Gamexplain Explains the Joy-Con Desyncing Problem

If we don't have any news/promise of this being fixed @ launch by Tuesday, will cancel. The hardware is too expensive to risk it being a dud and having to re-buy a new revision.

Thankfully I have a Wii U.

If it's a hardware issue, the likelihood of you having to "re-buy" anything as opposed to it being warranty replaced is incredibly low.
 
Like, just now I put my phone down after reading some responses, picked up the grip with the joycon attached (I'm laying down on my couch) and I'm holding the controller very normally upright with the face buttons facing me and the top of the controller facing the ceiling, you know, a completely normally way to hold a controller, and in a menu I've already had it not register two of my inputs and three of them were delayed.

I hate hate hate giving you guys bad news like this because god damn this system is awesome in every other way but this connectivity or sensor problem is really bumming me out :/

Edit: I see some people thinking of cAnceling their preorders and man that was never my intention with these tests. The console itself is rad as hell and I can only imagine Nintendo HAS to have some sort of fix for this. The only reason I did those extensive tests was to be as transparent, and so everyone knows what the CURRENT state of these consoles are. But yeah ok really hoping that there's some sort of statement and more importantly a fix, cause gah dahm dat Zelda.

From your post it definitely sounds like a low power frequency issue. Which may be Nintendo underestimating the necessary distance or style of play or simply a bug itself cause the Joy-Cons to put out a really weak signal. But in either case it should be something they can fix with an update to the Joy-Cons to increase the signal power. Hopefully we get a response from them or the press tomorrow or the next couple of days once they get a chance to fully investigate and test this problem and figure out the appropriate solution.
 
No, that's not how PR works.

Right now no one has even posted a story about this. If it's floating around enthusiast press sites tomorrow and gaining the attention of the press at large, then maybe they nip it in the bud. But you don't pre-emptively place a megaphone in front of an issue 99.9% of your audience hasn't even heard about yet.

If it were the occasional faulty power supply, I would agree with you. But if this story does become widespread, it's going to read one way to the non-enthusiast public, "Switch controllers don't work". You don't stand aside and hope situation gets fixed before it gets to that point, you get in front of it and smother that ember.

That's how I would deal with it at least. But then, I believe bad information is more dangerous than no information.
 
Damn... I'm pretty bummed out. :-(

Here's hoping for a fix. I'm calling it a night for now. Thanks to everyone who posted their hands-on impressions.
 
If there's no way to boost the signal from the joy-con the only solution would be for Nintendo to replace them.

Ps3 came with the sixaxis controller at launch. It would randomly disconnect for a few seconds and had no relation to signal interference.

did sony replace those controllers under warranty process?
 
I remember that one of my Kickstarter BT earbuds had a similar problem and people asked the creators if they could add an option for boosted signal in exchange for less battery life. They stated that while this would be technically possible they aren't allowed to because these things fall under FCC regulations.

I don't know if this is true (it's Kickstarter and its shady creators after all) but if it is I don't see how Nintendo can just boost the signal if they didn't accidentally reduced it in a recent software version beforehand.
 
Damn, this doesn't look good. I'd be right there with the people cancelling preorders but I traded my Wii U and 3DD in to Gamestop during their promotion and would lose a bunch of credit. I already bought a Pro controller too so this shouldn't effect me much but I've gone from being excited about the launch to feeling like a sucker. Obviously there's always some risk being an early adopter but this really is bullshit if it's a hardware issue that can't be fixed by an update.

Also, they REALLY need to issue a statement. Nintendo's silence on details has been frustrating all along, but this isn't part of a media strategy any more, it's a disservice to customers. Right now I'm disappointed and baffled this wasn't caught, but I'm still interested enough in checking it out that I'll keep my preorder. If we don't hear anything from them until launch I'll consider selling it, I don't need a third game system in my life that badly and that's not the treatment I expect from a company I'm giving $500+ to.

Can't wait to see people call others "entitled" for being upset with this.
 
The good thing for me personally is that my distance to the console will be pretty short, so that Jeff Gerstmann tweet about his experience assures me I most likely won't have an issue with it.

Still an incredibly shitty issue.
 
Watched this earlier, and am I the only one who thinks it's not gonna be a huge issue? No one is gonna hold/block the joycons like that and play like that.
 
Watched this earlier, and am I the only one who thinks it's not gonna be a huge issue? No one is gonna hold/block the joycons like that and play like that.

