Diablo 3!).
 

Teppic

Member
Oct 25, 2017
686
I got it on my left Joy-con and I've not used my switch that much. Maybe 300 hours in total.
 

Jedi2016

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,660
No drift here, with the caveat that the Switch is my least-played system (comparitavely). It seems like a wear-and-tear issue from what I've heard, and my system just doesn't have the hours on it yet.
 

Hero_of_the_Day

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
17,344
Mine have been good so far. But out of my three nephews, two of them had one stick drift, and one had both sticks drift. Replaced some of their latches also, but I don't remember the exact numbers there.
 

DC5remy

Member
Jan 20, 2018
7,579
Denver co
I was a non believer until last week. I was playing FF 12 and they kept walking to the left on their own. I could correct it, but anytime I push left and let off, they keep walking left.

It's real
 

NHarmonic.

â–˛ Legend â–˛
The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
10,295
It's probably associated with use. I remember starting to notice drifting after 800 hours of use or more, mostly high level splatoon2 play. Now i can't use it at all.

Don't buy the lite.
 

Inuhanyou

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,214
New Jersey
I'm sure its a real issue. I'm not gonna sit here and say "things break" like MS with the 360 issue.

Early PS4 controllers didnt have drift issues, but they had a similar problem with the stick where diagonal movement would stop functioning after a while. I had to get a new PS4 controller because of that.

Of course, i dont know if it was a huge problem or not, but i know i am not the only person to have that issue.

The real question is the controller drift issue a big enough problem that Nintendo will have to respond? I would say with normal switch no, due to how relatively modular things are.

But Switch lite is a different story...if those machines that largely cant be taken apart to have parts replaced start drifting as a huge percentage of units, then it becomes an issue.
 

spam musubi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,380
I've had 3 OG switches with a total of like 6 sets of joycons, and they all have the drift now. Have a lite, haven't seen it drift yet, but it's too early to say.
 

Deleted member 31333

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 6, 2017
1,216
Wow. 50% is high. I'm on the lucky half I guess. 4 joycons with no drift at all, yet I've had drift on 2 DS4s already.
 

ss_lemonade

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,658
Every joycon eventually getting it isn't hard to believe if it's an issue with the analog stick's design. What's strange is people who say they barely use their Switch still getting it. And here I am with a launch unit that's seen use pretty much daily and I have zero drift.
 

AbstractPlain

Member
Oct 27, 2017
270
Definitely a real problem. I don't use my switch often in handheld mode like hardly at all and keep it in a case most of the time when I travel and I've been getting drift on my joycons. I really didn't really expect such shoddy hardware from Nintendo considering how solid the 3ds was hardware wise. It really needs to be properly addressed otherwise this can easily turn into a RRoD type situation for them.
 

XBlade

Member
Oct 26, 2017
652
I barely played my Mario Odyssey bundle switch and my right joy con started drifting after I started playing POKÉMON this year which sucks as I had just got them back from Nintendo repair to fix a seperate issue (which was free even though out of warranty).
 

Tavernade

Tavernade
Moderator
Sep 18, 2018
8,629
This thing is so weird. You'd think if 50% of them were really faulty you'd hear about it from places other than hobby sites like this, and yet I barely even see it discussed on gaming news site, just forums.

None of my launch or neon yellow cons have ever drifted.
 

Deleted member 2474

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,318
This thing is so weird. You'd think if 50% of them were really faulty you'd hear about it from places other than hobby sites like this, and yet I barely even see it discussed on gaming news site, just forums.

None of my launch or neon yellow cons have ever drifted.

people with problems are significantly more likely to bother posting and voting in this sort of thread than people without.
 

Tavernade

Tavernade
Moderator
Sep 18, 2018
8,629
people with problems are significantly more likely to bother posting and voting in this sort of thread than people without.

This is what makes it so difficult to figure out how widespread this is. If 18 million joycons are truly busted it's super weird this isn't more widely talked about. Like, you'd think actual 'old school' physical news sources would have picked up on this story by now if a famous company was selling tens of millions of knowingly defective product to consumers.
 

PedroRVD

Member
Oct 25, 2017
546
Ecuador
Dont expect a poll here answering your question. I'm sure the majority of people casting their votes don't even have a switch. Imposible to have objective answers with anything console war related. Those people saying "don't buy it" you can be sure who they are.

btw ...I have three pairs of joycons ... the one that came with my launch console is drifting. I used it a lot though...gave it a beating with Ultra Street Fighter and my cousin also gave it a lot of mad use. Since later I knew about this this, my other pairs have gotten use only from me, no issues with them. (Neon and yellow).
 

RM8

Member
Oct 28, 2017
7,902
JP
Most of my friends have had it, it seems pretty widespread to me. I never had similar issues with any other controller to be honest.
 

daedalius

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,061
I have a switch from last December and it drifts really bad on both sticks. Makes it impossible to play doom in handheld
 

Raonak

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
2,170
Ive heard enough people have it to know to take a wait and see approach on the lite.
 

Irikan

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,391
God damn that poll ratio, I feel super lucky. Especially since I know a friend that had that problem, left joycon.
 

Bufbaf

Don't F5!
Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,654
Hamburg, Germany
I'm drifting like a mofo, Mario Maker has become unplayable at this point due to the character/the scrolling going "nah lets go left instead" on me all the time.

Do we know what Nintendo EU is charging for fixing this?