An update to the UK Nintendo support page shows that the company will now offer a free repair service to customers whose Joy-Cons are faulty, even if those devices are out of warranty. The change is reflected on a few other regional variants of Nintendo’s support page, which now lists Joy-Con drift as a legitimate fault.
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This policy change resulted from much backlash against Nintendo over Joy-Con drift. Consumer groups, parents, and even governments have been attempting to hold Nintendo accountable for this fundamental flaw in its design for years, and now it seems like the company is willing to accept responsibility. The issue is caused by general wear on a Joy-Con’s analog stick, resulting in involuntary in-game movement.
If you check the UK Nintendo support page today, you’ll see the out-of-warranty repair service offered to all those that own a pair. Finally, this brings Nintendo’s UK repair policy in line with most of the rest of the world, such as France, Latin America, and North America, and applies to similar issues on the Nintendo Switch Lite.
The specific wording on Nintendo’s website includes the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland too. It says, “until further notice, Nintendo will not charge you in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, and Switzerland for the repair of the responsiveness syndrome irrespective of whether this is caused by a defect or by wear and tear.” The company adds that it reserves the right to refuse repair on modded equipment, so it’s probably not worth sending in Joy-Cons you’ve put a new shell on.
Nintendo now recognizes Joy-Con drift as a legitimate hardware issue it calls “responsiveness syndrome or so-called ‘drifting’.” Legal cases over the issue started to hit the news in 2019 when Nintendo was charging $40 for Joy-Con repairs because they were out of their 90-day warranty. Even officially repaired Joy-Cons were experiencing the issue, and Nintendo seemed to be fighting against providing any additional support. Thankfully, the company is now offering repairs and will do so for the foreseeable future. This could even extend beyond the Nintendo Switch’s lifetime, given how long the company supports past consoles such as the Wii U and 3DS.
