Switch owners how are your Joycons holding up

[Typographenia]

I've noticed the backwards direction on my left joycon requires a more impactful input to really work as well as it should.
It's not bothering me much now, as I'm mostly on Xenoblade 2 still, but once I get Bayonetta... that isn't going to work.

 

[ShinobiBk]

Had drifting issues in both my launch joy con so I replaced them when I saw a sale.
Sucks but it is what it is

Click to shrink...

Since this post, the left stick on my newer pair has begun to drift up all the time.
Great

 

[Kindekuma]

Launch day Switch doing just fine. I do have a bit of signal loss issues when playing in TV mode with them, but I vastly prefer the Pro controller. But in handheld mode, just fine!

 

[HotsauceDragon]

I had to update the firmware on my joycons manually, disconnect them, then hard reboot my Switch. Haven't felt any drifting issues since.

 

[Christo750]

My launch gray ones feel like they're wearing down a bit. My red and blue ones which are about a year and a half old are still fine. My pink and green ones are fine.

Might be differences in the build quality from the launch versions.

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

Mine are totally fine, and I've had my Switch since launch. I have two pairs of Joy-Con, one modded and one not, and they both work as well today as they did the day I got them. Had no idea these issues were so widespread (at least in the context of this forum)!

 

[Tarot Deck]

I never noticed anything, but last week I realized the right JC ( red) ZR is busted ( so I can't play it as a standalone controller) and has the drifting problem stick.

So yeah. I watched a video on how to open it but it is by far the most complex controller I've ever seen. Since it doesn't bother me too much for now, I might stall, but might have to buy another .

 

[Kid Night]

I have three sets of Joy con, and the right side Joy Con on all three sets stopped clicking in correctly. I've done the metal replacement on all of them, and even now one of the metal replacements no longer clicks in right.

 

[Richietto]

The rubber fell off the joycon analog and it was a bitch to get back on (still a little eff'd up) but overall it's still working. Don't use it at all I'm docked mode, though so the wear and tear isn't there.

 

[A Ream of Paper]

My grey joycons from launch seem to be working great. Only real issue is the wear on them (which seems pretty expected tbh).

 

[MaxwellGT2000]

Launch Switch, fixed my left joy con with a new stick, these joycons are not launch stock because I did have some syncing issues, sent it in for repairs and they gave me two new joycons. The new stick was super easy to fix and only cost 8 dollars.

 

[Barry Sandwich]

The right joycon lags badly docked.

In general the build quality is poor.

 

[Prophane33]

I only play docked and with a pro controller, so I assume my joycons are doing fine. I can't say that the comments here are driving me to use the joycons anytime soon.

 

[HighFive]

Cheap product. Got a pair having drift issue, Nintendo wont cover warranty, have to pay 2/3 about the price of brand new. Somehow found a way to fit it, but as i said in a thread iv did a while ago, i think the issue is major enough and they should do like microsoft did with they rrod problems by extending their warranty. I man, its seem a common problem, Nintendo should step up and do something about it.

 

[Keasar]

My left joycon's stick has started moving by itself forward at random, even though I am not touching the stick. I've tried calibrating it multiple times but it still has the issue. I called now the seller and am going to send it in, and if they find it faulty, I might be sent a new one.

 

[Version 3.0]

I should check mine. I don't think they've been off of my docked Switch in over a year. But this thread reminded me, there was an update for them. At launch one of them was doing that intermittent connection thing.

 

[DaveB]

They're all holding up fine, but I also rotate them (different colors) semi-regularly.

 

[FusedAtoms]

The latch on my original left joycon somehow broke even though I only keep the thing In handheld mode and sitting on my couch or something in my room . So I'm on my second pair but I just mainly use the pro controller now, I'm over the honey moon period I had with those things .

 

[Zedelima]

Pretty bad

My left joycon is drifiting and even with the air trick, it always comeback to the same poor state

 

[Deleted member 19066]

Left one seems okay. Right one makes a loud buzzing sound whenever I dash in Celeste. Is there any way to reset the rumble settings?

 

[Carassius Auratus]

Both of mine are fine, but I barely use them ever since I got a pro controller.

 

[MrBS]

I alternate between a number of controllers so I'm not seeing any issues with my light use. MrsBS had been using her switch with the included joycons for under a year quite a bit and I can see the finish coming off the buttons and around the buttons on her joycons. I didn't know that was a thing until I saw it.

 

[Asbsand]

I'm starting to get connectivity fallouts on my blue joycon. In the middle of playing smash it would lose connection and keep holding the stick down in its input.

 

[FusedAtoms]

Jeez, reading this thread , I really hope we get a joycon revision with the rumoured switch one.

 

[serbootybottom]

My left joycon's stick is starting to register upward movement in neutral position and it's getting worse each day. It's a launch joycon so it's annoying but understandable.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Launch system and zero issues after heavy use!

 

[Gabe90]

Left joycon drifts. I have two sets of joycons and it happens with both. Compressed air hardly helps. I mostly use pro controllers at this point.

 

[Casualcore]

The feeling I get when I see this pop up on the front page is a lot like when the ER doctor asked me if I still had all my organs.

Mine are fine so far, but I've had fairly light use. The blessing/curse of having had a Wii U and not playing many ports. I did have to replace the left analog stick in my Wii U earlier this year. I'll have to remember to buy some new joycons regardless of how my current ones are performing when the Switch starts approaching its retirement.

