Nintendo fined €35 million by France over Joy‑Con drift

France's consumer rights office has fined Nintendo €35 million (roughly $46 million) over defects in original Switch Joy‑Con controllers, a problem commonly known as stick drift. The detachable controllers often began to behave as if the stick were being pushed constantly in one direction, which made many games difficult to play.

Nintendo previously apologized for the issue and offered free repairs. The Consumer Affairs office said Nintendo "did not fairly inform consumers about the malfunctions affecting certain controllers." It alleged the company was aware of the defect but remained silent for years, only acknowledging the problem after European advocacy groups raised concerns and a class-action lawsuit was filed.

France

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