Over the last year, a class-action lawsuit has been brewing against Nintendo for ‘Joy-Con drift', an issue where the Switch controller's thumbsticks begin to register movement even when the user is not moving the analogue stick. This has been an on-going issue for a long time now and unfortunately, it was reportedly not fixed on the brand new Nintendo Switch Lite, so more consumers are piling on to the class-action suit.
As reported by Polygon, the class-action lawsuit has now been expanded to include those affected by Joy-Con drift on the original Switch and the new Switch Lite. The plaintiffs label the Joy-Con controllers as “defective” due to drifting issue, which can begin occurring soon after first using the Switch. Nintendo has not properly addressed the issue yet as it continues to be a problem even on the new Switch Lite with attached, non-replaceable Joy-Con controllers. The lawsuit alleges that this constitutes fraud, breach of warranty and violations to consumer protection laws.
Currently, the class action lawsuit lists 18 plaintiffs from 16 different states across the US. With the Switch expected to have another huge Q4 sales boost this year, that number could grow, although ultimately, it will be up to a judge to decide whether or not this lawsuit can go ahead as planned.
Nintendo has been tight lipped on Joy-Con drift since reports first started coming out. The current public statement simply says that the company is “aware that some Joy-Con controllers are not responding correctly” and encourages affected users to contact Nintendo's customer support department.
KitGuru Says: I haven't experienced Joy-Con drift myself, but it is surprising to hear that even the new Switch Lite is affected by it. Obviously, the thumbstick falsely registering movement can cause frustrating gameplay issues, so it is something that should be addressed. Have any of you encountered this issue on a Nintendo Switch?