• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Has the Switch joycon drifting been fixed?

Opposable

Opposable

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,367
I only have my launch day joycons and playing a game on the tv is virtually unplayable due to the drifting. If I bought a new pair has whatever was causing this been fixed by now?

I assume it's a fairly common problem as a quick search showed me a video with almost half a million views. I've tried callibrating it, screwdriver in there, spray air but nothing. The only other solution I saw is openining it up which I'll have to do if there's no other way.
 
JakeNoseIt

JakeNoseIt

Catch My Drift
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
4,534
Nah, hasn't even been addressed as far as I can tell. I ended up popping mine open and switched out my stick for a new one.
 

Deleted member 40102

User requested account closure
Banned
Feb 19, 2018
3,420
Opposable said:
I only have my launch day joycons and playing a game on the tv is virtually unplayable due to the drifting. If I bought a new pair has whatever was causing this been fixed by now?

I assume it's a fairly common problem as a quick search showed me a video with almost half a million views. I've tried callibrating it, screwdriver in there, spray air but nothing. The only other solution I saw is openining it up which I'll have to do if there's no other way.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
What do you mean by drifting ? Does it act weird and move unpredictably with games while attached to handheld ?

If so I have the same problem and I thought it was my joys acting up, then I FUCKING BOUGHT SECOND PAIR FOR $80 only to be acting the same...... but only if its attached to the handheld, if I take them off I play flawlessly..

Its like my only solution to get new switch and I don't wanna do that HELP!
 
DarkSora

DarkSora

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 28, 2017
6,186
Nope. My left joycon is still acting up and no amount of calibration or resetting can fix it. :(
 
OP
OP
Opposable

Opposable

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,367
Hey said:
What do you mean by drifting ? Does it act weird and move unpredictably with games while attached to handheld ?

If so I have the same problem and I thought it was my joys acting up, then I FUCKING BOUGHT SECOND PAIR FOR $80 only to be acting the same...... but only if its attached to the handheld, if I take them off I play flawlessly..

Its like my only solution to get new switch and I don't wanna do that HELP!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yes at times it's almost like it's stuck and no input works at all. Other times it over emphasises any input. I just tried to play MM2 on my tv and was either sliding everywhere with no input from me, or couldn't move Mario at all.

It's weird as it works perfectly in handheld mode.
 
DiceHands

DiceHands

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,636
It hasnt, but luckily I got some wd40 contact cleaner and that has seemed to fix the issue for the time being.
 

Deleted member 40102

User requested account closure
Banned
Feb 19, 2018
3,420
Opposable said:
Yes at times it's almost like it's stuck and no input works at all. Other times it over emphasises any input. I just tried to play MM2 on my tv and was either sliding everywhere with no input from me, or couldn't move Mario at all.

It's weird as it works perfectly in handheld mode.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Wait so we have the same problem but opposite place?

That's so weird... are you attaching your joys to the controller or do you play them separately ?

Your problem seems like its easily solvable with new controller that you attach your joycons to.
Mine seems like I need new switch if I ever wanna play handheld with joycons attached.....
 
Grapezard

Grapezard

Member
Nov 16, 2017
7,779
Nah, family. I've found that stroking underneath the Joycon stick with a q-tip soaked in rubbing alcohol works best, if temporarily.
 
VeePs

VeePs

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,357
Hey said:
What do you mean by drifting ? Does it act weird and move unpredictably with games while attached to handheld ?

If so I have the same problem and I thought it was my joys acting up, then I FUCKING BOUGHT SECOND PAIR FOR $80 only to be acting the same...... but only if its attached to the handheld, if I take them off I play flawlessly..

Its like my only solution to get new switch and I don't wanna do that HELP!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Contact lens cleaner, look it up on YouTube. It saved my joy cons. Nintendolife should have a video and there was a thread on Era awhile back about this solution. Just reply back if you can't find either.
 
Rhaknar

Rhaknar

Member
Oct 26, 2017
42,452
VeePs said:
Contact lens cleaner, look it up on YouTube. It saved my joy cons. Nintendolife should have a video and there was a thread on Era awhile back about this solution. Just reply back if you can't find either.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

ding ding ding. makes it brand new. a easy solution to a horrible problem, and in which no way excuses Nintendo's shit silent in all this, but is certainly better than buying new joycons like I see people non-chalantely doing all the time... those things are 80€ people!
 
Astral Lovelace

Astral Lovelace

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,722
Forget all the "WD40" or air blast posts. Those don't work long term.

Buy a replacement joystick ( MAKE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU GET ONE WITH A BLUE RIBBON CABLE ) and open up your joycon and replace it. No soldering is required, takes 5 minutes and $10.
 
