Warning: The infamous drift problem does not only affect Switch joy cons.

[Anacybele]

I've been on hiatus, but this is too important not to report and let people know of.

Remember the annoying drift problem many Switch players ended up having with their joy con controllers? Nintendo's been handed lawsuits over it too, and for good reason. Joy cons cost $80, four times as much as Wii remotes did, if memory serves. I think this is horribly overpriced, even if the joy cons were better quality, but the fact that they are shit quality and were given this price tag is the worst thing I've ever seen Nintendo do. The first set of joy cons I got began having the issue not even a year after I got them and the system.

But now it gets worse. Joy cons aren't the only Switch controllers that can be affected. I have a BotW pro controller, which I have used far less than joy cons, and it now has the same problem (except that while my joy cons drifted backwards, my pro controller is drifting to the right). So other Switch controllers are just as cheaply made, if not even more cheaply made. I'm seriously pissed now. This controller was a Christmas present in 2018 and I didn't use it much at all until after the drift on my joycons got too annoying to deal with anymore.

I can't try to use the stick calibration setting on the Switch either, because it isn't compatible with the pro controller.

I do not want to replace controllers every few months and no one should have to. This really needs to be addressed and I'm appalled that Nintendo has yet to do so.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Anacybele

[Sir Gerwald of Vallora]

For me, this has been a problem with all Nintendo controllers. I remember almost every nunchuck I hot for my Wii would begin to drift badly after about a year. It seems to just be a problem they if not for the most part.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Sir Wolfram of Vallora

[Tylwyth Teg]

I had the same problem. In fact, my pro-controller began to fail before my joy-cons, which was very disappointing.

Thankfully I've had success cleaning the joysticks with a q-tip and some isopropyl alcohol. The problem definitely returns after a while, but this seems to work as a short-term fix for me. I find it hard to justify buying replacement controllers, since I imagine the same exact thing will just happen in another year's time...

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I definitely recall Wii remotes costing 40$ with the nunchuks at 20 during the wii's lifetime. I'm sure you could get Wiimotes for cheap now, but only secondhand.

A recent switch update allowed you to remap buttons on your controller and I wish they allowed for the option to turn off control stick inputs from that controller. That way you'd be able to use your drifting joy cons on games that support the D-Pad without interruptions. It's unfortunate Nintendo had not thought about that. Even their first party games have been obnoxiously restrictive when it comes to controls. Can't play Link's Awakening with D-Pad, can't play Let's Go Pikachu in docked mode without motion controls. These would be easy updates, but a lot of my Switch game purchases in the last two years hinged on whether there's D-Pad support. Though I guess I have no proof that actually using the control stick accelerates the drifting process, it just seems destined to happen regardless of usage.

Probably the most offensive instance of joy con drift is the Nintendo Switch Lite. That system doesn't have detachable controllers, nor a docked mode. So if your system is drifting, you have to send in the whole damned thing. And in all this time, there's been no revision to the controller. 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Glennstavos

[vanguard333]

1 hour ago, Sir Wolfram of Vallora said:

For me, this has been a problem with all Nintendo controllers. I remember almost every nunchuck I hot for my Wii would begin to drift badly after about a year. It seems to just be a problem they if not for the most part.

Wow; for me, it's almost the exact opposite. I was extremely baffled by the joy-con problem when it first happened to me since, for all my life, Nintendo consoles and controllers were by far the most reliable ones my family and I had.

Granted, there wasn't much competition since, until we got a PS4, the only non-Nintendo console my family ever had was the notoriously unreliable Xbox 360. But, when I look at my Nintendo consoles that I own, pretty much all of them work fine. My GameCube still works perfectly to this day as well as most if not all of the controllers. Same story for the Wii and the Wii U. My GameBoy Advance and my DS are on their last legs, but that's largely my fault; I accidentally dropped them probably more times than I can count.

I just don't get why the quality now is so lacking in comparison that something like joy-con drift can happen. 

[Anacybele]

22 minutes ago, Glennstavos said:

I definitely recall Wii remotes costing 40$ with the nunchuks at 20 during the wii's lifetime. I'm sure you could get Wiimotes for cheap now, but only secondhand.

Really? I could've sworn a new Wii remote cost $20. Maybe I'm misremembering and thinking of the nunchuk since you mention that it was $20. But I still think joy cons are overpriced regardless.

Hopefully though, those lawsuits will make Nintendo do something. Because I also agree with what was said above about it being hard to justify repeatedly buying controllers if the same thing is just going to happen next year or even in just a few months. And if this was Nintendo's intention, to get us to spend MORE money on controllers, that's greedy as shit.

[Lightcosmo]

This happens for alot of consoles, not just nintendo. I've had awful luck with PS3/4 controllers.

[SoulWeaver]

I'm still trying to figure out what exactly the drift problem construes - the only serious issue I've had with a Joycon so far is the Y button randomly cutting out on me, which fixed itself just as randomly the next time I used it. This wouldn't have been a problem if I hadn't been playing FEW at the time - your attack button cutting out mid-game is kind of a big deal...
I did have a point where a Joycon started having difficulty registering me going right, but only for Smash, it worked fine for FEW and it fixed itself when I recalibrated the stick.

[Anacybele]

15 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

This happens for alot of consoles, not just nintendo. I've had awful luck with PS3/4 controllers.

But does it happen as quickly? The problem is how fast the issue is coming up. Like I'd said, I did not use my pro controller long at all before it started to malfunction.

[Hanes]

I noticed this a long time ago playing FE:3H but I never announced it, seems it's not just me.

