Confirmed: Nintendo Switch Joy-Con sync issues have been fixed
Nintendo has finally explained just what was going on with Switch Joy-Con controllers -- particularly the left one -- de-syncing in wireless mode.
It was a "manufacturing variation," a statement from the company confirms. In other words: something happened at the factory level that left some Joy-Con controllers -- not all, Nintendo maintains -- more susceptible to wireless interference.
Also: yes, this issue is apparently specific to the left Joy-Con, according to Nintendo's statement. Early investigations suggested otherwise, so hit up Nintendo support if you're seeing the same issue with the right Joy-Con.
Here's Nintendo's full statement on the matter:
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.
This is the first statement of import from Nintendo on an issue that's been dogging the Switch since before it was even released. Previously, the company said it was looking into the issue and would share more when there was more to share.
This latest statement surfaces less than a day after CNET's independent investigation into Joy-Con sync issues turned up tangible results.
Senior Editor Sean Hollister communicated with Nintendo Support about his own Joy-Con sync issues and was asked to send the malfunctioning hardware in for a fix. Thanks to Hollister's "before" and "after" photos of the controller's internals, he was able to discern what Nintendo did.
The repaired Joy-Con came back to Hollister with what appears to be a piece of conductive foam fitted inside. The sponge-like cube is specially treated to filter out wireless interference.
There's another wrinkle as well: to reduce the anguish of missing out on days of Zelda gaming while Nintendo repaired his Joy-Con, Hollister went out and bought a replacement controller. In a subsequent teardown of the replacement -- which didn't have any sync issues -- he noticed something: no foam.
With the additional context from Nintendo's statement, we can now gather that Hollister's launch console included one of the faulty Joy-Con controllers, but his Amazon-sourced replacement benefits from whatever changes Nintendo made at the factory level.
Topics Gaming Nintendo Nintendo Switch
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
