What is stick drift?

In short, stick drift is when a joystick behaves in a way that the console detects it tilting, even though the user isn’t touching it. This causes a character, for example, to run in a certain direction on its own, even when the stick has been released and is in its neutral position.

The problem occurs when the stick wears out. Normal joysticks use two potentiometers to determine their position. Depending on the position, each potentiometer has a certain voltage, and this voltage value can be used to determine the position on the x and y axes. Since potentiometers are mechanical parts, they wear out over time, which can lead to incorrect readings. Minor deviations can be corrected through calibration, but larger ones cannot.

The rather small Joy-Cons of the Nintendo Switch also required small potentiometers. It seems that Nintendo didn’t just cut back on size, but also on quality. At least, that’s the suspicion, as stick drift occurs more frequently with the Joy-Cons. Nintendo has also acknowledged the problem.

After eight years, it happened to me too

Depending on usage, it happens sooner or later. With a bit of luck, not at all. I thought I was one of the lucky ones. Until a few weeks ago, when I unpacked my Nintendo Switch to play The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. My last gaming session on the Switch had been a few weeks prior, and I rarely play with a controller anyway. Consequently, I initially thought I was just rusty.

But a few minutes later, I was sure: Link wasn’t running in the direction I was pushing. Instead, he kept taking a few steps forward. At least once, this led him into a chasm, which was quite frustrating. The revival at the camp, however, gave me the opportunity to check my suspicion. What can I say? Link is just standing there, I make him run in a circle and then let go of the stick. But Link doesn’t stop; he happily keeps running forward. Only tilting the stick in the opposite direction stops Link’s newfound independence.

The conclusion was clear: stick drift. But maybe just a little? I closed the game and went into the settings. The system is up to date, as is the Joy-Con firmware. So, off to calibration and then straight back into the game. Unfortunately, no improvement, still stick drift. So, it got me too. It took eight years, but I’m also not a hardcore gamer.

Nintendo is accommodating

I actually thought I would now have to either buy new sticks or repair the existing ones myself. As it turns out, neither is necessary. I happened to stumble upon a comment saying that Nintendo still repairs Joy-Cons for free as a gesture of goodwill. You just have to open a support ticket and send the Joy-Con in.

I guess that’s what I’ll do now. The form is quite simple. I’ll fill it out completely in the coming days and then send the stick in. Let’s see how long I have to wait for a replacement.

Even though I’m happy about this goodwill, I find the poor quality of the Joy-Cons disappointing. On the other hand, eight years isn’t exactly a short time. As I said, I’m more of a casual player on the Nintendo Switch and have probably spent fewer hours on it in eight years than others do in one. That likely explains the long duration.

But it just occurred to me, I have a second set of Joy-Cons. I should probably check those too. Who knows how long Nintendo will continue to be this accommodating, now that its successor, the Nintendo Switch 2, is about to be released.