It would be great if Joy-Con drift wasn’t a thing. But sadly, it is and we have to deal with it. Nintendo has been offering free repairs for the issues for some time, though it remains a problem. Due to the design flaw of the controller, the sticks always fail at some point. Though now Nintendo has a solution, and it’s not the one you want.
A full set of Joy-Cons costs $80 USD, way too much for something that is guaranteed to fail rather quickly. I’ve still got PS2 controllers that work just fine, I doubt I’ll be able to ever say “I have had this Joy-Con for 20 years” at any point. Nintendo could fix the problem be redesigning the Joy-Con, but apparently, they would rather paper over the problem by making more money.
Starting on 11/9, single #NintendoSwitch Joy-Con controllers will be available for purchase for $39.99. Choose from the left Joy-Con controller in Neon Blue, and the right Joy-Con controller in Neon Red. pic.twitter.com/wXW8BEssS7
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 23, 2020
Starting from November 9, Nintendo will begin selling a pack with a single Joy-Con in it, within select regions, for $40. These will be sold via the Nintendo store directly, no indication has been given for if retailers will stock them. So unless you’re out of a Joy-Con that Nintendo won’t repair, this is at least a slightly more appealing option than replacing them both.
The single Joy-Cons will come in Neon Blue for the left controller, and Neon Red for the right controller. Only having these basic Neon Red and Neon Blue colors rules out the potential of people getting weird color combos. No way are we going to be able to have a Neon Blue and an Orange controller together, at least not officially.
