Sony and Microsoft can continue
to hold their current videogame consoles as the most powerful entertainment
platforms around, but they cannot deny that the more recent entry of the
Nintendo Switch to the competition in 2017 has cemented its reputation as the
most “fun” way to play. From seeing the action on TV at home, to taking the
system on the road for multiplayer gaming, the Switch does it all. One
important factor is the Joy-Con controller that can be passed around to more
participants, with one controller being split into two. The innovation is
amazing. But as the years go by some problems with the Joy-Cons have started
emerging.
The Verge has it that a rising number of Nintendo Switch owners
have been seeing some control errors manifesting in their hybrid console’s
Joy-Cons. The most notable of them is the so-called “Joy-Con Drift” that
affects the joystick components. Switch Joy-Cons are by default two halves of a
controller connected to a handheld dock. But they can be taken off and each
half be used as a full, if compact, controller. The left- and right-side
Joy-Con has similar analog joystick and four-button setup. When used independently,
the left-hand direction buttons become the control (ABXY) buttons.
But the drift issue is spotted at
the Joy-Con mini-joysticks on both halves. What happens is that the joysticks
apparently receive movement commands that are reflected on the game being
played at the main Switch unit, even when there are no hands on the joystick.
So far the bug appears to be prevalent with the left-hand Joy-Con stick, the
one that normally gets more use when the two halves are docked for solo-player
use. However, users have reported online that only some units have been
suffering from Joy-Con drift while others released just as long continue to
function without issues.
Analysis of the Joy-Cons by users
have proposed the cause of the drift as anywhere from dust getting inside the
controllers or normal wear and tear from constant use, resulting in poor
contact with the internals. However, the official Nintendo stance on the Joy-Con
Drift reports is to contact customer support, so there is no final word on the
cause, and therefore fixing such a bug when it happens is a chancy option at
best. Not helping is the official Nintendo repair fee of $40 when the Switch
unit and accessories are past the 90-day warranty. With that cost, a player can almost buy a replacement Joy-Con from the market.
Speaking of which, Nintendo did
recently announce new colored Joy-Cons for retail, if one is bored of the original
neon red-blue and all-gray options. New bundles of dark blue-neon yellow and
neon purple-orange Joy-Cons will become available by October 14.
0 comments:
Post a Comment