Nintendo’s Joy-Con drift can seemingly be fixed with just a piece of paper

Nintendo’s notorious Joy-Con drift issue can apparently be fixed with just a scrap bit of paper according to a YouTuber.  

In a video titled ‘How To Fix Your Joy-Con Drift Permanently’, aspiring video game developer and YouTuber, VK's Channel shows fellow Nintendo Switch owners how they can fix the incredibly frustrating Joy-Con drift that has plagued the Nintendo Switch controller since the console’s release. 

According to VK, all you need to do is open the controller up and place a small square of paper/cardboard that’s around 1mm in size on the back of the joystick’s metal contact pad. This tiny alteration has apparently saved the YouTuber two months' worth of Joy-Con drift in both of their controllers. 

Later in the video, VK explains that over time the metal enclosure holding the joystick in place becomes loose due to being pushed in constantly. By placing the piece of card in the Joy-Con, you’re tightening up the space created between the Joy-Con and its contacts thus fixing the drifting issue for good. 

This seemingly insignificant, but hopefully lifelong fix, will save several Nintendo Switch owners, as well as Nintendo Switch Lite players, from having to face the dreaded Joy-Con drift ever again, although do be warned that opening up your Joy-Con in the manner described will void your warranty. 

Let’s hope Nintendo is paying attention and manages to find a way to incorporate a slightly more elegant fix into their future consoles as the company has already faced a lawsuit and a Europe-wide investigation following numerous complaints about the Joy-Con issue. 

That isn’t to say that Nintendo has ignored the issue as they did offer repairs and refunds for any faulty Joy-Cons, even if their warranty had run out, in Summer 2019. The company’s US President Doug Bowser also more recently stated that Nintendo plans to "make improvements" to the console’s signature controllers in December last year. 

What Nintendo has recently upgraded however is the Switch console itself as they introduced the new Nintendo Switch OLED model last week. The new iteration of the console will now feature a larger, higher definition screen, an ethernet port, and come in a fancy new white color option. Nintendo Switch OLED pre-orders have now gone live and the console will officially release on October 8, 2021. 

Still struggling with your Joy-Con? Take a look at our how to fix Joy-Con drift on the Nintendo Switch guide.