It has been a few week since the release of the Nintendo Switch but even prior to the official release, there were complaints by the media and reviewers who got their units early, claiming that the left Joy-Con was occasionally suffering from connectivity issues. Now, Nintendo has finally acknowledged the problem and even has a reason for it, albeit a very vague one.
According to the folks at Kotaku, who were able to obtain an official statement, Nintendo stated that the reason behind the issue is that there is a "manufacturing variation". While the rest of us have no idea what that means exactly, Nintendo goes on to say that a small number of left Joy-Con are affected by the problem. Luckily, going forward, those that will be purchasing their Nintendo Switch or Joy-Cons will not experience this since the "manufacturing variation" has been corrected at the factory.
If you feel like your unit is suffering from this issue, feel free to contact Nintendo directly. It will assist you in verifying that the problem is in fact in relation to a manufacturing defect. The repair is a simple one and will take less than a week and will be free of charge. For those that are feeling more ambitious, there is a fix. No, not soldering wires like we saw a couple of weeks back, but an entirely new one that requires much less effort.
According to CNET, when they sent in their Joy-Con unit for repair, the only thing Nintendo might have done was add a piece of conductive foam to a small area of the board. Now, if you want to experiment, you can always purchase the foam and apply it to the inside of the Joy-Con yourself. Be sure to hit the link in the source for details and images.
If you"re still not sold on the idea of a hybrid portable console, be sure to check out our full review of the Switch.