Nintendo has been pretty successful when it comes to its console-The Switch. The complaints regarding design are trivial in nature and understandable too. However, the severity of issues surrounding controllers has raised much heat and dust. Since its launch in 2017, the discussions about bugs in Joy-Con drift refuse to die.
It has been more than 3 years of experience in hardware and Switch Lite, Nintendo is still unable to give a plausible solution to the Joy-Con drift bugs. Anyone who has played Nintendo Switch would agree that the design is near to flawless. But the Joy-Con controllers have been plagued with some or the other issues at any point in time. They range from analog joysticks making movement even when untouched, syncing issues, or part deterioration to name a few. Undoubtedly, the list is long and anyone can append to it. It appears to be a perfect recipe for absolute disaster.
However, Nintendo thinks otherwise. While addressing the complaints, Nintendo justified Joy-Con drift and said it ‘isn’t a real problem or hasn’t caused anyone any inconvenience’.
The stance taken by Nintendo is just blatantly false and comes across as insultingly disingenuous. The situation is probably getting on par with the faulty Xbox 360s in the past.
These words pertaining to Joy-Con drift issues have been confirmed by Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith (CSK&D), a US law firm fighting on behalf of the consumers. A lawsuit had been filed by people who originally placed pressure on Nintendo to make joy-con drift repairs free for the US. They are pushing for a possible Joy-Con redesign.
To take up the case through the arbitration process, CSK&D has dropped emails to the consumers who had approached them. It is asking for submitting short (<90 secs) videos to an email address (nintendoclassaction@chimicles.com).
The video should focus on the issues and bugs encountered with Joy-Con drift. After collecting they will select them, edit and stitch together as proof to counter Nintendo’s claims that joy-con drift “isn’t a real problem” or “hasn’t caused anyone any inconvenience.”
Further details on video submission guidelines can be accessed from the Reddit thread. There is a deadline for video submission. It is Friday, October 16, and meant for the US.
If we look at the choice of words, Nintendo isn’t even denying that the issue exists in their design. For them, they do not find it as an inconvenience. It also hints that the complaints are not too high to rattle them. In spite of the knowledge of the issue, they are manufacturing faulty products. They continue to sell them on store shelves and people are buying them. It shows that the issue isn’t bothering people that much as their thought process.
However, the lawsuit is aiming to force Nintendo to formally acknowledge Joy-Con drift as a major issue. It is aiming to twist their arm into putting more efforts to either fix or invest in R&D on new ones.
Joy-Con drift isn’t only faulty hardware. It is also bad design. Experience with Joy-Con analog sticks designed with incompatible materials over time and use has proved that it causes wear and tear of the materials. These in turn result in particles causing the drift. The degradation frequency of analog sticks is much faster in comparison to traditional controllers.
Maybe this was the reason and a cheaper one why Nintendo chose to offer free courtesy repairs. The aim of the lawsuit is to make Nintendo admit their fault and do a mass recall which again will prove expensive. Else they continue to deny and fight out in court. This is also expensive down the line since people lose confidence in the brand.
Nintendo once had reputation for using quality controllers. If the brand decides to fix even at a cost, it would turn out to be a competitive advantage in long run.
