Nintendo accused of planned obsolescence of Joy-Cons. European Commission to take action following 25,000 complaints

More and more players are complaining about control issues in Switch games due to Joy-Cons breaking down too quickly. After a short period of time, the analog sticks begin to trigger erratically and drift.

A European Union consumer organization is accusing Nintendo of intentionally designing Joy-Cons (“planned obsolescence”) in such a way that they break after approximately two years of use. A complaint was filed with the European Commission on January 27, stating that Nintendo violates fair commercial practices and deliberately designs Joy-Cons to break quickly. The organization has received around 25,000 complaints from European gamers.

The European Commission has already provided preliminary commentary on the complaint:

“Premature obsolescence of products is an increasingly serious issue for all consumers. The Commission is determined to take action on these matters and empower consumers. We are preparing a new legislative initiative to provide consumers with more comprehensive information about the products they buy, their durability, and to better protect their rights.”

The issue of drifting Joy-Cons for the Switch has been widely discussed since 2019.