Why Nintendo Doesn’t Want You To Swap Your Joy-Con Shells

The Nintendo Switch‘s Joy-Cons have caused considerable trouble for owners of the console. At this point, it’s no secret that there exists a major defect in the design of the removable controllers. Nintendo Switch owners across the world have had to deal with countless instances of the Joy-Con’s analog sticks drifting, which causes inconsistencies between user input and the resulting actions on screen. The problem has gotten so bad, in fact, that Nintendo announced it will fix defective units for free, even if they are past the listed warranty date. Unfortunately, it seems that Nintendo has yet to fix the underlying problem though, as the issue is still occurring.

Another topic surrounding the console’s removable appendages, is that of their aesthetics. To boost sales, many producers of popular consumer electronics, especially video game consoles, will release limited or special edition versions of their products. These can come in the form of specially engraved, colored, or imprinted casings for the unit. Fervent fans of particular brands may find these special releases to be quite appealing. This leads to some fans owning multiple consoles or controllers, like the Nintendo Switch and its Joy-Cons.

Standard pairs of Joy-Cons are priced at $80, so purchasing them just because they have a new coat of paint might not be the most attractive proposition for consumers. Instead, some people have turned to swapping the shells of their already owned Joy-Cons in favor of ones that are sold by third party vendors. Generally speaking, this method is much cheaper and the choices are seemingly endless as there are even services that allow for completely customized Joy-Con shells. An industry in its own right, hardware customization has become a popular and cost-effective alternative to officially produced counterparts.

Why Nintendo’s Joy-Con Shells Are So Difficult To Swap

Once the new shells have been obtained, the process becomes bit more laborious when users have to swap them out. In order to do this, the Joy-Con needs to almost be completely disassembled. While Nintendo doesn’t have any proprietary screws holding the casing together, which would likely prevent many users from actually disassembling the unit, the screws and internal components are numerous and miniature. While some degree of precision is necessary to accomplish this, it’s nothing that can’t be done with just a little patience. It’s likely this process is so difficult because Nintendo doesn’t want people buying Joy-Con shells from third parties. Instead, the company likely wants its users buying first-party Joy-Cons.

This makes a lot of sense, from a business standpoint, since third party Joy-Cons take away from Nintendo’s own profits. Additionally, opening the shell will void the unit’s warranty and would make it ineligible for official repair from Nintendo should it experience issues, which is another way Nintendo discourages people from using third-party Joy-Cons. Because of this, some people may decide the risks of swapping Joy-Con shells outweighs the benefit of having them customized.

No matter what users decide, it’s pretty clear that Nintendo doesn’t want users to tamper with its Joy-Cons. So, for those people looking for new controller designs for their Nintendo Switch, it may just be easier (and safer) to purchase a set directly from Nintendo instead.

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