Could the Joy-Con Drift kill New Pokémon Snap?

At this point, almost everyone with a Nintendo Switch has heard about the Joy-Con drift issue and the negative effects it has on gameplay. There are very few Nintendo Switch games where the drifting problem doesn't hurt the gameplay. Games that require fast and precise movements have especially been suffering and now, New Pokémon Snap is falling victim to it too.

Nintendo is still dealing with several lawsuits over the issue. The lawsuits range from the United States to Europe and beyond. A recent one started in September 2020 where the French consumer organisation URC-Que Choisir is suing Nintendo for planned anti-consumer practices . The issue has been so widespread that in 2019, Nintendo quietly announced that their customer service needs to fix for free in the US even outside the warranty period.

Joy Con Drift, or drifting off to sleep.

What does this mean for Pokémon Snap?

The controller drifting issue is certainly annoying for those experiencing it. In New Pokémon Snap, it means that the camera can suddenly start drifting in a certain direction and if you're trying to take a picture then you'll end up photographing the sky or ground instead. The new game follows the same gameplay as the original where players go along a set path at a set speed. Missing a shot can be annoying but missing due to a controller fault is a completely different issue.

So far there's only been a handful of complaints online about the Joy-Con drifting problem with New Pokémon Snap. Most players experiencing it such as Nicole Carpenter from Polygon still enjoy the game and don't feel it's harming their experience too badly. One Reddit user was looking for alternative controller recommendations due to the problem while another commented they were getting a lot of sky shots due to the problem.

Many having a Wailord of a time...

For players not in the US, getting the Joy-Con drifting issue fixed is tricky. Nintendo may or may not be willing to fix the faulty controller which leaves few options. For those with a severe drifting issue and Nintendo won't fix it, then it might be best to buy a new Joy-Con or swap to using a Pro controller instead. Without an accurate controller, you can expect quite a few pictures of things you weren't trying to take pictures of.

Get snapping with a copy of New Pokémon Snap and a Switch to run it on.

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