Just before the Nintendo Switch’s launch last week, members of the press began reporting that their system was having trouble receiving a signal from the left Joy-Con. Since then, Nintendo has patched the Switch, although that didn’t actually solve the problem.
Today, YouTuber Spawn Wave uploaded a video of himself opening up the left Joy-Con, revealing the exact problem. It’s an antenna issue. By adding a copper antenna to the left Joy-Con, Spawn Wave was able to completely fix the problem.
After installing the new antenna, Spawn Wave starts moving further and further away from his TV while testing out both Joy-Cons. The right Joy-Con (which hasn’t been causing people trouble) starts to lose signal at about 20 feet when placed behind his back. However, the left Joy-Con continues pushing through at 40 feet, even behind his back.
So what does this mean for Nintendo? Well, they might have to start making new left Joy-Cons with the antenna going toward the bottom of the controller where it’s less likely to be obstructed by someone’s palms. How long they’ll take to do this and if they’ll even do it depends on how large this issue becomes.
If you’re having Joy-Con issues, maybe you’ll want to get to soldering? If not (and we totally understand), you can find a temporary fix that helped Nintendo Today editor Ashely out. Nintendo themselves have also posted a guide on how to mitigate these issues. Hopefully, you have another spot to put your aquarium!
