US Judge Closes The Infamous Switch Joy-Con Drift Lawsuit

The Nintendo Switch’s legacy is haunted by its faulty Joy-Cons, which are often prone to start drifting. In the latest developments, a US judge has closed a well-known lawsuit concerning the handheld’s Joy-Con drift issue. The lawsuit was closed in favor of Nintendo because of the user’s agreement with the end user’s license contract.

Every Nintendo Switch user accepts the end user’s license agreement (EULA) upon setting up the console, which reportedly states that the conglomerate “disallows lawsuits.” The lawsuit could not proceed in favor of Switch owners despite trying to say that the minors using the handheld do not fall under the proposed rule.

Despite the children not being bound by the agreement, the lawsuit still turned out in favor of Nintendo. The American-based judge ultimately ruled that the EULA bounded the “de facto owners”; in other words, the parents were deemed liable and not the minors who would use the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo is hit with multiple similar lawsuits from people suffering the same nuisances of Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons, causing drifting issues after some time. 

Nintendo only officially acknowledged the lingering crisis two years ago, with president Shuntaro Furukawa apologizing for the issue. In an investor briefing (translated by Kotaku), the president issued a statement regarding the Nintendo Switch’s “Joy-Con drift” cases.

“Regarding the Joy-Con, we apologise for any trouble caused to our customers,” Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa noted two years ago. He continued.

We are continuing to aim to improve our products, but as the Joy-Con is the subject of a class-action lawsuit in the United States and this is still a pending issue, we would like to refrain from responding about any specific actions.”

The problem persists to the point that the United States offers free Joy-Con repairs to compensate for the drifting problems that often arise out of nowhere. In an interview with Polygon two years ago, Doug Bowser at Nintendo the stance regarding Joy-Con drifting problems.

Specific to the Joy-Cons themselves, we’ve been working very closely with consumers if and when they might have issues, whether it’s a replacement or repair,” said Doug Bowser.

The Joy-Con drifting is caused over time, usually after a short period of using the Joy-Cons. It is an issue that leads to your controller not responding accurately to analog stick controls; the stick also seemingly controls itself, sometimes drifting in varied directions. It has plagued the Nintendo Switch since its inception.

A prominent recent finding by the United Kingdom consumer group Which? noted that a fundamental mechanical error caused the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con drift problem in its design. 

While there were dust proofing cowls on the joystick components of the Joy-Cons, the presence of dust and other contaminants in the internal components suggested that this protection was insufficient.

All the plastic circuit boards exhibited noticeable wear on the joystick slider contact points, despite only being used for months.

It was concluded that this wear, and the drift issue that resulted from it, were likely due to a mechanical issue,” noted the report.

Nintendo has still not issued an official fix to the Joy-Con drift problem, which has led many to believe that it will persist till the portable’s last unit is sold.

What are your thoughts about the American judge dismissing the notorious Nintendo Switch Joy-Con lawsuit concerning the drift issue? Do you think Nintendo should already resolve the rumored mechanical issue causing the drift problem? Do let us know your opinions in the comments below.

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