Hardware RIP Left Joy Con, you Ridiculously Fragile Plastic Beauty

[MochaMilk]

Let a friend play MK8D in their room, they brought it back, it slipped from their hand, it fell 2 feet, the left Joy Con is broken. The two wires came undone, one of the the brackets it rests in broke so I cant just connect it back.

Some of the plastic holding a screw broke off.
Everything but the LEDs, and SL and SR buttons are functional. It can still even work on and off of the switch. But now I cant use it as a single controller.

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that the Joy Con broke instead of the console, but its very disturbing to me that they are THAT fragile. It was such a small drop. Why are Joy Cons significantly weaker in signal strength and build quality than previous controllers?

And I don't blame my friend at all. I feel like knowing it's a handheld too, Nintendo should have made it a bit more durable. I mean, the bracket (black part that connects) popped off and broke components inside.
It was also stuck in the switch after it broke. Like, what the heck?

Any advice on how to prevent this from happening again when I buy a new one? I heard that protective skins and stuff don't really help either. Thanks!

I hope the new revision of Joy Cons will be build out of metal for sturdier plastic

 

[Reploid]

How exactly fragile, and where the photos? I was expecting them.

 

[MochaMilk]

How exactly fragile, and where the photos? I was expecting them.

I'll ad photos in a moment. And fragile cause the Joy Con broke from a small drop. It wasn't even a hard impact. And the fact that it messed up the inside because of the wires getting pulled out of their sockets.

 

[Smash Br0]

Any advice on how to prevent this from happening again when I buy a new one?

Use wrist straps, so that if you drop them, they don't hit the floor.

 

[MochaMilk]

Use wrist straps, so that if you drop them, they don't hit the floor.

What if I'm just holding the console?

 

[Deletr753]

My kids have dropped and bang the Joy-Cons all over the place and they still work without a problem. Make sure your friend did not open the joy-con for some reason and broke the cables.

 

[MochaMilk]

My kids have dropped and bang the Joy-Cons all over the place and they still work without a problem. Make sure your friend did not open the joy-con for some reason and broke the cables.

Remember, it wasn't just the Joy Cons, it was the switch as a whole. so it suffered a heavier blow, than it would alone.

 

[Reploid]

I'll ad photos in a moment. And fragile cause the Joy Con broke from a small drop. It wasn't even a hard impact. And the fact that it messed up the inside because of the wires getting pulled out of their sockets.

Ya, sounds suckish. They usually making lousy shells on later hardware revisions, not earlier ones.

 

[ken28]

Mostlikely just had the luck to hit one of structural weakpoints.
Kinda like with phones. If they hit the ground on one the edges they are guaranteed to have a broken displays.

 

[TheZoc]

The joycons were designed to break instead of breaking the main unit, "saving" it if it falls on one of the corners. They did prevent bigger damage to your switch

 

[H1B1Esquire]

Any advice on how to prevent this from happening again when I buy a new one? I heard that protective skins and stuff don't really help either. Thanks!

https://www.gamestop.com/nintendo-s...ndo-switch-joy-con-armor-guards-2-pack/140252


I use these and they saved my Switch/joycon(s) from utter destruction....and peoples unwashed mitts.

 

[Smash Br0]

What if I'm just holding the console?

Hmm. Good question. There's no hole for a wrist strap in handheld mode, is there.

You could use something like this if you're not using the headphone jack.

https://www.pluggylock.com/pages/how-it-works

You'd think there would be a better solution than that, though...

 

[Jayro]

Any advice on how to prevent this from happening again when I buy a new one? I heard that protective skins and stuff don't really help either. Thanks!

It came with wrist straps. F***ING USE THEM!!!

 

[H1B1Esquire]

You'd think there would be a better solution than that, though...

Well.....

 

[MochaMilk]

Well.....

Now I want this so I can go out in public and see people's reactions. Best social experiment ever.
On the other hand, someone could strangle me and get a free switch.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

It came with wrist straps. F***ING USE THEM!!!

Handheld mode.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

https://www.gamestop.com/nintendo-s...ndo-switch-joy-con-armor-guards-2-pack/140252


I use these and they saved my Switch/joycon(s) from utter destruction....and peoples unwashed mitts.

Thanks, I'll try these out!

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Hmm. Good question. There's no hole for a wrist strap in handheld mode, is there.

You could use something like this if you're not using the headphone jack.

https://www.pluggylock.com/pages/how-it-works

You'd think there would be a better solution than that, though...

This is a good idea.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

The joycons were designed to break instead of breaking the main unit, "saving" it if it falls on one of the corners. They did prevent bigger damage to your switch

I know, but that's a whole $40 gone down the drain.

 

[TheZoc]

I know, but that's a whole $40 gone down the drain.

Indeed... But maybe better than $300 down the drain?

 

[hippy dave]

Attach a wrist strap to the bars over the fan bit?

 

[guily6669]

About the console, well I wouldnt expect something like it would be strong anyway, its more like a laptop, its not a 150 gram phone, its heavy and if it falls it will have a lot of energy...

Now about the joy-cons they are so light they shouldn't be that fragile...

 

[ZoneBlaze]

I brought my switch to a party, a couple drunk cops were playing MK8 DX and one decided to swap with another one and he tossed my new yellow joycon across the room. The guy failed to catch it and it fell.
Thankfully/luckily, it still functions well and has no visible marks nor is its function in games affected. I always saw Nintendo's products as durable and it's surprising to hear your joycon broke from such a low fall

 

[H1B1Esquire]

For the fun of amusement




one foot or 1,000