Nintendo Being Sued Again Over Major Switch Issue

Nintendo is facing a new class action lawsuit related to Switch and its Joy-Con controllers. Filed [...]

By Marc Deschamps

Nintendo is facing a new class action lawsuit related to Switch and its Joy-Con controllers. Filed in a Seattle court on Tuesday, the lawsuit alleges that Nintendo has failed to properly inform customers about issues related to "Joy-Con drift." The plaintiff's lawyers claim that the controllers failed after three months of use, were repaired free by Nintendo, failed again, and then they were charged $40 for a subsequent repair. These problems apparently persisted across three pairs of the Switch controllers. The complaint was obtained by Polygon, which includes multiple technical images of these controllers, including some from an electron microscope showing damage to the circuits of the controllers.

The lawsuit has been brought about by a minor and their guardian. A similar lawsuit was filed against Nintendo just last month by a mother and her son, seeking $5 million in damages. That lawsuit similarly alleges that Nintendo continues to sell a product that it knows to be defective. It's hard to say what will come of all these lawsuits, but it seems likely that these types of issues will continue until Joy-Con drift is fully addressed by the company.

For those unfamiliar with the term, Joy-Con drift is a situation where the controller's analogue sticks remain motionless, but the console registers movement. Problems related to Joy-Con drift have been a constant since the Nintendo Switch released in 2017. While the company was initially hesitant to discuss the issue, Nintendo started offering free repairs for the controllers in July 2019, regardless of whether or not they are still covered under warranty.

With all of these lawsuits related to Joy-Con drift, it will be interesting to see whether or not the rumors regarding a Nintendo Switch remodel prove to be accurate. The console has been a massive success for Nintendo, but a Joy-Con remodel would prevent further issues related to the hardware. With the recent release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, the time could be right for Nintendo to release a version of the Switch hardware with stronger graphic capabilities and redesigned technology. The Nintendo Switch is nearing its fourth anniversary, so it's quite likely that the company is looking ahead to the future, one way or another.

Have you encountered issues with Joy-Con Drift? Do you think Nintendo needs to do more to address the issue? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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