Bansai

Bansai

Teyvat Traveler
Member
Oct 28, 2017
11,227
Have the same issue, it's making my playthrough of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 insufferable. Gonna try some of the temporary fixes first before I buy any replacement.
 
perfectchaos007

perfectchaos007

It's Happening
Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,230
Texas
Mine drifts even in handheld mode but fortunately it only lasts for the first couple minutes after powering on and then it stabilizes
 
TheCthultist

TheCthultist

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,442
New York
I sizes mine by just giving up and spraying an unhealthy amount of WD-40 into it... Works better than when I bought it now and that was five months ago.
 
RoadDogg

RoadDogg

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,059
I think mine is starting to do this in Mario maker, but only randomly when making a course. Mario will slide right and if I switch to play mode he stops. The second I go back to maker mode he slides again. It seems like if I enter and exit erase mode with the right trigger though he stops. If I enter it with the left trigger or the screen though he doesn't stop. So I am not really sure if it is the controller or just a weird glitch.
 
Graefellsom

Graefellsom

Avenger
Oct 28, 2017
1,625
Sprayed some electral contact cleaner under the rubber lip of the left joy con. Fixed it for a while.
 
ResetGreyWolf

ResetGreyWolf

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,425
No, but I sent mine to Nintendo and they repaired it for free even though I don't have a warranty, so that's nice at least. Took like three-four weeks though.
 
Doskoi Panda

Doskoi Panda

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,935
Opposable said:
Yes at times it's almost like it's stuck and no input works at all. Other times it over emphasises any input. I just tried to play MM2 on my tv and was either sliding everywhere with no input from me, or couldn't move Mario at all.

It's weird as it works perfectly in handheld mode.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's not your sticks, then (yet).
Your problem is that you lost the Joycon bluetooth lottery.

Some Joycon have such bad Bluetooth that YOUR HAND can block the signal. Your leg, your cat, your coffee table, whatever. And of course two Joy Con will interfere with one another, as well. That's what's causing your issue. Try it sometime - play a little closer to your dock, with your hands apart and your arra free of obstructions, and watch as the Joy Con suddenly work in those limited conditions.

I don't think either issue is overstated, but I do think that people are mistaking Bluetooth problems for stick drift sometime.

Fact is, these controller are busted by design
 

Deleted member 16657

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
10,198
Can this be fixed at all? Just started happening to me while playing Donkey Kong and that's not a good game for drift :/
 
OP
OP
Opposable

Opposable

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,367
Solid said:
It's not your sticks, then (yet).
Your problem is that you lost the Joycon bluetooth lottery.

Some Joycon have such bad Bluetooth that YOUR HAND can block the signal. Your leg, your cat, your coffee table, whatever. And of course two Joy Con will interfere with one another, as well. That's what's causing your issue. Try it sometime - play a little closer to your dock, with your hands apart and your arra free of obstructions, and watch as the Joy Con suddenly work in those limited conditions.

I don't think either issue is overstated, but I do think that people are mistaking Bluetooth problems for stick drift sometime.

Fact is, these controller are busted by design
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Thanks so much for your input. I did wonder if it was a blue tooth or wireless problem. I ususally have my laptop near me and my router is right next to the Switch dock. I'll have a play around.
 
Doskoi Panda

Doskoi Panda

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,935
Opposable said:
Thanks so much for your input. I did wonder if it was a blue tooth or wireless problem. I ususally have my laptop near me and my router is right next to the Switch dock. I'll have a play around.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I have a pair of weak cons. I can still use them wirelessly but only when I'm playing at my desk setup.

The trick is really to just keep the controllers away from one another (hold them at your sides or something) and to make sure that there aren't any large physical obstructions between your Switch and your Joy-Con (even a folded leg or a thick piece of desk wood counts).

Easiest test is to hop onto an action game and just start doing stuff while your controllers are apart and together.
 
Tebunker

Tebunker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,844
VeePs said:
Contact lens cleaner, look it up on YouTube. It saved my joy cons. Nintendolife should have a video and there was a thread on Era awhile back about this solution. Just reply back if you can't find either.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Hey said:
I looked will try this for sure. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Not Contact Lens Cleaner, Electrical Contact Cleaner .

I have yet to have any drifting issues but I have Electrical contact cleaner as a temp solution.


The issue is in the off the shelf parts they sourced for the sticks. Even the replacements will have similar issues if they are built on the same spec.

A replacement stick would need to be made with different higher quality parts to not eventually drift.
 

