Video shows possible drift issues already arising with the Nintendo Switch Lite



The Nintendo Switch has been a success in many ways, but where most can agree that the console has fallen short, is in regards to the Joy-Cons; ever since the launch of the Switch, Joy-Con drift has become a rampant issue. Such problems were assumed to be done away with the Switch Lite, the smaller, more portable oriented variation of the Switch, which lacked the detachable Joy-Cons. However, once a teardown of the new hardware had taken place, it was revealed that the joysticks used within the Switch Lite were almost identical to the problematic ones from the drift-ridden Joy-Cons, meaning that it was entirely possible for users to still experience drift.

Such a problem could be much worse for the Lite revision, as the control sticks are connected to the entire system, and cannot be removed and replaced as easily as they can be with the original Switch. In a video posted by Alexis Javier, he shows off his brand new Switch Lite playing Breath of the Wild, and you can quickly notice that input is being registered on the right joystick, despite the user not pressing any buttons. Now, the video in question could just stem from an unlikely rare, faulty unit. Or, it could have been done in order to raise outrage during the launch week of the Switch Lite. As of the time of writing, this video appears to be the only popular source showing off possible drift with the console, but only time will tell if drift will begin to impact owners of the Switch Lite.
 

DaniPoo

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So if it happens and you can not solve it by calibration and cleaning then you're gonna need to buy an entirely new system.
That's terrible, at least in the normal Switch you could just replace the joycons.. Well let's see if this becomes a common issue or not. Until then I won't buy one of these...
 

Clydefrosch

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current day joysticks all have a drift issue. they all use conductivity to track stick movement, have movable parts and parts that rub against one another.

the switches small stick design (which can also be found in ps vitas) is slightly more susceptible to this, simply because the contact area is much smaller and all movement and rubbing is concentrated on one spot.

all sticks though, be they from ps4, ps3, 360 or xbo, they all can end up with drift issues. i've got two ps3's and one 360.

and even the sticks before that weren't perfect, they had their own issues. the non-degrading joystick technology doesn't yet exist.


this here is clearly a dud. you have those. we've always had those in consumer electronics.
 
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IncredulousP

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I have the Wii u 5 years now and I don't have any problem with the anlog sticks or any other buttons. It's a shame that on the much more popular console we have issue like that. I purchased the switch lite 2 days ago. Now I regret. I think I can still return it. I have 14 days.
Me too, and my left stick drifts badly now. But 5 years is pretty good, analogs are easy to replace.
 

Pipistrele

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Eh. That could be an issue, replacing those will be more annoying than on the Joycons.
Not really - it's actually even a bit simpler due to less ribbon cables involved. Construction is pretty much the same (down to the controls being on separate boards), so all you have to do is to unscrew a heatsink, disconnect a couple cables with tweezers and replace the stick. Here's a vid of the process:
 

D34DL1N3R

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What a joke. You can clearly see in both of this persons videos that they are intentionally "forcing" it to drift. I wonder how many takes it took to get them just right, before uploading the final videos.
 
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So your solution to solving an issue with a handheld console is to take away the whole point of the Switch Lite? Wew, some Nintendo fans are really messed up in the head
im not a fan. i only buy consoles to play the newest games, not for ridiculous stuff like splitting the controllers
 

DuoForce

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im not a fan. i only buy consoles to play the newest games, not for ridiculous stuff like splitting the controllers
Yeah, so do I. That's why I bought the Switch Lite since I don't have a TV and want a handheld console. The fact that people like you defend Nintendo when they clearly made a defective product is just pathetic
 
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PIZZA PAZZA PIZZA PAZZA
Having a working console to play the games they way they were made to play matters too
41CwzlK8FdL._SX425_.jpg

that's why we have this BOI
 
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What does this have to do with anything?
the wii is not the same without the wii remote, right? i wouldn't mind purchasing a switch that cant connect to a tv or buying it used without the joycons, after all, nintendo does other controller that dont drift
 

Sakitoshi

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nintendo only makes toys nowdays.
nothing last forever and even the most sturdiest analog sticks (ps2, ps3, gc, x360) go bad, but the vita (that came out several years before the switch) shares the same (or very similar) analog stick design and the failure rate is much lower than the joycons. the high joycon failure rate and them ignoring the problem goes to show that nintendo doesn't care anymore and only want to build disposable toys.

@DuoForce don't feed the troll. he already made you lose several minutes of your time.
 
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Giga_Gaia

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After a few days of use? This is definitely just a defect and not a widespead issue. Wait a few months or years before saying it's a problem because that's what it took for most people with the OG Switch.
 

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