A third-party accessory maker has released a £30 / $30 upgrade kit for the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers claiming to cure the longstanding and largely unresolved stick drift issues.
Joy-Con drift means the controller registers inputs even when gamers haven’t moved the analogue stick themselves. It’s a hugely frustrating issue for Switch gamers and one that hasn’t been handled particularly well by Nintendo over the years.
GuliKit’s replacement sticks (via Gizmodo), which can be easily installed according to the manufacturer, have Hall effect technology inside, which uses magnetic sensors to help prevent parts coming into contact and wearing down.
The tech was successfully deployed in the company’s KingKong Pro 2 wireless controller for the Switch and this new upgrade tech brings the perks to Nintendo’s own controllers, which can be used when attached or detached from the console itself.
This is a solution that iFixit has been touting for quite some time and, despite GuliKit claiming the process is a “no hassles” fix, it isn’t quite that straight forward. Here’s a video of the process from 2020.
Of course, Nintendo will take a dim view of you taking matters into your own hands and installing third-party hardware. It’ll void the warranty on the controller, but seeing as Nintendo doesn’t seem too fussed about making this right – the Switch still ships with the same controllers that are susceptible to the issue – you don’t have too much to lose.
Late last year, the consumer watchdog Which? called on Nintendo to alter its policy – involving users sending the controllers off for time consuming repairs – and give gamers free replacements.
The publication called the issue a “design flaw” and says Nintendo must go further in “getting a grip on the issues.”
“Nintendo must get a grip on the problem and provide free repairs, compensation, refunds or replacements to any consumers who have been impacted by this issue since the launch of the console,” said Which? director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha.
