Same cause, same consequence? Disassemblies of the Switch 2 conducted since the console's launch have confirmed that Nintendo has not changed the design of the Joy-Con 2 sticks. Many had hoped that the manufacturer would use another technology to eliminate drift.
The Joy-Con 2 are already drifting
Clearly, this is not the case, and there is every reason to fear that this problem will come back to haunt Nintendo and Switch 2 players. During the console's launch phase, the manufacturer explained that the Joy-Con 2 sticks had been redesigned and improved, particularly to ensure greater durability.
But already, several testimonies on social networks (here and there) are harbingers of the difficulties to come. We can see that the controller stick can go into a spin on its own, the cursor starts to move on the screen without the user touching the stick, as if an invisible command was being sent continuously.
Drift is a well-known malfunction of analog stick controllers: the joystick sends movement signals while it is at rest, causing ghost actions on the screen. On the Switch Joy-Con, this problem is often due to wear of the internal contact membrane or the accumulation of dust. Some technologies like Hall effect sticks, based on magnetic sensors, allow us to overcome this, but it might have caused other problems with the controllers' magnetization system.
So drift isn't specific to Nintendo; in fact, all controllers with mechanical sticks can suffer from this problem. But it's true that the Joy-Con have captured the collective imagination; the Switch's hybrid nature (home console and portable console) and its success have propelled the phenomenon to the forefront. And the manufacturer dragged its feet before implementing a free repair program, which didn't work in its favor. This program is still active, by the way.
As for the Joy-Con 2, it is still too early to know the extent of the epidemic, beyond the few cases recorded here and there. In the United States and Canada, Nintendo offers free replacement of defective controllers as long as they are under warranty (which they obviously are). As a reminder, the company sells a pair of Joy-Con 2 for €89.99.
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