Nintendo: Joy-Con Connection Issues Not Caused by Design Issue

[Lizzy Finnegan]

Nintendo: Joy-Con Connection Issues Not Caused by Design Issue

Nintendo says "manufacturing variation" caused interference.

Since before its release, reports have been coming in about could be caused by the controller's design [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/169716-JoyCon-Connectivity-Issues-Addressed-by-Nintendo], as the right Joy-Con features a stand-alone antenna component, and the left Joy-Con doesn't. The Bluetooth antenna in the left Joy-Con controller is not a separate piece, but rather is printed on the controller's circuit board, and it's located next to the housing for the joystick, which is a metal box. It's beneath the shoulder button, so it's not uncommon for the area to be covered by a person's finger. YouTuber Spawn Wave was able to fix the issue by soldering a copper wire to the antenna circuit in order to move the antenna to the bottom of the controller.

In a statement today (via Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/nintendo-says-joycon-wireless-issues-were-caused-by-man-1793530147]), Nintendo of America stated that the issues were not actually caused by a design issue, but rather were due to a "manufacturing variation" that "has been addressed and corrected at the factory level."

You can read the full statement below:

There is no design issue with the Joy-Con controllers, and no widespread proactive repair or replacement effort is underway. A manufacturing variation has resulted in wireless interference with a small number of the left Joy-Con. Moving forward this will not be an issue, as the manufacturing variation has been addressed and corrected at the factory level.

We have determined a simple fix can be made to any affected Joy-Con to improve connectivity.

There are other reasons consumers may be experiencing wireless interference. We are asking consumers to contact our customer support team so we can help them determine if a repair is necessary. If it is, consumers can send their controller directly to Nintendo for the adjustment, free of charge, with an anticipated quick return of less than a week. Repair timing may vary by region. For help with any hardware or software questions, please visit http://support.nintendo.com.

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[Zulnam]

Even if it were it'll be a cold day in hell before Nintendo admits the problem's on their end.

 

[JenSeven]

Sooo .... let me guess.

When someone opens up one of those repaired joycons or one of the new ones where they have dealt with the 'manufacturing variation' they will discover that Nintendo's fix is that they have soldered a copper wire to the antenna circuit in order to move the antenna to the bottom of the controller.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Guess what early adopters, be prepared to shell out $100 for proper working controllers in a few months when these hit stores.

 

[Alfredo Jones]

Sooo .... let me guess.

When someone opens up one of those repaired joycons or one of the new ones where they have dealt with the 'manufacturing variation' they will discover that Nintendo's fix is that they have soldered a copper wire to the antenna circuit in order to move the antenna to the bottom of the controller.

Nope. Someone (can't remember who) opened up a "repaired" Joy-con and found that they added a small foam block next to the antenna that shields it from interference. Apparently Nintendo is allowing customers to ship in their defective Joy-cons for a free repair, so you can avoid spending money on a new one if you're willing to wait a while for it to be fixed.

 

[sneakypenguin]

So not a design issue but send us your controller and we'll fix its totally not design related problems.

 

[marioandsonic]

Stories like this give me more and more validation to never, ever buy any console at launch.

 

[WeepingAngels]

It's a design flaw but they would never admit that. Adding a piece of foam to block interference, that's a band-aid and the problem was probably ignored during testing.

Let me just say 'Thank You' to all of the brave people who paid to be Switch beta testers.

 

[Randomosity]

It's a design flaw but they would never admit that. Adding a piece of foam to block interference, that's a band-aid and the problem was probably ignored during testing.

Let me just say 'Thank You' to all of the brave people who paid to be Switch beta testers.

You're welcome

For real though, despite the issues I don't regret buying a switch day one. I knew what I was getting into. And there is just something beat about being an early adopter and seeing things progress first hand.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

You realize all of the consoles are under warranty, right?

Since it's not a flaw in the system, I suspect that that wouldn't matter.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Spend 2 seconds reading this thread, or doing any research on the net. I dare you.

Mine was a jab about how the system is flawed by something so simple that Nintendo should have picked up one this the first time they Q.A tested the console. Humour isn't really funny if you have to explain it.

 

[Naldan]

Nintendo seems to have fixed it even prior to the launch, though. This seems to be a problem that, when present, really hampers the connectivity. Has someone opened and compared a working launch-JoyCon with a faulty launch-JoyCon?

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

the simplicity of the issue.

I actually have a background in engineering, so believe me (even though you won't) when I say that this problem should have been caught very early on in the design process. Nintendo said it wasn't a design issue, guess what, they lied. And if you can't see sarcasm that is so blatantly sarcasm, then that's your mistake. There's no shame in making a mistake.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

That's the price you pay for early adoption. At least they're willing to fix it for free.

 

[deadish]

Sounds like a design problem to me ...

Even if it was "manufacturing variation" shouldn't your design take that into account? There is variation in all manufacturing, your design should have tolerances and a QC process to catch products that fall outside those tolerances.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

You literally just assumed everyone would have to buy a new controller. The rest of your comments are you trying to backpedal after being corrected, because you feel too ashamed to admit fault.

Holds up a sarcasm sign
There you go, a little gift just for you.