Nintendo has reportedly told its customer service representatives to repair Joy-Con controllers for free following the recent ‘Joy-Con Drift’ controversy.
According to internal documentation seen by Vice, the console-maker will no longer charge Switch owners seeking Joy-Con repairs, and will even refund those who’ve already paid for the service.
What’s more, because the issue, which results in the detachable controllers detecting joystick movement when left untouched, appears to be so widespread, the company will apparently no longer require proof of purchase to authorize repairs.
“Customers will no longer be requested to provide proof of purchase for Joy-Con repairs,” reads the document. “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.”
Kotaku first shed light on the problem earlier this month, and claimed around a quarter of its Switch-owning staffers had already encountered drifting. Switch owners on social media sites like Reddit and Twitter backed up those claims, with some explaining the issue arose within a matter of months.
The situation has even led one US-based legal firm to file a class action lawsuit against Nintendo for selling defective controllers. The lawsuit is being propped up by the claims of a Switch owner in California, who has apparently encountered drifting three times.
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2019