Jammed buttons
Even when the gamepad buttons are not pushed, Joy-Con drift causes the control stick on Nintendo’s Switch controllers to not respond or register the wrong input.
Each button on the Nintendo Switch serves a unique purpose in your gameplay.
If any of your buttons jam as a result of mashing, your game may flip from GG to BG.
Fortunately, this vexing experience won’t last long because it can be resolved.
Follow these five simple methods to unjam your Nintendo Switch ZR and ZL buttons.
Step 1: To open the hard plastic rear of the remote, remove four M1.4 x 5mm screws with the Y00 Tri-Point screwdriver.
Step 2: Lift the hard-plastic shell to see the inside of the remote after the screws have been removed, then look for the ZL button. Depending on which remote needs to be fixed, the button exposed might be the ZL or the ZR.
Step 3: Locate the ZL button inside the remote after removing the hard-plastic cover.
Step 4: Lift the ZL button a little with the tweezers, then pull upwards to bring it back into position.
Replace the hard cover on the remote and re-screw it after the button is back in position.
Step 5: To make sure it’s back in place and operating, press the ZL buttons a few times.
Clogged joystick
Although the rubber gasket keeps most dust and debris out of Joy-Cons, dust can still get in and cause interference with the sensor.
If you have a can of compressed air with a nozzle, you may remove the Joy-Cons from your Nintendo Switch and clean the joystick.
As an alternative, you can follow these steps if all you have is a bottle of isopropyl alcohol:
Step 1: Soak a cotton swab in 70% isopropyl alcohol.
Step 2: dab it on the bottom part of the joystick to get some alcohol under it.
Step 3: Rotate the joystick for 30 seconds to spread the alcohol around the sensor within.
Step 4: Allow 15 minutes for it to settle before checking the calibration.
Caution: Don’t apply the isopropyl alcohol directly to the joystick- excess of it can deep into your console and cause internal damage.
Wrong button positioning
You are supposed to check if you have reconfigured the buttons to fix the Joy-Con drift issue, as it can affect performance.
If you notice a blue wrench symbol in the lower-left corner of your screen, take these instructions to reset the button configuration:
Step 1: From the Home screen, select the System Settings option.
Step 2: Click “Controllers and Sensors” from the System Settings interface.
Step 3: Click “Reset” after selecting Change Button Mapping.
Outdated Firmware Updates
Nintendo has updated the controller software to make the game systems perform better and more efficiently.
To do a Joy-Con repair, first check for firmware upgrades by following the procedures below.
Step 1: Hit “System Settings” from the Home screen.
Step 2: Hit “Controllers and Sensors” then select Update Controllers.
Joy-Con Drift Repair: Calibrate the Controllers
Wrong joystick positioning
It’s possible that your joy con is drifting because you haven’t re-calibrated your joystick.
Follow these steps to do this:
Step 1: Go to system settings
Step 2: Scroll down and click “Controllers and Sensors”
Step 3: Click “Calibrate Control Sticks”
Step 4: Long press the control stick for the controller you want to calibrate. A calibration screen will appear.
Step 5: If the control stick is stationary, you’ll see a cross sign in the middle of a circle.
A dot should appear as you move the controller while the color of the circle should shift from black to blue as you play using the joystick.
If this doesn’t happen, proceed to the next step.
Step 6: Press the X button. Move your joystick in a certain direction and release it.
You’ll be requested to rotate your control stick in a clockwise circle after doing this left, right, up, and down.
If none of the above solutions work and the problem persists, you can take advantage of Nintendo’s repair policy.
However, you’ll have to wait at least three days or at most three weeks for your joy con to be returned. It’s definitely worth it when it’s returned.
