Nintendo agrees to a €35M fine in France over Switch Joy-Con drift allegations, ending a years-long dispute over the controller defect and repairs.
is settling a long-running dispute in France over the original Switch’s notorious Joy-Con drift, agreeing to pay a €35 million fine to the country’s consumer protection agency, the DGCCRF.
The French watchdog accused Nintendo of misleading commercial practices and planned obsolescence. According to the investigation, Nintendo was aware of the widespread stick drift issue, where the controller’s analog sticks register phantom movements, as early as 2018.
However, the company failed to properly notify consumers until 2020. Because Nintendo remained quiet about the defect, many players simply bought replacement controllers instead of utilizing the company’s free repair program. Despite the €35 million payout, Nintendo is standing its ground. In a statement to Le Monde, the company denied intentionally misleading buyers, stating that the fine does not constitute an admission of guilt and reflects only the amicable resolution of legal proceedings.
Recent financial filings from the company show a matching ¥6.4 billion loss on litigation, effectively confirming the settlement on the balance sheet. Joy-Con drift was a defining, frustrating hardware flaw for the original Switch’s 155 million user base. Investigations by consumer groups previously attributed the drift to a fundamental design flaw, specifically rapid wear on the joystick slider’s plastic circuit boards.
While Nintendo quietly revised later Joy-Con models to mitigate the wear, it has historically avoided discussing the exact hardware changes. Fortunately for current players, the company seems to have learned from the hardware misstep. The Switch 2 has been on the market for a year now, and so far, there are no widespread reports of the© 2025 Gizmochina | All rights reserved | If you buy something via one of our affiliate links, Gizmochina may earn a commission.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Please follow us on Google to support us Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Breakdancing brings joy to Palestinian children in Gaza refugee campA group of children in the Gaza Strip find solace and catharsis in breakdancing, a rare moment of respite from the harsh realities of life in the region.
Read more »
Pope Leo XIV reveals which team he'll support at FIFA World Cup 2026Nintendo said Monday that it would pay a fine of €35mil (US$40mil/RM162mil) to settle a French claim over faulty controllers on its Switch consoles.
Read more »
Nintendo agrees to €35 million French fine over faulty Switch controllersThe American pope also showed his true team colours when asked about whether supports Real Madrid or the Barcelona football team.
Read more »
Nintendo shares slump as games pipeline disappoints marketKUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has ordered Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor to pay RM67.5mil to Lebanon-based jeweller Global Royalty Trading SAL, over 43 pieces of jewellery that were not returned to them.
Read more »