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Joycon connection issue may be hardware related

It happened for the first time for me last night. I sat about 12-15 feet away from the docked Switch. Left stick would act as if I continued holding it in a certain direction. I moved up about 2 feet and I was good. Wii U gamepad has better reach.
 

btrboyev

Member
I've tested around 7 left joycons (4 were mine) and they all have issues, is it confirmed that their is actually a perfectly working left joycon? I'm thinking about selling all my joycons and stick to the pro for now.

I haven't had a single issue since launch day with mine and I use it every single day
 

Seik

Banned
This is a clusterfuck. I unfortunately had to send my Switch back to Gamestop for a refund since there is no official word on a fix.

I now have a copy of Zelda with no Switch. Guess I'll be waiting until I hear something official from Nintendo before going Switch hunting. SMH. Thanks Nintendo.

Did you try contacting Nintendo directly?

Also, WTF, they ask people to send their entire Switch and not just the Joy-Cons? That's messed up..
 

MDave

Member
Trying to figure out where the antenna is on the left joy-con from looking at the pics, but it looks like its on the circuit board going up the left side of the analog stick if looking at a joy-con from the front? Covering that part up with your hand is too easy if so.
 
I haven't had a single issue since launch day with mine and I use it every single day

Mine was originally rather fine with the stand away from switch and hold it behind your back tests but lately mine has randomly disconnected when only a desk distance away, one time it completely desynced and I had to pause the game and wait for it to reconnect, it's also lagged out while playing FAST which is really noticible even for a split second.

It's good that you have a working unit but keep check on it.
 

phanphare

Banned
This is a clusterfuck. I unfortunately had to send my Switch back to Gamestop for a refund since there is no official word on a fix.

I now have a copy of Zelda with no Switch. Guess I'll be waiting until I hear something official from Nintendo before going Switch hunting. SMH. Thanks Nintendo.

why did you return your Switch instead of contacting Nintendo support about your joy con?
 

me0wish

Member
Ya, I was going to add the wire but I couldn't get the solder to go where I wanted so I just quit while I was ahead. I did change the shape of the existing bead of solder though which fixed the desync issues for me. So maybe it wasn't contacting properly before I heated it.

I did break one of the clips that hold the ribbon cable that connects the rail to the main board. So careful of that. You can do the soldering work with them connected. I just thought it would be easy to reconnect them. I was wrong.

Thanks, I might try fixing it this weekend, if the fix fails, I'll just sell all my joycons and wait for a new batch.
 

lionpants

Member
Think gamestop would actually let me try swapping my consoles left joycon with a stand-alone?

Why can't Nintendo ship my replacement before I send the broken one? Id pay a deposit.
Just buy a pair from GameStop. Put your pair in the box you bought, return saying they don't work. There is no way to verify that the same controllers are returned since the serial numbers aren't stickered on the controller, only the little plastic bag they come in.

If you talk to a supervisor it looks like Nintendo can send a replacement first, an "Advanced RMA". When I called they didn't have any stock though.

It's just easier to cycle through at retailers since I doubt Nintendo would even fix them properly at this point.
 

Semajer

Member
I have two different left joycons, and they both seem to have issues. When I'm playing Zelda I'll occasionally keep running in one direction even if I'm holding a different direction, but I don't get disconnected. Is this the issue that seems to be widespread or is mine something else?
 

DECK'ARD

The Amiga Brotherhood
I have two different left joycons, and they both seem to have issues. When I'm playing Zelda I'll occasionally keep running in one direction even if I'm holding a different direction, but I don't get disconnected. Is this the issue that seems to be widespread or is mine something else?

Yeah that's it, it gets stuck from losing the connection. It can lead to a total disconnect as well instead of regaining control.
 

Semajer

Member
Yeah that's it, it gets stuck from losing the connection. It can lead to a total disconnect as well instead of regaining control.

And it's luck of the draw if a joycon has this problem? I've already had to send my pro controller back. I don't know if I'll bother trying to get replacement joycons.
 

DECK'ARD

The Amiga Brotherhood
And it's luck of the draw if a joycon has this problem? I've already had to send my pro controller back. I don't know if I'll bother trying to get replacement joycons.

