A Potential fix the Nintendo Switch's Joycon Drift Has Been Found After Many Years

[Deleted member 534570]

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A YouTube user by the name of VK has found a somewhat permanent fix for the joycon drift on the Nintendo Switch which involves applying pressure to the bottom pad of the joycon stick. They also showcased how Nintendo could potentially fix the issue themselves and how they could put a proper end to this issue. Now people don't have to worry about sending the joycons to the "Big N" every time they face some joycon drift issues. Get some cards, papers, or even cardboard and you're all set for a permanent fix.

Do keep in mind, though, that cracking open your joycons will void any form of warranty on them.

 

[zfreeman]

The simplicity of this fix, coupled with Nintendo's plausible deniability, makes this infuriating.

 

[VashTS]

seems like the RROD xclamp replacement trick. sure it will work for now, but ultimately it will eventually fail again.

this is slightly easier than replacing the stick though so i would try it first over replacement.

 

[djpannda]

you mean I bought 100 thumbstick replacements for nothing !!!

 

[javicrazy]

Anyone tried already if that method works?

 

[Blavla]

This is not a fix. Only a stupid You tube Video. The dirt in the joycons will be still there and interfering with the contacts .
This is how the joycon with drift looks like inside . Just change it to a V3 Analog Stick. It costs 2$
This dirt will not come out if you press it harder
Maybe you will break the L or R stick button

A random Stick from my repairs

 

[linuxares]

Will it not just scrape the graphite pads faster?

 

[kevin corms]

The simplicity of this fix coupled with Nintendo's plausible deniability makes this infuriating.

All the joysticks on all the mainstream controllers are the same, the joycons being smaller makes them a bit more fragile though I imagine. The fix also doesn't make any sense.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

This is not a fix. Only a stupid You tube Video. The dirt in the joycons will be still there and interfering with the contacts .
This is how the joycon with drift looks like inside . Just change it to a V3 Analog Stick. It costs 2$
This dirt will not come out if you press it harder
Maybe you will break the L or R stick button
View attachment 269925
A random Stick from my repairs

What V3 analog stick? AFAIK the sticks all have the same issue.

Will it not just scrape the graphite pads faster?

Probably. But if you are at the point where your sticks are drifting already that's not really a huge concern. If you can double the lifetime of your sticks before they are so worn that the only option is to replace them, that's totally worth it.

This is not a fix. Only a stupid You tube Video. The dirt in the joycons will be still there and interfering with the contacts .
This is how the joycon with drift looks like inside . Just change it to a V3 Analog Stick. It costs 2$
This dirt will not come out if you press it harder
Maybe you will break the L or R stick button
View attachment 269925
A random Stick from my repairs

The idea is that the dirt will get pushed out of the way when there's more pressure. But also, like the guy said, the drifting occurs even with no dust inside the stick, so clearly that is not the main culprit, nor is it the main point of the video.

 

[linuxares]

I wonder if you can refill the pads with a normal pencil

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I will be doing this to mine when they drift. I have family members with stick drift i could experiment on. It's better than buying new sticks that will just experience the same problem again in a few months. It won't be a lasting repair but what will likely happen eventually is that the graphite gets so worn the sticks stop registering input altogether. Like I said before though, if it can double the lifetime of the sticks, it's totally worth it.

I wonder if you can refill the pads with a normal pencil

Maybe if you grind it to powder and mix it with glue? Would not count on it being a lasting repair though. Also, presumably it needs to have the right resistance across it, which might make things tricky without knowing the exact formula for the graphite coating they use, and the amount.

 

[zfreeman]

This is not a fix. Only a stupid You tube Video. The dirt in the joycons will be still there and interfering with the contacts .
This is how the joycon with drift looks like inside . Just change it to a V3 Analog Stick. It costs 2$
This dirt will not come out if you press it harder
Maybe you will break the L or R stick button
View attachment 269925
A random Stick from my repairs

I'm seeing V4 now, but that could be a marketing ploy to sell old stock. They all look the same on the outside.

 

[Deleted member 514389]

Good. Back to Nintendium we go
Maybe we can then bury all the 'drift' jokes with this issue.

This reminds me of what I did with my GBA Movieplayer when it wasn't read my my DS Phat...
I jammed a pasteboard between slot and card...
(My shell is cracked a bit from doing that for months... but 'fixed' read errors haha)

Also this pairs well with what I found today:

@GoodonSwitch's theory argues that the change in the metal casing (which is essentially a small bump in the middle) has been put in place to prevent the stick's spring from getting stuck in an incorrect position. In the original Joy-Con models, the metal part was a completely flat surface, which potentially causes this spring to slide around and get trapped away from its neutral spot; this new casing seems to fix the spring to the centre https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2..._to_prevent_switch_lite_stick_drift_after_all

So it isn't fixed... sigh

 

[zerofalcon]

If the Joy-con is pretty fucked up (wobbly stick or internal broken spring) this solution obviously is not going to work. This is for the average/most common drift, ie no neutral position without touching the thumbstick. I just fixed my two Joy-Cons that started to drift again after temporary fixes, hoping this will be the definitive fix.

 

[proffk]

I started getting joycon drift recently and my switch is 3 years out of warranty. Sent them into repair to nintendo uk & they repaired it free of charge. Didnt have to show any proof of purchase. I think their is some secret policy in play for uk ppl & their has been no official word on free repairs either in uk.

 

[Bladexdsl]

the fix is: to not use them and get a pro controller

 

[Foxi4]

I wonder if you can refill the pads with a normal pencil

Sadly, no. The way the pad works is that by moving the wiper the circuit gets longer or shorter - drifting is not always a continuity problem, it's primarily a resistance problem. The pad changes resistance as material is scraped off of it, or as it accumulates dust particulate - refilling the gaps still won't result in the same resistance as when it came out of the factory, and cleaning it will only work if it isn't physically damaged. If the wiper itself bends, which does happen, then you have a continuity problem which does make the issue worse. There might be a software solution to the problem in the sense that you could allow the user to adjust the dead zone and sensitivity, but it wouldn't be applicable to all cases. Sadly, this design is inherently flawed in regards to endurance because of how force is applied to the stick, I don't see Nintendo being capable of fixing it without fundamentally changing the construction of the stick itself.

 

[Deleted member 546149]

Why not just make joycons that never drift
Why not Nintendo?

 

[wolffangalchemist]

inb4 someone makes a STL file for a spacer on Thingiverse.
and honestly they will last a lot longer than cardboard or paper.

 

[RedBlueGreen]

I found a fix too. Replacing the cheap POS components they use with higher quality sticks, which ironically come from AliExpress for a couple bucks each.