3w ago

I just fixed my joycon drift today!

Recently bought a used Switch 1 as people were getting rid of them to buy the new one, but I found out that mine came with an insane amount of drifting.

Opening it up was a pain in the ass and pretty scary, but I managed to fix it by putting a card over the metal plate on the left (to apply pressure under the joystick as many people online instructed)... And it worked!

It used to drift all the way to the left whenever I let go of the analog stick, but now it snaps firmly back to the center. Just wanted to put out a PSA that if your Joycon is drifting, it's very fixable. All you need is the right screwdriver and being very careful when lifting up each piece.

27 comments

You should have gone with Hall effect replacements since that’s a permanent fix. Not knocking on your effort, it’s a delicate work and you’ve got some practice in for the time you’ll have to go back to do that :)
- Yeah I'm aware of the hall effect replacements which are pretty cheap, but this fix was essentially free and should last me at least a few months until the sticks degrade. Once it really stops working I'll look into opening it again and fixing it for real.
  
  They have the added bonus of the joystick caps being able to just pop off and replace, which is great because the original sticks can just spontaneously fucking melt.
  I’m still mad.
- Are there hall effects joysticks you can buy to replace them? Do you have any exaples of parts that you would recommend?
  
  I used GuliKit NS40 which is available on Amazon and other places. Get a kit with tools if you don’t have tri-wing screwdriver yet. I was replacing joysticks every couple of months until I got those but haven’t had to since then.
- I installed one of those and had to RMA it within a couple weeks. Not saying don't "upgrade" but apparently there's no silver bullets here.
  
  RMA due to drift? That’s rather unheard of, I’d be more inclined to suspect that you got a fake.
- I did exactly that with gulikit hall effect parts 2 years ago. It's surprisingly easy and indeed fixes drift issues once and for all.
- I think that TMR is now the preferred tech. It is more of a direct replacement than hall effect, resulting in less potential latency and maintaining the advantages of magnetic, contactless sticks.
  
  I would probably find this out when Hall effect sticks died but they simply refuse to. Good to know though, thanks.
I tried this but eventually it got drifty again. I then swapped the joysticks for the Gulikit hall effect sticks and resolved the issue permanently.
Also, I think the design of the joycon is good. It was much easier to repair than the gen1 quest controller. When I attempted to do the same shim fix I broke some ribbon cable clip rendering it unusable.
Bloody tiny ribbon cables...
My sister would hammer the shit out of the sticks - not abuse but just near constant usage. Needed to get a spare con for each side to hot swap for when the inevitable happened. I can do stick swaps pretty quick these days, all done in the palm of the hand.
She's just had the Switch 2 delivered so I'm just waiting for the call now 😬
- Bloody tiny ribbon cables…
  Yeah... They're sturdier than they look but it's still scary that pulling on one of them could completely ruin the joycon. My bigger problem was the battery connector, I intended to remove the battery completely but after trying to disconnect it twice, I gave up and just moved it aside. I was too worried I'd break it.
  
  I do the same thing :) The less I need to unplug and upset, the better.
Nice job, nice to see people being able to fix their stuff 🌞
You can switch them out for hall effect some would say that would be Nintendos job but eh. Good job I hope it lasts
I don't know. Spraying wd40 in (yes really) seems much easier and also easily redone when needed.
Also purchasing an 8bitdo ultimate.

27 comments