Nintendo improved the JoyCons to fight against the ‘drift’

Nintendo has confirmed that the Nintendo Switch OLED model and previous models now include a revision of the Joy-Con. It comes with improvements to reduce the appearance of drift.  Drift was a defect with the levers having a miscalibration to the user’s control. Whereby the controller would consider the player is pressing in one direction when actually are at rest.

In the latest Ask the Developer, Iwata Asks’ successor question series, meets Nintendo’s Division Heads Ko Shiota and Toru Yamashita.  This discussion with the Technology and Development Division heads dives into the changes made to the analog sticks . “The Joy-Con controls have a lot of different features, so we have continued to make improvements that are not always visible. Among others, the parts of the analog stick have been improving since launch and we are still working on improvements .”

“The original analog stick passed Nintendo’s reliability tests of continuously rotating the stick,” says Yamashita. The Wii U GamePad also uses the same testing methods. “We have always tried to improve it. We have investigated the use of Joy-Con by the users and we have improved the resistance and duration “.

As explained in the interview, these pieces of the sticks are specially designed and several studies have been carried out to improve them. ” We have also improved the reliability of the test itself. And continue to make changes to improve with this new test. ”

Are they already on the market?

After the Nintendo team’s verification of higher quality of the new Joy-Con we are confident for the next phase. These changes are already part of the current Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite. As for the new OLED model, users can buy the controls individually, or opt for repairs. However, its external appearance is the same as that of the original Joy-Con. Improvements are also being made to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.

Shiota says that wear on the sticks is inevitable with time and use because they are parts in physical contact and he uses the example of tires on cars. With this premise, they asked how we could improve their lives and if the duration were compatible with their function.

The drift problem has affected numerous users of the console and the European Union requested an investigation this year after receiving more than 25,000 complaints from consumers in different countries because, according to the group, 88% of NintendoSwitch users have had problems with the controls of the console during the first two years of use.