Joy-Con wireless issues caused by manufacturing variations

With all the reports of Joy-Con syncing issues and problems with specific Joy-Cons plastered all over the internet, many people are wondering if the issue is as widespread as it seems. The problem with reporting things on the internet is that a small issue can seem huge because only the problems are reported while those with no problems are quiet.

Kotaku reached out to Nintendo of America to see if they could get an official statement on what the official status of this seems to be at the company, since CNET’s report this morning that the issue seems to be fixed using a small square of conductive foam. Here is their official response:

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. For help with any hardware or software questions, please visit http://support.nintendo.com.

So if you are experiencing problems with your Joy-Cons not staying connected to the console, it behooves you to contact Nintendo support and arrange for them to be fixed. It’s free of charge and Nintendo says it should take less than a week. For those of you with a Pro Controller this should be an easy decision, but if you’re like me and don’t have anything but the Joy-Cons to use, I can’t imagine waiting a week to explore in Breath of the Wild.

[via Kotaku]