Nintendo’s Joy-Con controllers for its Switch console have faced increasing criticism over an issue affecting their control sticks, and now that issue seems to be occuring on the new Switch Lite as well.
Specifically, a number of original Switch users have reported that, even when sitting idly in a neutral position, the analog sticks on their Joy-Con controllers would register a slight movement in one direction. This issue has been dubbed Joy-Con drift.
A class-action lawsuit was taken out against Nintendo in July, and now some owners of the brand new Switch Lite console (released September 20) have joined the cause, as they face the same issue with their recently-purchased handheld device.
One of the major concerns with the problem persisting in the Switch Lite is that it doesn’t have detachable controllers and the liberty they offer – so instead of just replacing the (still somewhat-pricey) Joy-Con units, the entire console will need to be repaired or replaced if it experiences a dodgy control stick.
A fix?
At the time the lawsuit was first filed, Nintendo’s official policy regarding the matter resulted in users having to ship off their faulty controller, wait several months, and pay a large sum to get it fixed and returned.
Shortly after the lawsuit, however, it was discovered that Nintendo would replace your Joy-Con free of charge if it experienced this issue and was providing refunds to those that already paid for the service (in the US at least), even for consoles outside of the warranty period.
- Nintendo will fix your drifting Switch controller free of charge
- Is your Switch controller drifting? Nintendo faced with lawsuit over Joy-Con issues
It's worth noting that those latter details were only discovered via a leak of the company's internal communications – Nintendo doesn’t have an official statement on this program, so it’s worth checking with your local customer service rep to see what the situation is in your region.
Nintendo is yet to comment on Joy-Con drift issues being experienced on the Switch Lite. If you live in the US and you’ve been affected, you can join the class-action lawsuit.
