The Nintendo Switch Lite is just a few days old, but it's already being dragged into the ongoing Joy-Con drift class-action lawsuit.
Pennsylvania-based Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith (CSK&D) filed suit against Nintendo of America in July regarding a defect in the company's game controllers, which players dubbed "Joy-Con drift." The problem pertains to the tendency of Joy-Con controllers to randomly move around and input different commands even when gamers aren't using them.
While the initial complaint focused only on the original Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite users are now alleging that the new console also suffers from the same technical problems.
Joy-Con Drift In Nintendo Switch Lite
The updated complaint now includes statements from Nintendo Switch Lite users taken from YouTube, Reddit, and other social media platforms. Gamers alleged that the thumbsticks on their Joy-Con controllers started to drift after playing on the console for 20 hours.
"I beat Link's Awakening over the weekend on my original Switch Lite system, I had only put like 20 something hours on it, and it started to show joy-con drift," one gamer wrote. "Why is this happening earlier on than with the earlier Switch?"
Meanwhile, another user claimed that their drifting controller caused the camera in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to act weirdly. They tried fixing the problem by calibrating and updating the controller, but these didn't do much to help.
Joy-Con Drift Class-Action Lawsuit
CSK&D submitted the complaint on behalf of 18 plaintiffs in 16 different states. The law firm's investigation involved looking into Joy-Con drift allegations made by Nintendo Switch users as early as March 2017.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the drifting problem mostly affects the left Joy-Con controller. This is likely because this is the side of the game controller used primarily for in-game movement. However, there have also been reports that the issue can also affect both joysticks. Joy-Con drift can severely impact players' gameplay.
The class-action lawsuit claims that Nintendo committed fraud and breach of warranty, pertaining to the Joy-Con drift accusations. The video game company may have also violated state consumer protection laws.
While Nintendo has acknowledged that some of its Joy-Con controllers are not "responding correctly," it did not address any of the accusations mentioned in the lawsuit. However, the company did ask Nintendo Switch users affected by the Joy-Con drift problem to contact its support department.
