Joy-Con drift: Nintendo repairs controllers outside the warranty period
Nintendo will repair defective Joy-Cons free of charge, even if the warranty has expired. This was not always the case.
The small Joy-Cons of the Nintendo Switch are known for problems with their analogue sticks. Incorrect inputs are registered due to wear and tear on the stick mechanism. This can cause the game character to move on its own or make aiming impossible due to incorrectly registered movements. The phenomenon is known as "Joy-Con drift".
Youtuber Macman illustrates the problem in this video:
How to get your Joy-Cons repaired
On a support page, Nintendo announces that defective Joy-Cons can be sent in and repaired free of charge. According to Nintendo, the scheme applies to all EU countries, the United Kingdom and Switzerland "until further notice". The company will also repair controllers with drift problems if the 24-month manufacturer's warranty has expired. Switch Lite consoles can also be sent in.
Nintendo reserves the right to refuse repair in some exceptional cases. Joy-Con drift will not be repaired if the problem was caused by accessories, negligence, inappropriate use or damage, or if the controllers have been modified.
You can register your faulty Joy-Cons or Switch Lite for repair here.
A long-known problem
The drift problems of the Joy-Cons are a well-known problem. For a long time, the Japanese company tried to sweep the phenomenon under the carpet. The pressure from mass lawsuits and legislators has increased constantly in recent years - including in the EU.
With the free repair in Europe, Nintendo is harmonising its regulations for Joy-Con drift with other regions. Free repairs for defective devices have long been available in North and South America and France. Some Reddit users from Europe report that their Joy-Cons were also repaired free of charge before the new regulation.
Other manufacturers are also struggling with drift problems. The dual-sense controller of the Playstation 5 also suffers from incorrectly registered inputs. For Sony, this is also a hardware problem and not a software problem. Xbox controllers are also not spared from the problem. The defect is caused by the mechanism wearing out too quickly or by dust and foreign objects in the controller.
My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.