Nintendo Agrees to Offer Free Repairs of Irresponsive Nintendo Switch Controllers

The press release that Nintendo has agreed to offer free repair of unresponsive Nintendo Switch controllers was published on the official website of the European Commission (“Commission”) on April 4, 2023.

After receiving an alert from the European Consumer Organisation (“BEUC”) regarding a recurring technical problem with unresponsive controllers, the European Commission and EU consumer authorities contacted Nintendo to address the issue. As a result of this action, Nintendo has agreed to provide all consumers with the right to repair affected controllers of the “Nintendo Switch” gaming console free of charge, even beyond the legal guarantee.

This technical problem, known as the “Joy-Con drift”, affected both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite consoles, and resulted in nearly 25,000 consumer complaints to BEUC's member organizations by January 2021.

In response to such issues, the Commission proposed a new set of rules on the right to repair on 22nd March. This proposal aims to make it more cost-effective and easier for consumers to repair products rather than replace them. The new rules will ensure that more products can be repaired within the legal guarantee period, and provide consumers with easier and cheaper options to repair products that can be technically repaired (such as electronic displays) beyond the legal guarantee period or when the product is no longer functional due to wear and tear. The European Parliament and the Council need to adopt the Commission's proposal before it can become law.

The full text of the press release is available here.

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