Wiggling Joycons... is there a fix?

[TempOutlook]

I have the Splatoon 3 Switch OLED. Love the paint job, but unlike my OG Blue/Red, the right joycon has wiggle, which honestly puts me off playing the system at all. The 'triggers' are also horrible for Splatoon, but I don't think there's a third party solution for that. Is there a fix for wiggly rails on Switch? How hard would it be? I would prefer a Joycon only solution, rather than taking the Switch apart for a tablet rain replacement...

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I have the Splatoon 3 Switch OLED. Love the paint job, but unlike my OG Blue/Red, the right joycon has wiggle, which honestly puts me off playing the system at all. The 'triggers' are also horrible for Splatoon, but I don't think there's a third party solution for that. Is there a fix for wiggly rails on Switch? How hard would it be? I would prefer a Joycon only solution, rather than taking the Switch apart for a tablet rain replacement...

Any advice would be appreciated.

Yes. You can buy metal locks and replace the plastic ones on the JoyCons which tend to wear out and break easily from a single drop. They're called metal buckle locks. You can buy them on aliexpress or ebay, looks like ifixit might also sell them.
It helps a lot, also they won't wear out anymore. It's a pretty easy replacement, you need a Y00 triwing screwdriver though (it might come with the locks, as it did in the set I got which came with 2 pairs + Philips and triwing screwdriver in blister packaging)

As for the triggers, there are some 3rd party JoyCons that people like that might be better. For sure the sticks are better on some of the 3rd party ones, which helps in splatoon (also they have a proper dpad)
I never had an issue with the triggers personally.

 

[TempOutlook]

Great to hear I will look into those metal slides, cheers dude.

 

[ImmortalDemigod]

For the JoySticks I would replace with GuliKit TMR's as they're the most reliable. For the triggers, if you're noticing any sponginess or the triggers aren't always registering chances are the trigger is bending back on the board and broke from the supports. I've seen this from several JoyCons I've repaired over the years (usually from kids who are rough with their consoles). Simple fix is to bend them back into place, apply some light flux with a toothpick or something on the corners and apply some solder. You probably could also just use epoxy but I wouldn't recommend if soldering is an option.

 

[TempOutlook]

Yeah I am getting missed registrations, horrifying it the problem is what you describe, sounds severe haha. Will have a look at that too, is there a specific name for this fault or do you know of a good youtube video I could watch to see this exact fault? Thanks for posting.

 

[ImmortalDemigod]

Go to roughly 13:00 - 14:00 of this YT video [DukPEP1rBCg] (not sure if linking is allowed). If it's ZL & ZR don't take his advice about poking out those buttons use a pry tool or guitar pick instead. If it's L & R (which I suspect), those you can solder or epoxy rather than just replacing the board or part like he suggests. Just confirm the little black button triggers on every press before you waste your time soldering or gluing. That little silver semi-housing is what you would be soldering back together.

 

[TempOutlook]

It's ZR primarily, Fire in Splatoon. So the triggers are easier to fix? Without soldering required?

For those metal rail fixes, is it just for up and down wobble on the joycon? I have more of a 'flappy' wobble on mine, forward and back, rather than up and down.

 

[Jayro]

I have the Splatoon 3 Switch OLED. Love the paint job, but unlike my OG Blue/Red, the right joycon has wiggle, which honestly puts me off playing the system at all. The 'triggers' are also horrible for Splatoon, but I don't think there's a third party solution for that. Is there a fix for wiggly rails on Switch? How hard would it be? I would prefer a Joycon only solution, rather than taking the Switch apart for a tablet rain replacement...

Any advice would be appreciated.

I can't even play Splatoon 2 or 3 with Joycons, it's annoying. I have to use a Pro Controller in tabletop mode. You can always swap the sticks out with some HALL sticks so this will be less of an issue in the future. They're fairly cheap too, it's just a bit time consuming to take them apart.

 

[TempOutlook]

I can't even play Splatoon 2 or 3 with Joycons, it's annoying. I have to use a Pro Controller in tabletop mode. You can always swap the sticks out with some HALL sticks so this will be less of an issue in the future. They're fairly cheap too, it's just a bit time consuming to take them apart.

Now consider that apparently Switch 2's triggers are still terrible because allegedly the Splatoon team expressely asked that they stay similar to the Switch 1's

 

[Jayro]

Now consider that apparently Switch 2's triggers are still terrible because allegedly the Splatoon team expressely asked that they stay similar to the Switch 1's

That would piss me off so badly if it was true, lol.

 

[ImmortalDemigod]

Correct! ZL & ZR are a single screw & a zif connector. You can get a pair for like $8 on ebay. Also swapping the JoySticks ain't that bad, should take you 15min per controller. If you do get the TMR JoySticks on Amazon, make sure they don't appear used and that they say TMR on the underside of the ribbon cable. Make sure you follow the calibration method on the website which is to calibrate the JoyCons in Settings then power cycle the console otherwise you're gonna have a bad time.

 

[Nephiel]

It's ZR primarily, Fire in Splatoon. So the triggers are easier to fix? Without soldering required?

Here's something that might help with the R button, it requires soldering, but works even if it's broken too badly. Worth a look just for the photos, so you know what to expect before opening the joy-con.

For those metal rail fixes, is it just for up and down wobble on the joycon? I have more of a 'flappy' wobble on mine, forward and back, rather than up and down.

The metal buckle won't solve that, you probably need to replace the rail. Does it wobble on other Switches? If it doesn't, you know it's the rail on the console side.