Comment by loudmax
2 days ago
How do Switch users feel about the joycons?
I'm not a gamer, but the original Switch joycons always struck me as overly complicated and expensive. It should be cheaper to manufacture and sell Switches with the controllers attached. Indeed, this is what they did with the Switch Lite. For games that take advantage of joycon functionality, Nintendo could have sold something like an updated Switch version of the Wiimote as an optional accessory.
Do users who are happy with their Nintendo Switch have a favorable opinion of the joycons, or would you be happy without them?
The joy cons are fine, but I think them always being attached also removes the key benefit of the Switch. That was something that a lot of people talked about when the Switch Lite came out.
They could be better and given the limitations, I think they do the job. If you don't like them they offer the pro controller. But there have been times (especially when flying) that I have used them detached when not docked.
I honestly don't think the Switch would have succeeded the way it did if the controllers were always attached, forcing you to buy another controller for when you wanted to dock.
They are fine but they break very easily; after a while they start to "drift" and the games become unplayable.
I needed to repair one pair last year because the drift was unbearable; the repair costs almost as much as a new one. (And one started drifting again.)
I am not a heavy player at all and I got the drift.
I wish you could just turn off the sticks in the system software — it's a trivial fix that would make the problem a whole lot more bearable.
They have quality issues with stick drift, and the "single joycon as controller" setup is clearly designed for child-sized hands, but it's definitely an advantage to be able to play the system handheld but also have minimal extra to pack (just the rails widget) if I want to put it on a train table on the kickstand and the use the controllers more ergonomically.
And I mean, if you have kids, being able to double your controllers when they have friends around is also helpful to avoid arguments.
I was traveling through Asia with the original Switch and got a cute girl who didn't speak English to play Mario Kart with me on the ferry.
The detachable controllers were pretty magical, modulo the reliability problems.
I love that the controls are split between two hands. It makes certain types of lounging gameplay (e.g. one hand behind head) possible that aren't with single controllers.
I'm generally in favour of the joycons as a concept. They make multiplayer party games a breeze.
But the execution in the Switch 1 is flawed. They're on the small side, and generally fiddly. If the joycons for the Switch 2 are larger and just more ergonomic then I think it'll be a win.
EDIT: the joycons also being little motion wands was also quite good. You don't need a separate accessory like on the other consoles. Overall the joycon is a neat little package of functionality, if imperfect.
I think they're fine when mounted, but I use a the pro controller. Using them individually when you have people over sucks, but it's a neat way to turn one controller into two, so I can't throw too much hate.
That's if we're ignoring the absurd drift their sticks have that Nintendo has seemingly never fixed. I hope to god they fixed them in this next gen console.
They're nicer for a quick game of Mario Party or other casual game because you can just tear them off the system and have two players, but I wouldn't want to play anything serious with them.
I barely use the joycons.
I mostly play with either a Switch Pro Controller or an 8BitDo (that is actually my favorite).
I have large hands and the joycons are a little uncomfortable for me. But it makes sense, they should feel great in the hands of a child.
Everyone I know with a Switch uses it primarily attached to their TV in the dock and only secondarily as a portable. A separate controller seems necessary for that.
I agree that they are/were far too expensive, especially given the drift problems. Other than that, they're a neat bit of tech and, with the included 'grip' controller, I found them totally suitable for the first 6 months or so. After that, I got the Pro controller and never looked back. Last year, I picked up a CRKD Nitro and that is a massive upgrade on the Joy-Con.
They’re my favorite controller out of the ones in the market right now. I really enjoy being able to have one controller in each hand.
As others have said, their primary issue is with quality control around stick drift.
I love the Lite but it was kneecapped by not having video output.
I don't like them. They're too small to be comfortable for use on their own, and all they really enable is motion controls (meh). The pro controller is far superior and is 90% of my switch controller usage.
There are plenty of alternative controller options for the Switch, it's not that much of an issue.
For portable play, yes, the stick drift issues suck, but Nintendo will fix it for you. And yeah, most portable systems today overall just have better analog sticks.
But if I'm at home I'm going to be using a Pro controller or an 8bitdo or something like that.