Drifting, Nintendo will repair Joy-Con for free in the European Union

Players on Nintendo Switch will be able to have their controllers affected by drifting repaired at no additional cost, as revealed by the European Commission. Drifting is a very popular phenomenon in Joy-Con, whereby controllers transmit false inputs to the game, for example causing a character to move even when the player does not touch the analog stick.

Nintendo, the troubles of drifting –

The problem has been present in massive doses in the controllers of the hybrid console since its launch in 2017, with drifting that has always taken a few months to emerge from the purchase. A consumer rights group in the UK discovered last year that the cause was a design flaw, affecting up to 40% of Nintendo Switch owners. Many have turned to third-party controllers, such as one based on a GameCube pad, to try and overcome this hurdle.

The criteria for repair —

Now, Nintendo has pledged to repair all affected Joy-Con controllers free of charge in the EEA countries (European Economic Area, including Italy), the United Kingdom and Switzerland. “Until further notice, Nintendo will not ask for payment […] for the repair of the responsiveness syndrome, regardless of whether this was caused by a defect or by wear and tear”. The following criteria will be required to be eligible for a repair:

• the problem depends on regular wear
• the controller has not been used with third party systems and accessories
• the controller has not been used for rental or commercial purposes
• the problem was not caused by accidental damage or modification
• the controller has not been opened or a repair attempted by anyone other than Nintendo

Players will be able to book a repair through Nintendo’s customer support page, after which they will need to send in the controller for repair or replacement. The repair is also guaranteed for those outside the two-year warranty provided by the company.

05 April 2023 (change on 06 April 2023 | 10:33)

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