Nintendo Switch owners are still struggling with Joy-Con drift, according to a new report

New research suggests that 40% of all Nintendo Switch owners in the UK are suffering from Joy-Con drift, an issue that affects the motion of the controllers.

This comes from Which, a not-for-profit independent organisation that investigates consumer needs, which found that two out of five people surveyed have been experiencing some form of drift. Thie issue has commonly been cited since the console launched in March 2017.It also affects those that have a Nintendo Switch 

It was further found that of those who reported drift, approximately six in 10 of them (57%) believed the problem began happening within the first year of their purchase. Joy-Cons are priced at $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$119 and 50% of people ended up buying another instead of directly contacting Nintendo for repair. 

The survey was conducted by YouGov in an online survey of 919 adults in the UK between March 10th to 15th, 2022. 

“Our research shows that drift problems continue to plague Nintendo Switch owners yet too often they can be left footing the bill themselves to replace faulty controllers or face a lottery when they contact Nintendo for support," said Which director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha. 

"Nintendo needs to commission an urgent independent investigation into why this problem occurs and make the findings public. The video game giant must also commit to completely free of charge repairs or replacements for those affected by the problem and must promote this scheme so that consumers know that support is available."

Nintendo currently offers a 24-month warranty on Switch consoles that states it will replace the controller or offer a free fix if this issue cannot be solved. This is still something many are seemingly unaware of and consequently are spending more money to continue using the system. 

"The percentage of Joy-Con controllers that have been reported as experiencing issues with the analogue stick in the past is small, and we have been making continuous improvements to the Joy-Con analogue stick since its launch in 2017," a Nintendo representative told Which. 

"We expect all our hardware to perform as designed, and, if anything falls short of this goal, we always encourage consumers to contact Nintendo customer support, who will be happy to openly and leniently resolve any consumer issues related to the Joy-Con controllers’ analogue sticks, including in cases where the warranty may no longer apply."

Earlier this week, a new credible rumour pointed to a Nintendo Direct taking place at the end of June. This is set to showcase new games coming to Nintendo Switch with many hoping to see more of Breath of the Wild 2 and Metroid Prime 4. The latter received a logo revealing that the game is in the works five years ago now with no new footage premiered since.