Nintendo blamed for Switch controller failures

European consumer organization accuses Nintendo of premature obsolescence of Nintendo Switch Joy-Con consoles

(Photo: Nintendo) European consumer organization accuses Nintendo of premature obsolescence of Nintendo Switch controllers and asks the European and national authorities of the various countries to open an investigation. At the center of attention is the usability of the Joy-con and the stability of the console itself, explains the Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs (Beuc): "In 88% of cases the devices fail in the first two years of I use, according to consumer testimonials ”, unhappy to see their characters move in the game without having given any input on the keys. However, Nintendo's warranty only covers the first year, Beuc explains, so users are often forced to run for cover, paying out-of-pocket for support services or replacing accessories altogether. A couple of new ones cost an average of 70 euros in Europe.

Almost 25 thousand reports have been collected by the association, which asks the European Commission, the Directorate General for Justice and Consumers of the Union and the various national authorities to protection of intervening with coordinated controls. The Japanese company has sold 68 million Swit ch consoles in Europe, via the branch established in Germany, and is now expected to troubleshoot the device, according to Beuc: “Until then, repairs should be free and consumers pre-informed of the short life cycle. of controllers ”, states in the letter the association that has received complaints from France, Belgium, Italy, Holland, Portugal, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Greece.

Nintendo's CEO Shuintaro Furukawa apologized to consumers a few months ago, as reported by the Net01 newspaper, without adding anything other than the company's willingness to ensure continuous product improvements. In fact, two class actions have also been filed in the United States for the same problem concerning the Joy-con, as reported by The Verge. Overseas, however, Nintendo has already decided in July 2019, as reported by Vice, to offer free repair of defective controllers, even extra warranty and without proof of purchase.