Nintendo may already be developing a second version of the Nintendo Switch Lite, even though the original just hit the market a few weeks ago.
The Japanese game company recently filed documents of a new iteration of the Switch Lite with the Federal Communications Commission. This second version of the game console has been given the FCC ID number BKEHDH002, while the original version was designated BKEHDH001.
Not much is known about the Nintendo Switch Lite v.2 yet, but based on the FCC filing, the upcoming handheld might only be a minor update to the first Switch Lite rather than an all-out redesign.
Joy-Con Drift Issues
The FCC filing comes a few days after the Nintendo Switch Lite was dragged into an ongoing lawsuit regarding Joy-Con drift issues.
Several Switch Lite owners alleged that the Joy-Con controllers on their Switch Lite started malfunctioning after a few hours of gameplay. They claimed that the analog sticks on the devices would suddenly enter commands or register movement on their own, even when they are not being used. This phenomenon has been since been dubbed "Joy-Con drift."
Earlier this year, Pennsylvania law firm Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith (CSK&D) filed a class-action lawsuit against Nintendo on behalf of Nintendo Switch users affected by the faulty controllers. The complaint is partly based on online statements made by Switch owners describing the drift issues.
The group updated its lawsuit last week to include recent user complaints related to the Nintendo Switch Lite. One of these was a statement by a Switch Lite owner who claimed that their Joy-Con controller started to drift after playing Link's Awakening for 20 hours.
Another user was also quoted about their malfunctioning Switch Lite controller causing the in-game camera in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to act weirdly.
The class-action lawsuit alleges that Nintendo committed fraud and breach of the warranty concerning the drifting Joy-Con controllers. It also claimed that the game company violated state laws on consumer protection.
Nintendo's Response
For its part, Nintendo acknowledged that some of the Joy-Con controllers are not "responding correctly." However, the company has yet to directly address the drift allegations mentioned in CSK&D's class-action suit. It has only asked Nintendo Switch owners who may be experiencing issues with their game controllers to get in touch with its support department.
The recent FCC filing also does not mention anything about Joy-Con drift concerns, but some observers believe it may be an attempt by Nintendo to immediately fix the problem.
