KZN#22

Gaming
The Nintendo Switch's Left
Joy-Con Issue Has Forced
Me To Abandon My Grip
Controller Entirely
I
think I may have
just set a personal
record for the most
amount of time I’ve
spent with a new
video game console during
its launch week. I have put
over 50 hours into Zelda:
Breath of the Wild, more
than a full time job, and the
only reason I’m going to be
slowing down is to play my
review copy of Mass Effect:
Andromeda this week. But
after that? Back to Zelda full
time.
Spending so much time
with the system, I’ve gotten
familiar with it in almost
every configuration, especially
since my Pro controller
arrived in the mail a few
days back.
While I am clearly
obsessed with Zelda, I am
less enamored with one specific
aspect of the hardware,
one that has been a
well-publicized issue since
launch, but does not appear
to be going anywhere any
time soon. And it’s negated
what would otherwise be my
favorite way to play.
I’m referring to the issue
with the Switch’s left Joy-
Con. When not attached
to the screen unit, ie. used
by itself or slotted into the
plastic grip controller, it has
a fair amount of input lag at
times. This is an enormous
problem because the left
Joy-Con controls all of your
weapon/talent switching,
and most importantly, your
actual movement. The result
has been lost fights because
Link isn’t moving as quickly
as he needs to, or Link walking
straight off the edge of
a cliff or tower on multiple
occasions because the lag
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Kzn Lifestyle Magazine • Issue 22
isn’t sending the message
that I told him to stop moving.
It’s terrible, there have
been no concrete fixes for
the problem, and Nintendo’s
proposed solutions
are either useless or ridiculous.
Their official guide
to fixing this paints this
is a fair standard connectivity
problem that sometimes
happens with wireless
devices, despite the fact
the right Joy-Con, my Pro
controller and literally every
other wireless controller I
own from other systems,
is just fine. This is a defective
product, plain and simple,
and there needs to be
a more concrete fix for the
issue as soon as possible,
up to and possibly including
a hardware recall and
replacement.
The Legend of Zelda:
Breath of the Wild Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda:
Breath of the Wild
Journalists with Switch
review units were initially
posting about a day one
update that would update
the firmware of the Joy-
Cons and hopefully fix the
issue. After the update
went live, some were saying
it actually worked, but
that has not been the case
from what I’ve seen among
a vast majority of users having
this problem. So Nintendo
instead just puts out
this guide that tells you to
keep your base unit away
from your TV, aquariums(!)
and any device that sends/
receives Wifi. So literally
everything you own, basically,
including your cell
phone which Nintendo will
reportedly utilize for its
online service.
My Switch is not moving.
It is essentially built into my
wall the way my entertainment
system is set up, and
I’m not putting it anywhere
else or using it with a crappier
TV in a different room
just to fix this lag. So what
this has done is essentially
forced me to play in handheld
mode at home, or to
buy a Pro controller for an
extra $70. For those saying
“well you would have done
that anyway,” actually, no. I
was as surprised as anyone
that I actually found the Grip
controller to be surprisingly
comfortable. If it were not
for this issue, I would definitely
just be using the Grip
instead.
Many people have been
asking me for a “review” of
the Pro controller, and while
I don’t think I can squeeze
an Endgadget-like article
out of that with a description
of every tactile sensation
associated with the
thing, I’ll say that it’s not as
good as an Xbox controller
or Sony DualShock, as
the build quality seems just
a bit worse with flimsy-feeling
triggers and too-big face
buttons. It’s…fine, but the
Joy-Cons themselves feel
like the more robust hardware,
especially when slotted
into the Grip. using
them. You end up not really
noticing the Pro controller
the more you play, but I
would definitely rather be
using the Grip.
I think the left Joy-Con
issue has been lumped into
a lot of other minor glitches
as “just something that happens”
during a new console
launch. But to me, this
is a big deal, and Nintendo’s
response to this has been
underwhelming, to say the
least. Because of how annoying
this lag is, I am turning
to a mode I wouldn’t normally
play (in-home handheld)
or buying a ridiculously
priced $70 controller
that actually works. I either
want a fix, a replacement
or a refund. Anything less is
unacceptable.