Consumer associations are moving to the next level.
The recurring problem of faulty game controllers on the Nintendo Switch console will now be brought to European level.
The French organization UFC-Que Choisir announces this Wednesday that “the association is joining the European Bureau of Consumers' Unions (BEUC) to trigger the European
external alert
mechanism
, and shed light on this recurring failure which exceeds our borders ”.
The problem is called “Joy-Con drift”.
It refers to the name of the Joy-Con controllers and to the “movement” or “drift”, which many of them end up suffering.
In practice, without the player trying to make the slightest movement, the controller still performs a single one, which poses a big problem in the middle of the game.
The UFC qualifies these trips as “ghost movements”.
The problem would come from a (very) premature wear of the base of the joysticks, in particular the one on the left.
The organization evokes two possible causes: "wear of the printed circuits and a lack of sealing which causes a worrying amount of debris and dust within the joystick".
A very common problem that occurs quickly after purchase
In January of last year, the director of Nintendo France offered to repair defective controllers free of charge, even if they are no longer covered by the warranty.
But according to the French association, the basic problem has not been resolved.
Que Choose insists on the speed with which it occurs.
“To the surprise of consumers, controllers have, in most cases, suffered this malfunction after barely a year of use (for about 60% of consumers surveyed, and even less than six months for 25%)!
"
Que Choisir filed a complaint in September 2020 against Nintendo France for planned obsolescence, "with more than 9,100 testimonials from consumers attesting to the defect of their controllers".
Since then, other Belgian, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Norwegian, Slovak, Slovenian and Greek consumer associations have launched calls for testimonies.
Almost 25,000 European consumers have come forward.
BEUC will launch an alert with the European Commission and national consumer protection authorities "via the external alert mechanism, for deceptive, aggressive and unfair commercial practices", specifies the UFC.
The international action aims to encourage the launch of a European investigation and to force Nintendo to settle these premature failures.
This is to repair defective controllers free of charge and to warn of their limited lifespan, adds Que Choisir, who once again calls on consumers affected by the failure to come forward.
