The Nintendo Switch joy-con drift issue is reportedly due to fundamental design flaws rather than player usage over time, according to a new report from the UK-based consumer group Which?
As reported by Eurogamer, the new study from Which? found evidence that the joy-con's plastic circuit boards showed the joystick slider contact points after only several months of usage. Although Nintendo has been trying to address the issue that results in drifting for years, it is still reducing the player experience. The report claimed that dust and other contaminants were found in the Switch's internal components, which does not help Nintendo solve the issue for customers.
In addition to revealing that joy-con's drift issue is caused by technical flaws, not by overuse of analogue sticks, Which? called on Nintendo to offer compensation or refund for UK customers who have purchased a replacement Joy-Con due to drift since 2017. It also criticizes Nintendo for not having a plan to address the issue, as well as the company's refund policy. In response to the study, Nintendo said that only a small fraction of customers have been experiencing issues with analogue sticks.
“The percentage of Joy-Con controllers that have been reported as experiencing issues with the analogue stick in the past is small, and we have been making continuous improvements to the Joy-Con analogue stick since its launch in 2017," Nintendo replied with a statement. "We expect all our hardware to perform as designed, and, if anything falls short of this goal, we always encourage consumers to contact Nintendo customer support, who will be happy to openly and leniently resolve any consumer issues related to the Joy-Con controllers’ analogue sticks, including in cases where the warranty may no longer apply."
Whether a repair service for customers who have experienced issues with their joy-con will be opened in Europe or the USA remains to be seen, but it does appear as though the drift issue is due to the design of the Nintendo Switch and not have often the console is used.