Some users who’ve had their Nintendo Switch consoles for a few months encountered an annoying problem: their Joy-Con controllers fail to lock properly. As a result, the Joy-Con often fall out even when little pressure is applied. This issue becomes even more problematic if your preferred mode is Mobile Mode.
Why do my Joy-Cons feel loose? According to users who pulled off the Joy-Con, there’s a little piece of plastic that acts as the lock that often gets loose on the backside in the rail. Due to repeated usage, the lock can chip away and no longer holds the controller in place.
The plastic latch that allows the Joy-Con to stay in place on the metal rail can also get damaged during a fall. From what users have heard, this is an intentional fail-safe design choice. Sony preferred to let the Joy-Con get damaged (which is cheaper) and protect the rail of the console from tearing off.
Keep in mind that a slight wiggle on your Joy-Con controllers is normal. But if the controllers fall out or affect your input, you should really do something about that issue.
We did some quick research work and we’ll list our findings on this matter in the guide below.
⇒ Important Note: Opening your Joy-Con may void the warranty so proceed at your own risk. If you don’t want to take on any risks and your device is still under warranty, submit a repair request to Nintendo. They’ll email you a shipping label that you can use to drop off the device. They’ll ship your controllers back once they’ve been fixed.
Troubleshooting Joy-Con Not Locking Issues
⇒ Disclaimer: The following ideas were gathered from the Nintendo Switch community. They are not in any way official guidelines from Nintendo. Some of these solutions may void your warranty.
Some users resorted to installing third-party metal locks to make sure their Joy-Con controllers stay in place. The main risk with this method is that it blocks the fail-safe design which means the console itself could get seriously damaged if you accidentally drop it.
Other users applied some electrical tape on the console rai in order to create friction between the controllers and the console. Sometimes, applying more than one layer of tape might be necessary.
We hope something helps.
References:
- NINTENDO SWITCH LEFT JOYCON WILL NOT LOCK IN, Nintendo Support.
- Permanent FIX for loose Joy-Con on the Nintendo Switch by replacing the Latch, YouTube tutorial.