After blaming the Switch’s poor Joy-Con connectivity on microwaves, Nintendo on Wednesday released a statement that cites a “manufacturing variation” as the culprit.
The Japanese video game maker said the design of the Joy-Con is fine as it, and no recall is underway. Rather, Nintendo is saying an issue with manufacturing resulted in wireless interference with a small number of left Joy-Con controllers.
Nintendo of America sent this statement to Kotaku:
There is no design issue with the Joy-Con controllers, and no widespread proactive repair or replacement effort is underway. A manufacturing variation has resulted in wireless interference with a small number of the left Joy-Con. Moving forward this will not be an issue, as the manufacturing variation has been addressed and corrected at the factory level.
We have determined a simple fix can be made to any affected Joy-Con to improve connectivity.
There are other reasons consumers may be experiencing wireless interference. We are asking consumers to contact our customer support team so we can help them determine if a repair is necessary. If it is, consumers can send their controller directly to Nintendo for the adjustment, free of charge, with an anticipated quick return of less than a week. Repair timing may vary by region. For help with any hardware or software questions, please visit http://support.nintendo.com.
Soon after the Switch launched, a small number of owners complained about the left Joy-Con losing its connection when undocked from the console, to which Nintendo replied, “It’s not our fault.”
The company initially said placing a Switch near a wireless device, metal object, or aquarium may interfere with the Joy-Con’s spotty connection. Now that a fix has been determined, you should be able to play next to your fish without issue.
It’s unclear what the “manufacturing variation” was, but the fix may be super easy
According to a CNET’s Sean Hollister, who sent in his left Joy-Con to be repaired, the turnaround to fix it took Nintendo about a week, though your mileage may vary. Amazingly, it looks like all Nintendo did was place a small piece of conductive foam inside the controller.
If you’re experiencing the issue, contact Nintendo to see if you’re eligible for a repair. Whatever you decide to do, now’s as good a time as any to remind you that investing in Nintendo’s Pro Controller is a good idea.