Yeah, luck of the draw.

We're waiting to hear from people who have gone through Nintendo for replacements to see how they got on. They could be actively checking for this or just treating it as a normal replacement and sending any old ones back. With them denying this is a widespread problem it's impossible to say.

I'm at the point of saying fuck it and buying a new set and seeing if I get lucky.

Roll on revision 2 ...
 

me0wish

Member
My switch asked me to press L+R on the controller I want to use while I was playing Zelda? Is this normal?

Edit:
The joycons were attached to the system, I wasn't using them wirelessly.
 

DECK'ARD

The Amiga Brotherhood
My switch asked me to press L+R on the controller I want to use while I was playing Zelda? Is this normal?

That's related to the same issue. A full disconnect rather than the partial ones that send Link off the nearest cliff. When it happens for me it won't even find the left one unless taken right next to the console.
 

me0wish

Member
That's related to the same issue. A full disconnect rather than the partial ones that send Link off the nearest cliff. When it happens for me it won't even find the left one unless taken right next to the console.

Oh I forgot to add that the joycons were attached to the system, I wasn't using them wirelessly.
 

DECK'ARD

The Amiga Brotherhood
Oh I forgot to add that the joycons were attached to the system, I wasn't using them wirelessly.

I've seen a couple of people say this, but it's not been really gone into enough to work out what the issue is.

Did they both reconnect by L+R straight away or was there a problem with either of them?
 
I have a werd issue where I cant use my left joycon in handheld mode in game. It works fine in the os and even the snapshot button works in game. Just not L, ZL or the stick?

It works without issues when I detach the joycon. Makes no sense...
 

DECK'ARD

The Amiga Brotherhood
I have a werd issue where I cant use my left joycon in handheld mode in game. It works fine in the os and even the snapshot button works in game. Just not L, ZL or the stick?

It works without issues when I detach the joycon. Makes no sense...

You're right, that does make no sense.

Why does the left joycon hate us so much.
 

me0wish

Member
I've seen a couple of people say this, but it's not been really gone into enough to work out what the issue is.

Did they both reconnect by L+R straight away or was there a problem with either of them?

They both worked straight away. Man I'm really worried that the worst is yet to come.
 
I have two different left joycons, and they both seem to have issues. When I'm playing Zelda I'll occasionally keep running in one direction even if I'm holding a different direction, but I don't get disconnected. Is this the issue that seems to be widespread or is mine something else?

I found mine do this when I'm holding them individually and using the grip reduces it.

So the signal-strength issue is still prevalent.
 

Dinjoralo

Member
I have a werd issue where I cant use my left joycon in handheld mode in game. It works fine in the os and even the snapshot button works in game. Just not L, ZL or the stick?

It works without issues when I detach the joycon. Makes no sense...

I had that issue. Hold the sync button on the controller until the led's start pulsing and hook it up again. I think that's what made it work for me.
 

Rocket786

Member
why did you return your Switch instead of contacting Nintendo support about your joy con?

As others have said, sending it to Nintendo isn't a guaranteed fix. Combine that with the fact that I bought mine from Gamestop and I'm surprised they even let me send it back for a refund to begin with.

If I get a replacement from Nintendo and the same issue exists, I fear Gamestop isn't going to let me return and I'll be stuck.

I just can't risk a $300 purchase and be stuck with a product that doesn't work as advertised. Most of my playing time would be in docked mode and having the mode not work properly is completely unacceptable to me.
 

lionpants

Member
As others have said, sending it to Nintendo isn't a guaranteed fix. Combine that with the fact that I bought mine from Gamestop and I'm surprised they even let me send it back for a refund to begin with.

If I get a replacement from Nintendo and the same issue exists, I fear Gamestop isn't going to let me return and I'll be stuck.

I just can't risk a $300 purchase and be stuck with a product that doesn't work as advertised. Most of my playing time would be in docked mode and having the mode not work properly is completely unacceptable to me.
Order a pair from Amazon. Put your broken pair in the box and send it back as defective. Their return policy is easy.
 

krumble

Member
As others have said, sending it to Nintendo isn't a guaranteed fix. Combine that with the fact that I bought mine from Gamestop and I'm surprised they even let me send it back for a refund to begin with.

