A better console in every measurable way, shipped with the same potentiometer-based thumbsticks that caused the original's drift problem. iFixit's teardown says it plainly, and drift reports have followed.
This entry is written from the 4 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
It depends on how you will use it. 68% would buy it again, which means roughly 32% would not. Drift is the recurring hardware complaint across generations.
The console is great and you are watching the left stick. Nintendo had the chance to end this complaint and chose not to.
Drift is the recurring hardware complaint across generations. Replacement Joy-Cons are an expensive consumable. A year-later roundup of common issues is already substantial.
Worth it for: Nintendo's exclusive games; Handheld and family play; Households upgrading from the original Switch. Think twice if: You expect controllers to last the console's life; Third-party multiplatform gaming; You were burned by drift before and will not accept the risk.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 9.0 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 9.1 / 10 |
| One month | 7.9 / 10 |
| Six months | 7.4 / 10 |
| One year | 7.2 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 7.2 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Teardown identifying the same stick design as the original.
Reporting on the thumbstick technology choice.
Roundup of the most-reported owner problems.
Reporting on early drift reports on the new console.