 

[N64dude]

My joy-cons are holding steady, didn't expect them to hold out for so long lol considering they're really delicate.

 

[Servbot24]

I don't play my Switch a ton but I have played some intense games like Celeste, Bayonetta, and Smash Bros and they're holding up just fine. No problems to report.

 

[snesiscool]

Both joy-cons had drifting issues, and the left one was loose because the lock was worn down. Compressed air solved the drifting for a while, but eventually it always returned. I replaced both the analog sticks and the locks on both joy-cons. I ended up utterly destroying the left joy-con's battery connector when putting it back, so I had to replace the battery too. Lesson learned - don't use sharp metal tweezers to press in a soft plastic connector upside-down.

I replaced the plastic locks with metal ones. They have a nice, satisfying click, but surprisingly aren't more durable than the plastic ones. Only a day after replacing the left joy-con's battery, I dropped my Switch and the left joy-con went loose again. When I inspected the lock, it had chipped in the exact same way the plastic one did. Thankfully the kit I bought had two sets of locks for each joy-con, so I was able to replace it again.

The new analog sticks are completely fine - in fact, I think their click action is more satisfying than the original's. They were weirdly calibrated out of the box, but they work perfectly with recalibration.

 

[Factory 1.21]

I'm starting to get connectivity fallouts on my blue joycon. In the middle of playing smash it would lose connection and keep holding the stick down in its input.

Click to shrink...

My right joy con has started losing connection frequently. This didn't used to happen. It's as if the bluetooth radio in the joy con is degrading. My pro con works fine so it's not the console.

 

[storophanthus]

Got drifting Issue on both of them.

I sprayed them with Rexco's Contact Cleaner, and works like charm.

Then SL and SR button not working, so I bought SL and SR IC circuit from China, replace them, and it's working.

Then one of the directional button is not working, so I bought the "button sticker replacement" from China, it's not arrived yet.

Probably the only Nintendo product that has bad build quality I have, most of their products hold out well for decades.

 

[inner-G]

Pretty good

(Almost never play my Switch tho) 🤷‍♂️

 

[banter]

Had since launch, 2 sets of joycons and a pro controller. Zero issues.

 

[Sovan Jedi]

A little disappointed, I've had analogue stick issues and disconnections frequently in all three pairs of JoyCons I owned.

Fortunately Nintendo fixed them all, and even though I was sure I was out of warranty on two of them for free. So now they're all hunky dory.

 

[Barn]

I have six Joy-Con, four of them from launch, and they all seem to be mechanically and cosmetically good as new. I have experienced connection issues during multiplayer where one Joy-Con's inputs will stop functioning intermittently, though -- this only happens in group settings when my Switch wants to embarrass me, never when I'm playing at home.

 

[out_of_touch]

Any quick fixes for desyncing issues? Its fucking infuriating having it happen during a close Smash match. It isn't even a launch pair either -_- WTF Nintendo

 

[Aprikurt]

Anybody else's stopped needing the black button on the back to be removed from the Switch? They just slide off at a moments notice...

 

[HughJayNus]

How has the games media not discussed the absolute grabage longevity of these things? I never use my Switch in portable mode anymore after finding out about how fragile they are, which kind of defeats the point of the system for me.

 

[Deleted member 3758]

.

 

[Cudpug]

Awful. Lots of weird things going on with the analogue sticks. They look fine but always input a 'down' command. Makes navigating menus and playing games a pain in the ass.

 

[Aramon]

I bought my switch almost 1,5 years ago and they are still like new. Great condition and no drifting or desync issues.

 

[eXistor]

MIne are just fine, but I'm seeing a lot of defective Joycons being returned to our shop lately. Most with drifting issues.

 

[Iztok]

Perfect condition, seeing how I never use them (I exclusively play in docked mode with a Pro controller).

 

[Timppis]

Mine worked for almost two years. Left one started drifting just this year. Probably going to replace them at some point, but as of now I mostly just use Pro Controller anyway and my kids don't mind the drifting when they play (they are just 3 and 5).

 

[Deleted member 45261]

I send in one for repair and got it back in a week. It sometimes didn't take the up direction. The other seven are doing fine.

 

[Sander VF]

I dropped my left one pretty badly and cracked it's L button, which I had to glue.

Lately it's stick has been having a bad case of drift. I managed to fix it via cleaning once, but it has gotten funky again.

 

[cowbanana]

I had to send my left joy-con in for repairs under warranty twice before they fixed it (drifted like mad after 6 months). The first time they didn't do anything, so I had to send it back. The second time I got it back with a note that they had put in a new "circle pad" ?? The stick is clearly the same old one with very minor visible wear, but maybe they only swapped the internal base of the stick? Anywho, it seems to work for now. Got another 5 months of warranty, so they'll get it right back if it starts acting up again.

 

[AFI-kun]

Right Joy-con (1yr 3mos) no longer works as a single joy-con since the ribbon on the rail side broke (breaking the SL button and the LED indicators). It's a huge bummer but at least it still works in handheld and when paired with the left joy-con. Apparently it's a common problem and there are guides on how to fix it online but it's still a pain. Both sticks are also prone to drifting when left in the case for a while (I use the Waterfield switch case).

The gyro drift issues I encountered early in the system's life seems to have been fixed by patches and their physical condition held up well though their colors (I got the neon ones) seem to have faded a bit. I'm happy with the Joy-cons (I love being able to play multiplayer games in a cafe) and I might pick more up to play Super Mario Party.