Nintendo Will Reportedly Repair Joy-Con Drift Issue for Free

Nintendo‘s Switch handheld console is the darling of many gamers on-the-go. However, plenty of users have been complaining of “drift” issues affecting its joy-con controllers. This is the problem where the analog control does not reset to the middle normally. Instead, continuing on one direction even after release.

The good news is that Nintendo is that apparently cares. So much so that they have instructed their support reps not to charge users fees for repair. This is according to an internal memo acquired by Vice.

What If My Joy-Con is Out of Warranty?

In even better news, part of the memo even instructs the support reps not to check for warranty status. Meaning that those experiencing drift issues can file a repair claim.

“Customers will no longer be requested to provide proof of purchase for Joy-Con repairs,” says the internal customer service instruction. “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.”

Why is Nintendo Doing This?

This move follows after a class action lawsuit was filed last week regarding the drift issue. After which, Nintendo stock has dropped 3%. So naturally, they are in damage control right now and this is the best possible move to do.

“At Nintendo, we take great pride in creating quality products and we are continuously making improvements to them,” said a spokesperson.

“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.”

It is also important for the company to have a smooth, hiccup-free launch for their next Switch products. Namely the recently announced Switch Lite, which arrives in September. As well as the upcoming, more powerful, higher-end variant.