Stanisland Magazine

It’s the problem that won’t go away. Will Joy-Con Drift persist or will Nintendo fix this frustrating problem?

Last Updated: August 4th 2025

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TL;DR

• The Nintendo Switch is still plagued by ‘Joy-Con drift’
• Reports have emerged that its sequel suffers from the same fault
• Price increases have fans reconsidering a purchase
• Class action lawsuits have been dismissed due to end user agreements

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Last updated: 6th June 2025

It’s been more than six years since I got my Nintendo Switch, and it’s been a fun, disarming experience. The games are a breath of fresh air, the reissue of older titles is welcome, and the reinvention of some franchises is simply incredible.

However, something still haunts us, we’re having fun and then — bam! It’s on all Nintendo fans’ minds, including mine. But, no matter what I do, or how I approach the subject, one thing is still eating away at my brain — Joy-Con drift.

If we’re to buy into the Switch 2, then why should we believe a company that won’t fix an existing issue for millions of gamers?

The Problem Nintendo Won’t Accept

While the Japanese gaming company has quietly acknowledged it (often via free repairs outside of warranty), they haven’t fully accepted that it’s a widespread issue. Let’s get one thing straight: this is a systemic engineering problem rescued by a highly skilled public relations team. It’s not good enough that halfway through playing a game, your character is dragged off a platform, ending your best run.

READ MORE: The Truth About The Legend of Zelda Movie: What You Need to Know

Here’s the stinky kicker: if you buy a Nintendo console, you can’t sue them. It’s written into the end user agreement — buried beneath lots of legal jargon that none of us will ever read — and this led to two class action lawsuits being dismissed. This is really low of a company that pretty much raised us all.

We’ve Had Enough — Gamers Won’t Accept Another Epidemic

A quick search on Reddit reveals these cases are continuing to amass, with thousands of commenters revealing the same. One user comments:

“If you really don’t want to try fixing them yourself, you can send them to Nintendo for a repair, which (based on your region) may be free.”

This is true, I did the same and used a brand new set of Joy-Cons, but the problem continues. Sometimes, it goes away only to happen once more at the most inconvenient of times.

READ MORE: Yoshitomo Nara at The Hayward Gallery: Everything You Need to Know

“We’re not trusting anything until we see drift-proof hardware in action,” another user exclaims. while others remain highly sceptical of shelling out more than £500 for the console plus games.

Joy-Con Drift on Switch 2

No matter how many replacements, free repairs, or deep cleans I give my Joy-Cons, this frustrating problem persists. This disgusting letdown by the brand is unforgivable, and it’s come to the point where I am dead set on avoiding the Nintendo Switch 2.

Why should I trust the second iteration if the first is still unreliable? Every time I turn it on, I have no idea if I am going to get LSD on valium or focused like a locust precision.

Each game ranges from £49.99 to £69.99, an additional investment on top of the £360 I paid for the console itself. Now, with the Nintendo Switch 2, those prices are set to increase to approximately £395, with individual games starting at £75.99. Why should any of us bother? Nintendo has done nothing to earn our trust back.