If I get a replacement from Nintendo and the same issue exists, I fear Gamestop isn't going to let me return and I'll be stuck.

I just can't risk a $300 purchase and be stuck with a product that doesn't work as advertised. Most of my playing time would be in docked mode and having the mode not work properly is completely unacceptable to me.

How would Gamestop know that you received a replacement joycon from Nintendo?
So long as the box contains what it should contain they won't know

Such a weird concept
 

-shadow-

Member
We're just under two weeks away since launch now, has Nintendo said anything already about this? Well outside of Reggie saying that we need to call them and inform them on the issues? I'm considering sending my left joy-con in, because it drops inputs from when just regularly sitting on the couch, but I have no idea how they'll go about it as of now. Though I guess even the people who have send theirs already in don't know either.
 

me0wish

Member
Tested out 10 joycons in total, around 3 had serious issues, 4 had a bit of a short range, 2 had decent range, 1 was perfect even worked behind my back.

I tried melting the solder in the terrible ones, they improved considerably, but I'm still not satisfied. All controllers would disconnect behind my back except to that one perfect one.

I need to test them more, I still didn't play with them my self, but my friends seem happy. I'll keep the updates coming.
 
Tested out 10 joycons in total, around 3 had serious issues, 4 had a bit of a short range, 2 had decent range, 1 was perfect even worked behind my back.

I tried melting the solder in the terrible ones, they improved considerably, but I'm still not satisfied. All controllers would disconnect behind my back except to that one perfect one.

I need to test them more, I still didn't play with them my self, but my friends seem happy. I'll keep the updates coming.

My left joycon has the issue where it works at range and behind my back but while playing only feet away from the switch it will randomly die on me without much warning, or if I sit back with my legs up the connection is shit.

I really hate the antenna design in that joycon.
 
We're just under two weeks away since launch now, has Nintendo said anything already about this? Well outside of Reggie saying that we need to call them and inform them on the issues? I'm considering sending my left joy-con in, because it drops inputs from when just regularly sitting on the couch, but I have no idea how they'll go about it as of now. Though I guess even the people who have send theirs already in don't know either.

I am also wondering this. I was originally planning on getting Mass Effect Andromeda but decided to wait for reviews/patches/mods after not really feeling what I've seen so far.

So now I really want to pull the trigger on a Switch (well, probably order on Amazon or something and wait for stock) but it feels like a gamble with the joycons. Like, even if mine worked it would always be in the back of my mind that maybe I got a less than perfect product for my money. I'm not so much bothered about the reports about taking it in and out of the dock scratching it etc because I will play it 99% of the time docked but the joycon thing is a bit of a dealbreaker right now.

I suppose if it is 100% a joycon hardware issue it would be a £60 ish gamble rather than a £300 ish one
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Both of my Joycon are shit. I sit literally 1 meter from my Switch, and they will randomly stop responding every now and then just from me sitting cross-legged. It's not consistently bad, but once it happens I usually have to lift them up so I get clear line of sight in order to get proper response again. I've only had a full disconnect once though.

I'm gonna have to get these replaced eventually, just need to get a Pro controller first. And I will NOT accept having to send my entire unit in and probably lose my Zelda progress. No way in hell.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
My left joycon has the issue where it works at range and behind my back but while playing only feet away from the switch it will randomly die on me without much warning, or if I sit back with my legs up the connection is shit.

I really hate the antenna design in that joycon.

Yeah, I have basically this. Range seems fine (haven't tried it extensively though), and some quick behind the back tests have shown no issues. But they will suddenly become unresponsive simply because part of my legs are in the way, 1 meter from the Switch.
 
Sometimes Link would keep moving to one direction even after I press the other direction, but it's only for a couple of seconds.

That's about it, no disconnection.

I have two different left joycons, and they both seem to have issues. When I'm playing Zelda I'll occasionally keep running in one direction even if I'm holding a different direction, but I don't get disconnected. Is this the issue that seems to be widespread or is mine something else?


similar issue. I don't know if it's worth sending it in.
 

tci

Member
Since Bluetooth and WiFi (802.11b/g/n) uses the same frequency (2.4-ish GHz), have anyone consider this also might be a conflict? I have had this happen on some wireless devices before.

