Nintendo’s released all sorts of statements regarding Switch Joy-Con ‘drift’ in recent times, and the latest one comes from the NoA’s Doug Bowser. In the same interview with The Verge – where he sort of addressed complaints about Switch Online’s N64 emulation – Doug was queried about the company’s ongoing battle against Joy-Con drift.
He reiterated Nintendo’s recent comments about how the company is continuously working on making improvements based on “returned units and how they’ve worn” and reminded everyone the new OLED model contains the “same updated stick” now available in existing models.
The Years-Long Battle Against Joy-Con Drift
Doug Bowser: “As we’ve gone through the first five and a half years of the Nintendo Switch, we’ve observed gameplay, we’ve observed as people have returned units how they’ve worn, and we’ve been making continuous improvements overall to the Joy-Con, including the analog stick. This latest version, Nintendo Switch OLED, has the same updated analog stick that’s now available in the original Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite.”
In a new ‘Ask the Developer‘ discussion last month, Nintendo’s Technology Development Division explained how Switch Joy-Con got better over time thanks to improved wear resistance and durability – with “wear” considered “unavoidable”:
“Yes, for example, car tires wear out as the car moves, as they are in constant friction with the ground to rotate. So with that same premise, we asked ourselves how we can improve [Joy-Con] durability, and not only that, but how can both operability and durability coexist? It’s something we are continuously tackling.”
“The degree of wear depends on factors like the combination of the materials and forms, so we continue to make improvements by researching which combinations are less likely to wear. We mentioned that the Joy-Con controller specifications hadn’t changed in the sense that we didn’t add new features such as new buttons, but the analog sticks in the Joy-Con controllers included with Nintendo Switch – OLED Model are the latest version with all the improvements. Needless to say, so are the analog sticks included in Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, separately sold Joy-Con controllers, and the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller that are currently being shipped.”
Bowser’s most recent comments regarding Joy-Con ‘drift’ follow on from a number of lawsuits about the issue and even consumer advocacy groups calling out the Japanese firm over the problem.
Have you experienced any Joy-Con ‘drift’ issues in recent times? Do you think Joy-Con reliability has improved over time? Leave a comment down below.