Deleted member 37917

Banned
Jan 10, 2018
7,207
Tokyo
It sucks but you're gonna have to use some wd40 contact cleaner every 2-3 months now. Or do like me and buy a pair of replacement sticks from AliExpress for 10$ and fix it yourself. I recommend the contact cleaner though, it's not much of a hassle.
Also, Nintendo are assholes to sell their controllers at such price with such a flaw.
 
Palette Swap

Palette Swap

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
11,201
Solid said:
It's not your sticks, then (yet).
Your problem is that you lost the Joycon bluetooth lottery.

Some Joycon have such bad Bluetooth that YOUR HAND can block the signal. Your leg, your cat, your coffee table, whatever. And of course two Joy Con will interfere with one another, as well. That's what's causing your issue. Try it sometime - play a little closer to your dock, with your hands apart and your arra free of obstructions, and watch as the Joy Con suddenly work in those limited conditions.

I don't think either issue is overstated, but I do think that people are mistaking Bluetooth problems for stick drift sometime.

Fact is, these controller are busted by design
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yeah. I've had the drifting that contact cleaner fixed, so a design flaw that makes it sensitive to particles.

And generally speaking, I don't use joycons wirelessly because they don't perform very well in a "noisy" environment, whereas my other Bluetooth devices don't face these issues.

For a couple of months, I've had a new issue with the left joycon in portable mode, where every now and then, it is detected as removed from the unit, when it isn't.

I love the idea of the console and its library, but my experience with joycons since launch has been awful.
 
Astral Lovelace

Astral Lovelace

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,722
filkry said:
Why a blue ribbon cable?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The official, from the factory OEM joycon modules use a blue ribbon cable.
Green ribbon cable indicates 3rd party clone, and there is a difference in quality from my experience.

night814 said:
Get one of the Hori D-pad Joycons, they dont work wirelessly but I never had any drift issue with it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

A Hori D-Pad Joycon actually uses the same official joystick module, and is a good donor for one if you find one cheap.
 

talkingood

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,121
The joycons are terrible. My launch set had to be fixed for drifting and poor connection to the console. Now the left one doesn't lock onto the console, and the right one doesn't work on its side because the SR button stopped working. The lights on the right one stopped working too. Got a new pair, now the left one drifts. All of them have such a poor connection to the console that if I'm laying on the couch and the Joycons don't have a line of sight to the console it won't receive input. I have no idea how they're selling these things without a huge backlash.
 
giallo

giallo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,219
Seoul
My left joy con is super messed up, so I went to buy a new pair. Imagine my shock when I saw that these poorly-made controllers came with a $80 pricetag. Totally unacceptable. Nintendo completely dropped the ball, and should be shamed. I ended up buying a pro controller, and limiting my handheld play to games that don't seem to be affected by the drifting as much. Zelda, for instance, is completely unplayable with the drifting.

Can some reputable journalist/website hold Nintendo's feet to the fire for this? They are still selling shitty, expensive controllers. Nothing has been fixed.
 
Mega1X

Mega1X

The Fallen
Jun 4, 2018
553
Astral/H3X said:
Forget all the "WD40" or air blast posts. Those don't work long term.

Buy a replacement joystick ( MAKE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU GET ONE WITH A BLUE RIBBON CABLE ) and open up your joycon and replace it. No soldering is required, takes 5 minutes and $10.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Where can I get those? And are there YouTube vids on fixing it? Hopefully it's easy enough for me lol
 
julian

julian

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,748
The contact cleaner worked for me but it's only been a couple weeks so we will see.
 
ShinNL

ShinNL

Banned
Nov 27, 2017
389
Just a heads up for those using a Electronic Contact Cleaner: don't spray in the analog stick. I sprayed way too much under the rubber and it eventually killed my minus button and left d-pad. Later my second left joy-con also started to drift and this time I just sprayed a tiny little bit (2 short squeezes on both sides) around the edges of the analog stick (not the stick itself but the base) and just moved my analog stick a few times. It worked, even if it seems like it shouldn't because you just spray on the outside. So you really don't need to use much and it has to do something with the rubber being a bit filthy and messing up the sensors.
 
Kung Fucius

Kung Fucius

Member
Jun 28, 2019
700
Mega1X said:
Where can I get those? And are there YouTube vids on fixing it? Hopefully it's easy enough for me lol
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Had this problem about a 2 months ago. I didn't know about the blue ribbon OEM thing so I bought these and swapped it out. Came with two thumbsticks and all the needed tools. I can't detect any difference in "feel" from this and OEM and I'm pretty picky about such things. Been working fine ever since. Was pretty easy with a youtube video, but I'm comfortable fixing small electronics.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.