You can either try a different channel on the WiFi, or disable it all together while testing the connectivity.
 

ryushe

Member
How is this not a bigger issue?

There's a 30+ page thread on what kind of chip is in the Switch, but no one seems to care that there's an actual hardware issue. It just seems so odd to me.
 
So my left joy con is working behind my back up to 4 meters. But my right joy con will lose the connection and I have to reconnect it with my switch at the same position behind my back.
So probably I should contact Nintendo and let them repair them, don't I?

My number for the left one: G36A
Right one: G40A
 

NYR

Member
How is this not a bigger issue?

There's a 30+ page thread on what kind of chip is in the Switch, but no one seems to care that there's an actual hardware issue. It just seems so odd to me.
Im having problems with mine and I have no fear to say this is likely a case of vocal minority. I don't believe every Joycon sucks. A lot of people are not having problems, a lot of polls you see online seem to indicate a lot of people don't see this problem. We are just unlucky, which really sucks. :(
 
How is this not a bigger issue?

There's a 30+ page thread on what kind of chip is in the Switch, but no one seems to care that there's an actual hardware issue. It just seems so odd to me.

There was a massive thread when the first reports came out pre-release.

But if you're talking about general awareness, product defects just don't really percolate into the public consciousness unless they're dangerous. The RROD was probably the worst and most significant console defect ever and there is likely just a vague awareness of it among your average casual gamers.
 

ryushe

Member
The RROD was probably the worst and most significant console defect ever and there is likely just a vague awareness of it among your average casual gamers.
I don't agree with this at all. I worked at GameStop at the time the 360 was out and knew non-gamer parents who wanted nothing to do with the 360 because of said issue. Did it stop Microsoft's momentum that generation? No, but that was 360's narrative for a very very long time amongst pretty much everyone, but honestly, that's neither here or there.

Speaking of the RRoD though, I honestly think this Joy-con issue isn't too far from that. Yes, it's not as wide spread as the aforementioned problem of the 360, but this is still a really big problem. Like, I love my Switch and really hope it's successful, but the moment I played BotW docked and had Link run off a cliff to his death, I immediately went out and bought the pro controller. That's not cool and I find it worrisome and odd that more people aren't calling Nintendo to task for this.
 

richiek

steals Justin Bieber DVDs
Well, after 2 weeks, my left Joycon finally desynced, just as I was turning my system on. Fortunately, it hasn't happened while playing.
 

-shadow-

Member
People on Reddit are getting replacements in and reporting they are working now. The interesting bit is in this post which seems to indicate the SAME Joycon was returned and is working perfectly now, which means something was updated on it. Another poster has promised to open up his replacement/fix when it comes back.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSw...a_can_confirm_nintendo_repaired_left_joy_con/
I wonder if it was just a firmware update boosting the signal or they actually fixed the sloppy solder/ran a wire through the thing. I'm curious to see the opened up joy-con!
 

HIUHAU

Member
My switch is about to arrive and I'm crossing fingers. I live in Brazil, so in case I need to return it it'll surely be a hassle. I'm usually extremely unlucky with practically every hardware I acquire, so I'm expecting the worse.
 

Enkidu

Member
I wonder if it was just a firmware update boosting the signal or they actually fixed the sloppy solder/ran a wire through the thing. I'm curious to see the opened up joy-con!
If Nintendo are actually soldering wires into the Joycons as a fix I will lose all faith in their engineering capabilities.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Im having problems with mine and I have no fear to say this is likely a case of vocal minority. I don't believe every Joycon sucks. A lot of people are not having problems, a lot of polls you see online seem to indicate a lot of people don't see this problem. We are just unlucky, which really sucks. :(

I didn't notice any issues for the first week, now I'm getting random dropouts from both Joycon simply from sitting crosslegged 1m from the Switch (only one complete disconnect so far though). It can't be that uncommon.
 

Koeta

Member
So Nintendo's website isn't very clear on how to really setup a repair and not just get useless tips on how to make it better, anyone know how to really setup a repair?

I been trying to do it from this page but it not working out.

http://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8261

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