This fan's Joy-Con drift fix is so simple it hurts

Nintendo’s forthcoming Switch (OLED edition) is probably not going to fix the one issue fans have been clamoring over for years: Joy-Con drift. if Nintendo has its way, those pesky analogue sticks are going to keep up their willful misdirection for many years to come. So fans have taken matters into their own hands.

Many of those attempts have failed spectacularly over the years, leading Switch owners to believe we’re stuck with this drift forever. But now, a YouTuber by the name of VK may have actually done it. VK (who also goes by “Victorstk” on Patreon) posted a video yesterday that outlines his theory of Joy-Con drift along with what he calls a “permanent” fix (h/t NintendoLife).

To make this discovery even more impressive, it’s a very simple fix, using — get this — just a tiny piece of cardboard to stop the analog stick from drifting. You can see his methodology around 5:55 in the video above. VK claims he’s had incredible luck with this trick thus far; one Joy-Con he secured in this manner has been fully operational for two months now.

Anyone can do this at home, with the right tools on hand. So why isn’t Nintendo doing anything about it?

Literally a piece of cardboard — Here’s how you can fix your Joy-Con drift: open up the controller and stick at 1mm piece of cardboard near the analog stick. That is the entire fix.

VK explains that the problem, as he sees it, lies in the metal housing that secures the Joy-Con arrangement in the controller. As you play games and press the analog stick over and over again, that metal piece loosens, in turn making it more difficult for the metal prongs to make contact with the pads.

A word of warning here: Opening up the Joy-Cons to try this fix at home will absolutely void the warranty on them. Nintendo doesn’t want to fix the drift... but it also doesn’t want you to.

Even more infuriating — VK explains that, as far as he can tell, it would be pretty easy for Nintendo to fix this issue by adding just one screw (one screw!) to secure the metal housing to the upper plastic components. We really thought we couldn’t get angrier than we already were about this issue, but come on, Nintendo. One screw!

Of course, VK’s theory is just that: a theory. His individual testing just confirms that the cardboard trick works; it’s impossible to say whether or not securing the metal housing would fix every instance of Joy-Con drift. There could be a myriad of issues at hand, with this fixing just one of them. There’s just not enough evidence here to be conclusive.

That being said, we’re still pretty fired up about VK’s fix, which really just serves as a reminder that Nintendo could definitely do something about Joy-Con drift it if wanted to. Instead it’s releasing a brand new Switch with the same exact controllers, which will continue to have the same exact issues. Ugh.