[Jave]

30 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

But does it happen as quickly? The problem is how fast the issue is coming up. Like I'd said, I did not use my pro controller long at all before it started to malfunction.

The Dualshock 4 on the PS4 was infamously bad. My brother had two of them fail entirely within the first year he owned the console.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I'd vouch for the gamecube controller's quality. I don't recall those being very expensive back when the gamecube was new, and when my joy cons began to drift, my first replacement controller was just me getting out the old Wii U adapter and 15 year old controller. That thing had seen 100s of hours of casual game time, plus hundreds more during my stint with competitive melee, and it still functions far better than the joy cons did after just 18 months of use. That's a big gap in operational life. The only problem with it is the rubber coating on the control stick has physically sheered off. But everything on the controller functions 100%, it just looks kinda ugly.

 

[BergelomeuSantos]

Damn, this disappoints me too. I was looking forward to buying a Pro Controler in hopes of seeing the ends of my drifting problems forever (mine is Up/Down for the Left Joy-Con and only down for the Right one. It's seriously horrible for any 3d and fighting games). Now that this is out of question too, I can't see any way of not losing a lot of money on this without the Repair coming to my country.

 

[Lightcosmo]

1 hour ago, Anacybele said:

But does it happen as quickly? The problem is how fast the issue is coming up. Like I'd said, I did not use my pro controller long at all before it started to malfunction.

Every PS3 controller I have, decides when it wants to disconnect from the system and turn itself off. Same with my PS4 controller, which decides my headphones are no longer plugged in even when I never plugged them in. So all in all, I would personally say yes.

[Anacybele]

1 hour ago, Jave said:

The Dualshock 4 on the PS4 was infamously bad. My brother had two of them fail entirely within the first year he owned the console.

 

36 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

Every PS3 controller I have, decides when it wants to disconnect from the system and turn itself off. Same with my PS4 controller, which decides my headphones are no longer plugged in even when I never plugged them in. So all in all, I would personally say yes.

Oh wow, that does sound pretty bad then. 😕

[OdysseyNeptune]

It even happens outside of Nintendo; it's quite possible for a PS3 or PS4 controller to have a slight drift and has to be recalibrated.

[Silver-Haired Maiden]

I haven't personally experienced much drift in mine more than them just not responding at points for a couple of seconds. But that's nothing to my Xbox 360 controllers that liked to randomly disconnect from the system entirely.... >.>

[SoulWeaver]

3 hours ago, Glennstavos said:

I'd vouch for the gamecube controller's quality. I don't recall those being very expensive back when the gamecube was new, and when my joy cons began to drift, my first replacement controller was just me getting out the old Wii U adapter and 15 year old controller. That thing had seen 100s of hours of casual game time, plus hundreds more during my stint with competitive melee, and it still functions far better than the joy cons did after just 18 months of use. That's a big gap in operational life. The only problem with it is the rubber coating on the control stick has physically sheered off. But everything on the controller functions 100%, it just looks kinda ugly.

 

Ah yeah, good ol' GameCube.
Incidentally, has anyone had any issues with their wired controllers? I notice almost everyone I hear complain about their controller problems don't usually bring up any wired controllers. Does nobody use them or are they more reliable?

[Lightcosmo]

I agree with gamecube controllers reliability.

[Dandy Druid]

Every time I "fix" it, it's only temporary. I think joy cons should be lowered in price if they're gonna degrade this fast. It's almost an insult to the consumer.

That, and it's hard to find an actual new set of joy cons too. 

[Michelaar]

8 hours ago, Anacybele said:

But does it happen as quickly? The problem is how fast the issue is coming up. Like I'd said, I did not use my pro controller long at all before it started to malfunction.

I think it depends on the case, there are different ones. For example, my right joy-con started drifting pretty quickly so I sent it in and they fixed it. My left joy-con never did, as with my pro-controller, which makes me think it's just a case-by-case basis.

[Anacybele]

10 hours ago, SoulWeaver said:

Incidentally, has anyone had any issues with their wired controllers? I notice almost everyone I hear complain about their controller problems don't usually bring up any wired controllers. Does nobody use them or are they more reliable?

Oh, my BotW controller is wired... I guess it isn't actually a pro controller then? But either way, it is wired and has the drift in that left stick.

6 hours ago, Michelaar said:

I think it depends on the case, there are different ones. For example, my right joy-con started drifting pretty quickly so I sent it in and they fixed it. My left joy-con never did, as with my pro-controller, which makes me think it's just a case-by-case basis.

Huh, I see. Interesting.

9 hours ago, Dandy Druid said:

That, and it's hard to find an actual new set of joy cons too. 

Agreed. I remember now that the two joy cons I recently got for my birthday were pretty much the only colors my mom could find at the time.

[SoulWeaver]

5 hours ago, Anacybele said:

Oh, my BotW controller is wired... I guess it isn't actually a pro controller then? But either way, it is wired and has the drift in that left stick.

Interesting. I have the black and orange Metroid one and it’s never given me any trouble even though my brother uses it for Smash all the time. That’s kind of weird.

[henrymidfields]

Fuck. I was thinking about buying a Switch alongside Final Fantasy 12, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Breath of the Wild, but can't buy it at the current price (Australian $300-350) if the joycons are going to be such a dog's breakfast like all of you said.

[Karimlan]

Stashed my Joycons away since my order of a third-party controller from Hori arrived (the Split Pad Pro, for those who are wondering). No NFC or rumble, but my beef with the Joycons is how my hands cramp when I use them (and the occasional drift too), and this replacement is very comfy on the hands.

And yeah, I'm using that for handhelds exclusively. If I'm going the TV route, I'm using one of the retro-styled controllers from 8bitDo.