Dear Reader:

You are viewing a story from GN Version 5.0. Time may not have been kind to formatting, integrity of links, images, information, etc.

French consumer organization looking to sue Nintendo over Switch Joy-Con drift, says it's part of a "planned obsolescence" scheme

Those are some big accusations
by rawmeatcowboy
22 September 2020
GN Version 5.0

Nintendo is soon to face another lawsuit that stems from Joy-Con drift, but there's a lot more going on with this pending legal battle.

Over in France, the UFC-Que Choisir is a consumers group with 160 domestic local factions. UFC-Que Choisir defends the rights of consumers in litigation against corporations, and pushes for public policies reinforcing the rights of consumers. UFC has turned its focus to the Switch once again, and they've levied quite the allegation against Nintendo.

The UFC previously clashed with Nintendo over Joy-Con drift, and Nintendo responded by saying anyone experiencing the issue could get a replacement from Nintendo for free. Even after that decision was made, consumers kept reaching out to UFC with complaints on the Joy-Con, which caused the organization to look a bit deeper into what was causing the drift issue.

In their study, UFC found that a poor seal on the Joy-Con allowed in dirt and debris, which could clog up components. The UFC also found what they call "programmed obsolescence of the circuit board." It's this second part that's drawing all the attention, as UFC is basically saying that Joy-Con drift is part of Nintendo's plan for the Switch, and they've manufactured Joy-Con in such a way to force consumers to purchase multiple sets of replacement Joy-Con down the road.

While we all know there's an issue with Joy-Con drift, I don't think most consumers would believe that Nintendo is operating a nefarious scheme for planned obsolescence. Proving that in court is going to be near impossible. Whether this lawsuit even goes forward remains to be seen, but if it does, you can expect an extremely interesting legal battle to ensue.

[Link]