Nintendo Switch owners are among the most loyal and patient gaming fans on Earth, but the inaction over the alleged Joy-Con ‘drift’ issue is getting a little too much for some.
Now the company has at least apologised for the issue, well sort-of, without actually referencing it by name. In a recent Q&A with Nintendo Japan, company president Shuntaro Furukawa said he was sorry for the inconvenience caused by… something… relating to the Joy-Con.
“Regarding the Joy-Con, we apologise for any trouble caused to our customers,” Furukawa said (via Kotaku) “We are continuing to aim to improve our products, but as the Joy-Con is the subject of a class-action lawsuit in the United States and this is still a pending issue, we would it like to refrain from responding about any specific actions.”
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Furukawa didn’t comment further on the issue, due to the ongoing class-action lawsuit in the United States filed in July last year, which could leave Nintendo liable to damages should it go in the favour of the complainants.
The reported issue causes the detachable controllers to detect input even when gamers aren’t touching the analogue stick. Anecdotal data suggests that up to a quarter of gamers may be experiencing the issue. Nintendo has since started to offer free repairs for those contacting support when the issue manifests.
The complaint filed against Nintendo of America reads: “The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleges that the joysticks on Joy-Con controllers are defective, leading users to experience drift issues. Specifically, the complaint alleges that the joystick on the Joy-Con controllers will automatically register movement when the joystick is not being controlled by the user and interfere with gameplay.
“The complaint, filed on behalf of purchasers of Switches and Joy-Con controllers, brings claims under various consumer protection statutes as well as various warranty and common law claims.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
