Nintendo has been having a rough go of it when it comes to their controllers. Players are having significant difficulty using them and some are even claiming that Nintendo purposely designed the controllers to break. However, there is some potentially good news, as Nintendo has permanently reduced the price of the Joy-Con controllers in Japan.
Of course, the price drop has to be taken with a grain of salt, because serious issues with the quality of the controllers remain. One family is even suing Nintendo for $5 million in damages because the controllers became unusable after just a few short months. They aren't alone either, because a French company is suing Nintendo using the same logic—that Nintendo knows the controllers will break and may have even designed them to break.
Nintendo seems relatively undettered by the lawsuits, though, because sales for the Switch have continued unabated—and may even outsell the PS5. Whatever the reason for the price drop for the Joy-Con controller in Japan is, we know that it has received a new permanent price—selling for just 3,740 yen ($36). Prior to the price drop, the controller was selling for 4,480 yen, or $43.
Meanwhile, in the US, Joy-Con controllers bearing the Nintendo logo are selling for $79.99 at most retailers. It is unknown at this point why the controllers dropped in price in Japan or if a similar price drop will be coming to the rest of the world. If the rest of the world were treated to the same 16% price cut, you could expect the controllers to sell for $67 in the United States.
Nintendo has issued an apology for the "drift" issue that players are experiencing, saying in June, "We apologize for any inconvenience caused to our customers regarding Joy-Con controllers." However, the company has not acknowledged any faults with the controllers.
For now it seems that you will need to purchase the Joy-Con controllers at your own risk, as the underlying manufacturing process doesn't appear to be changing. If you do experience "drift" from you controller, you can get it repaired by Nintendo at no cost to you.
Source: VGC