Consumer report blames Nintendo Switch Joy-Con drift on ‘design flaw’

One of the products that have been heavily criticized in recent years has been the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con drift, which has been blamed for the game console’s inability to properly register moving and tilting of the controls. Recently, consumer reports have come out claiming that the drift is a result of a design flaw with the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con.

Consumer reports, who test and rate consumer products, recently published an article examining the issue and found that the issue was caused by a combination of hardware problems with the hardware in the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and “a design flaw in the device itself.” Nintendo has previously stated that the Joy-Con drift can be attributed to a variety of causes, including manufacturing defects, but consumer reports is convinced that the root cause is a design flaw.

Consumer reports believes that the origin of Joy-Con drift lies in the fact that it’s designed with only one orientation for the analog sticks. This causes the device to needlessly move the analog sticks when being used, which leads to the eventual drift. Additionally, consumer reports noted that the controller design also meeds to be improved in a way that will help protect the device from gravity, which can also play a role in the phenomenon.

Nintendo has acknowledged the issue and released a statement saying it was “exploring possible solutions.” However, no information has been released on what those possible solutions may be or when they may be put in place. Until that time, Switch owners may have to experience the odd issue that is Joy-Con drift.

Consumer reports concluded its analysis by urging Nintendo to take action to fix the issue, as it can be exasperating for Switch owners trying to use the popular controller. It appears as though Nintendo is finally addressing the issue, but what their solution will be remains to be seen. All we can do is wait for the day that Nintendo’s solution is finally available and pray that Joy-Con drift is fixed once and for all.