The dreaded ‘Joy-Con drift’ issue that has plagued many Switch owners since the console’s launch in 2017 is likely caused by a mechanical fault.
That’s according to the latest research from Which?, who point to likely mechanical flaws causing a problem where the Switch’s Joy-Cons cause movement in-game without the player touching the stick at all. It has been a significant cause of complaint throughout the Switch’s lifespan, with many players having to purchase replacement Joy-Con – which cost around £62 for a pair.
To research the issue, Which? sourced five sets of Switch controllers suffering from the Joy-Con drift, and sent them to a lab for analysis. Upon dismantling the controllers, the lab not only confirmed the drift issue in all five controllers, but found that it was likely due to mechanical issues born from a design flaw.
Prior to this research, one explanation for Joy-Con drift was that it was caused by a buildup of dust inside the controller. While the Joy-Cons dust-proofing cowls on their joystick components, Which?’s research suggested that this protection didn’t go far enough – with dust and “other contaminants” being discovered inside the controllers.
Additionally, the lab found that all of the Joy-Cons’ plastic circuit boards showed noticeable signs of wear and tear, despite the controllers having only been used for a few months. The lab concluded that this damage, and the resulting drift issue, were due to a mechanical fault.
