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Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Issues And Other Tidbits Addressed On Support Site

Keep your Switch away from that aquarium.

13 Comments

With Switch now available, Nintendo's support site has been updated with an entire section devoted to the new console. This highlights various small things you might be interested to know about your new system, although the page on Joy-Con issues is perhaps the most important one.

Since it got into the hands of media members last week, there have been reports of Switch's Joy-Cons--particularly the left one--desyncing when not attached to the system. The arrival of the day-one system update seemed to resolve the problem for some, but not others.

If you find yourself experiencing these issues, Nintendo does recommend ensuring you download the latest system update, but it also has some other tips. These include placing the Switch in the open, bringing the Joy-Cons closer to it, and moving it away from things like other wireless devices and, strangely, aquariums. Should moving it away from problematic devices not solve the matter, Nintendo recommends turning them off, which obviously isn't ideal.

For its part, Nintendo still hasn't responded to requests for comment on the issues from GameSpot and other media outlets.

Elsewhere on the support site, Nintendo details some other things Switch owners may want to be aware of.

No Caption Provided

Save game data, while stored internally and unable to be moved to another Switch, is unaffected when deleting a game--you're free to do so without losing your progress. Additionally, you have two options when deleting a digital game: deleting and archiving. Deleting works as you'd expect, while Archiving also removes the game and frees up space, but it leaves behind an icon on your Home screen. That allows you to easily redownload it in the future.

On the subject of backwards compatibility, it won't come as any surprise to hear that you're unable to play old games or use non-Switch controllers. The phrasing of the FAQ answer about this does raise an eyebrow, however, as it suggests it's possible we could see support for older Nintendo system's controllers in the future. "The Nintendo Switch system is an all-new way to play, and will not include backwards compatibility with digital or physical games designed for other systems, and is not currently compatible with controllers designed for other systems."

Other noteworthy things:

  • If you enter the wrong birthdate and fail the age verification test on the eShop, you have to contact Nintendo support.
  • As previously reported, the microSD card slot is under the kickstand.
  • You can format a microSD card from the System area of the Settings menu.
  • A full list of supported microSD types and speeds is available here.

If you notice any interesting tips or facts in using your Switch, let us know in the comments below!

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

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Timetraveler_X

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Well got my Switch on Friday and can't really see any problems with the joycons, played Zelda (which is probably by far the best game ever created) all night on Friday with them in my couch and played 1-2 Switch (which is a lot better than expected) yesterday with some friends. The console, Joycons and all the games worked flawlessly.So my guess is news sites like this one are probably just trolling. But yeah if people have problems (which I don't) because they need to play 6 meters from the tv behind their refrigirator or something like that they can probably just use the pro controllers instead.

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z05m

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Edited By z05m

Switch Owner here and I must admit the left joycon losing connection intermittently is very frustrating. I have no aquariums and I sit from 8 feet from my console and TV. This is the only product I have that has this issue. Works perfectly when attached to the console(Played for a few hours) but disconnecting them is another thing. The Right joycon works flawlessly but the Left just stops working. I applied the day 1 patch and still have the issue.

I hope that Nintendo fixes this soon or else I'll be returning mine. I don't want to be forced to buy the Pro Controller because of this. How this escaped QA is beyond all comprehension, especially in 2017.

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Whisper1982

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@z05m: I hard the same probleme, i have contacted Nintendo support, need to ship left joy-con, they gave me 1-2 switch Download code , and a rebate of 50% for buying pro controler on Nintendo website.

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Alyzen

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Just a heads up to other owners: my left joycon after the update strangely wouldn't sync when it was actually mounted to the system. I was able to get it to work fine by removing the joycon from the system and using the sync button to wirelessly sync the joycon with the system. Then when I mounted the left joycon back on the unit it seemed to work fine and has been okay ever since. Hope this helps someone that has the same issue.

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Pliger

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Nothing strange about the aquariums thing, GS. The Joy-Con communicate with the Switch via radio waves. Water absorbs and thereby attenuates radio waves. Not to be an asshole, but it'd be nice if before you raise a stink about stuff, you actually educated yourself on it.

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Lach0121

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Edited By Lach0121

Bring a nice virtual console to the switch, and I will not worry about no backwards compatibility.

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H1GG1E

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Edited By H1GG1E

Waiting for mine's to arrive so I can see whether or not I'll have this issue as well. It will sit by my Xbox One and Ps4 so it's not like it will be under some crazy circumstances the other consoles couldn't handle.

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snugglebear

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Aw, man. People aren't N'Sync? If anyone's gonna complain It's Gonna Be Me. They can say Bye Bye Bye to my money, This I Promise You! It's Tearin Up My Heart. I'm Gone. Just kidding, I Want You Back.

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e3man01

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@snugglebear: A pun happy person after my own heart! Good Show!

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lebanese_boy

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@snugglebear: https://media.giphy.com/media/G8xwi3ghEd02c/giphy.gif

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SexPantherPanda

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Edited By SexPantherPanda

@snugglebear:

WTF...

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Tamreal7

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Edited By Tamreal7

@SexPantherPanda: snugglebear must be jammin out to NSYNC's No Stings Attached album...

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