With the 10.1.0 firmware update for the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite systems that released yesterday, a change has been made to the Joy-Con controllers. As to what specifically was changed, so far it remains a mystery.
In the past, Nintendo has been seen pushing seemingly minuscule updates, as they don't appear to change much to the console and take very little time to download and install to the system. Often times, patch notes will state very little, keeping the specifics a secret. The same can be seen with the most recent 10.1.0 update.
All NintendoLife has to say on the update is that players should see stability improvements on the consoles. "General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience," is all that is stated in the update's description with no further details given. This same statement has been made in recent months with multiple other updates, including the 10.0.1 and 10.0.3 updates. With no context on what the small update is in response to, players are left to speculate on why such a patch has been quietly prompted.
Could this update be an attempt at enhancing the Joy-Cons' drift problem? Following the major 10.0.0 update earlier this year, many Switch owners were reporting even more problems with the Joy-Cons drifting and were attempting to figure out how to uninstall the update to no avail. It seemed to affect every owned controller for select players, with some even purchasing brand new controllers to resolve the issue, again, to no avail. But movement problems with the detachable controllers dates back to 2019.
Nintendo is still facing the class-action lawsuit that began last year in response to major issues with the Joy-Cons' movement. The fault occurs when one or both controllers detects movement from the thumbsticks when they actually remain untouched, causing in-game characters to make unwanted movements. And Nintendo has been reportedly unable to speak on the defect outside of an apology, but perhaps this quiet update to the Joy-Cons is an attempt to solve the problem.
Despite the major defect, Nintendo continues to see soaring sales for its console that released over three years ago. A disrupted supply chain combined with stay-at-home orders resulted in Switch consoles completely selling out. Following this, consumers saw marked-up prices from others selling their unwanted Switched. But thankfully, Nintendo responded by planning to increase production rates and meet consumer demands for the console.
The Nintendo Switch is available now.
Source: NintendoLife