Nintendo engineer says Joy-Con drift may never be truly fixed

Since launch, the Nintendo Switch has had a major problem with Joy-Con drift. At this point, it seems that the majority of Joy-Cons will begin experiencing the issue eventually, and now, one Nintendo engineer has suggested that the problem will never be truly fixed. 

Joy-Con drift has been at the centre of much discussion, as well as some lawsuits, and while there have been revisions to the Switch console and the Joy-Con units, the issue has not been fixed and it may never be fully addressed, according to Nintendo's GM of Technology Development, Ko Shiota.

During a Q&A about the development of the new Switch OLED model (via The Verge), Shiota was asked about Joy-Con drift and surprisingly enough, he answered the question, explaining that due to contact between parts, they will always wear down over time, making future issues unavoidable.

However, Shiota did add that the team is also looking at ways to “improve durability” without sacrificing “operability”. Nintendo has revised the analogue sticks a couple of times since launch and will typically use the latest sticks whenever a Joy-Con is sent in for repair.

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KitGuru Says: Stick drift is an issue that affects many game controllers over time, but the fact is, this issue has been far more persistent and quick to notice with the Joy-Cons compared to other console gamepads. This could be largely down to the much smaller size of the Joy-Cons and their analogue sticks. 

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