Eh, it's happening with the JoyCon Grip and when the JoyCons aren't covered up too. So the video only explains one of the problems.
 
If it's a hardware issue I would think that Nintendo will fix the problem then offer a free service where you can send your joycons in and they'll replace them with a pair that actually function.
And this would be the fall of the system honestly. So you pay$300 and can't play a single game till they send you a new pair
 
Because I couldn't let it go and since the suggestion was made a few pages back, I actually unplugged my router to see if those signals were indeed interfering with the joycons. At first everything was great even playing with the grip like I was playing before and the signal was crappy now my inputs seemed to be picked up no problem. I detached the joycon and tried a few of the taboo positions that seemed to disagree with the switch but found MOSTLY the same results. If there was an improvement it was most certainly minor and nothing worth rejoicing over. Although in this case I can rejoice that my router can be plugged back in again without me worrying about it fucking up the switch.

TL;DR there might have been a very small increase in signal from the joycon once the router was turned off but nothing too noticeable and certainly nothing to celebrate about

It just seems the closer you plan on being to this thing, the better experience you'll have.
 
Really wish Nintendo could release a statement before this really gets out of hand.

But that's not their style I guess. Sigh. Hope I'm wrong.
 
And this would be the fall of the system honestly. So you pay$300 and can't play a single game till they send you a new pair

Reminds me of the PS4 launch. Units had either bent HDMI prongs or failed to boot up entirely. The second scenario happened to me and I just had to return it as they were sold out everywhere.
 
I know very little about bluetooth technology, but is it possible that the joy-cons are switched to a lower frequency bluetooth mode when snapped onto the Switch unit to conserve battery life while in portable mode? So maybe when the joy-cons are removed, the joy-cons are remaining in the lower frequency bluetooth mode instead of switching to a higher frequency?

If such a situation is within the realm of possibility, maybe someone could try disconnecting the joy-cons while detached from the Switch unit and wirelessly reconnecting them to see if the lag goes away?

Does that make any sense?
 
I know very little about bluetooth technology, but is it possible that the joy-cons are switched to a lower frequency bluetooth mode when snapped onto the Switch unit to conserve battery life while in portable mode? So maybe when the joy-cons are removed, the joy-cons are remaining in the lower frequency bluetooth mode instead of switching to a higher frequency?

If such a situation is within the realm of possibility, maybe someone could try disconnecting the joy-cons while detached from the Switch unit and wirelessly reconnecting them to see if the lag goes away? Does that make any sense?

To my knowledge they're not using Bluetooth at all when connected as evidenced by the fact that turning on airplane mode will disable the joycon when not directly attached to the switch (though this can be changed in the settings)
 
Props to GameXplain for investigating so quickly. Possible their findings may or may not be the real issue but I'm impressed they did their own testing so promptly.

They earned a heap of respect with this. I usually skip video content, preferring to read everything in written form, and wrote them off in the past as a crew that mostly disassembled game trailers and took their sweet time about it. But this was prompt, succinct, and above all necessary.

I hope this is resolvable in software and Nintendo turns out a clear PR statement with all speed.
 
Hopefully those that get new controllers can get their shitty Grey ones changed for sweet sweet NEON ;)

Anyway it most likely will be patched
 
Boosting signal strength of bluetooth and wifi signals is something DEFINITELY possible with firmware updates.
But it will require more power, which will drain the batteries faster, I assume Nintendo set the signal strength at the current amplitude for that reason.

The Wii Motes do the same thing. If someone stand in front of them they don't work properly
That is infrared, which is line of site, different thing.

Innovation in controller design is part of Nintendo's plan to get you closer to the game.
Funny.
Watched this earlier, and am I the only one who thinks it's not gonna be a huge issue? No one is gonna hold/block the joycons like that and play like that.
It appears to be happening to preview reviewers during normal gameplay. It will be an issue if you have to think about how you are holding your controller the whole time.
 
Wow, thats really bad if so. I have to believe something else is the underlying cause here. How could this not be seen in testing?

Actually, I find this hard to believe. Lets take 1-2 Switch. You have games all about moving the joycon randomly. Theres no way a simple line of sight issue wouldnt be detected there.
 
And this would be the fall of the system honestly. So you pay$300 and can't play a single game till they send you a new pair

Which is exactly why I don't think it'll be a recall.

I think if anything it'll just be a replacement system. Register your console SN and get a new set of JoyCon.
 
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