Nintendo will reportedly fix 'Joy-Con drift' issues on Switch for free

As successful as Nintendo's Switch has been, some users have complained about malfunctioning controllers since the early days of the console's life. Now, it looks like the company has an action plan for addressing the issue.

An internal Nintendo memo obtained by Vice notes that the company's customer service team was told that people will no longer be charged for their Joy-Con controller repairs. It also says that warranty restrictions don't apply, and that those who already paid for a repair will receive a refund.

"Customers will no longer be requested to provide proof of purchase for Joy-Con repairs," the memo reads. "Additionally it is not necessary to confirm warranty status. If a customer requests a refund for a previously paid Joy-Con repair [...] confirm the prior repair and then issue a refund."

Nintendo wouldn't confirm any of this and instead provided Mashable with a statement that encourages users to reach out to the company's support team if they're having issues.

At Nintendo, we take great pride in creating quality products and we are continuously making improvements to them. We are aware of recent reports that some Joy-Con controllers are not responding correctly. We want our consumers to have fun with Nintendo Switch, and if anything falls short of this goal we always encourage them to visit http://support.nintendo.com so we can help.

We did ask Nintendo for further clarification on the question of refunds for past repairs and were informed that the above statement is all the company has to share at this time. If you've had a Joy-Con repair already and received or were promised a refund from Nintendo, please hit me up on Twitter and let me know.

If the refunds for past repairs are indeed real, it appears that they may be limited to the U.S. (and likely Canada as well, under the "North America" regional umbrella) for now. One Reddit user spoke to Nintendo customer support for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and was told free repairs only apply to products still under warranty.

If you do live in North America and you paid for a Joy-Con repair at any point, it's probably worth your time to at least give Nintendo a call and see if you can get that money back.

The "Joy-Con drift" issue, as it's called, has been kicking around since the early days of the Switch's life. Users affected by it report that the joystick on an affected controller records movement even if it's not being used.

There was some noise around the issue in the months after Switch launched, but it eventually quieted down. That is until recently, when a Kotaku report and talk of a class action lawsuit reignited the conversation around Joy-Con drift.

Vice's report notes that Nintendo's new Joy-Con repair documentation doesn't actually acknowledge there being a hardware issue. In fact, it sounds as if customer service reps are being told to follow the usual guidelines for troubleshooting issues and setting up repairs, but to simply ignore warranty restrictions and repair costs. As Vice writes:

Customer support representatives have been advised, according to the documentation, to guide Switch owners complaining about Joy-Con Drift through troubleshooting steps, but if that doesn’t solve the issue, they’re to issue a repair “at no-charge.” Importantly, Nintendo is no longer seeking proof of purchase for said Joy-Cons or confirmation of an active warranty. In other words, the company is telling its customer service representatives that if someone says they’re experiencing Joy-Con Drift, believe them.

This isn't a surprise given the fact that there's a class action lawsuit on the table. It's in Nintendo's best interests to fix Joy-Con drift issues as easily and painlessly as possible, but without acknowledging any guilt. That's also likely why the company won't publicly commit to issuing repair refunds, and also why you should proactively try to get one if you've already paid.

This is all we're likely to hear from Nintendo on the matter, and if it's all true and accurate, it's probably the best possible outcome that someone dealing with Joy-Con drift issues could hope for.