Nintendo has an amazing track record when it comes to making durable hardware. Their systems and handhelds are very reliable. With the recent reports of the Switch Joy Cons malfunctioning I started to wonder if this is the most widespread hardware reliability issue they have faced. Of course the Joy Con drift is not a disastrous problem akin to the Xbox 360's RROD fiasco but it is still annoying.

The only other hardware issue I can remember Nintendo having was with the straps on the original Wii Remote. People would lose control of the remote and it would go flying all different directions. Nintendo eventually replaced the straps. I don't think that was quite as big an issue, and honestly that one screamed of user error.

I do not have a Switch yet. I will buy one of the revised editions this fall when they go on sale. Hopefully the revision and the Switch Lite do not have drifting problems.

Is this the most widespread Nintendo hardware issue or is it just more visible in the age of the internet when people can share their complaints?

N64 Analogue sticks were not really able to stand up to years of play.

The Wii really suffered badly with dual layer DVD's after the lens had aged quite a bit, which mostly came to light when the biggest dual layer game dropped that being Super Smash Brothers Brawl, there was a massive amount of Wii systems which needed to be returned to Nintendo for servicing to be able to play the game.
https://www.gamespot.com/forums/nintendo-fan-club-1000001/question-about-the-wii-and-its-recent-duallayer-di-26282381/

https://www.reddit.com/r/nintendo/comments/2b5ifl/my_wii_wont_read_duallayer_discs_whats_the_best/

That internal Memo from Nintendo anyway pretty much means at most you'll have to miss out on having your joycons for around 4 days while they get repaired, if missing the ability to play the console for 4 days was such a huge issue then this person probably wouldn't be 2 and a half years into the lifespan of it without buying the thing.

They might be. I hope Nintendo actually changes the analog sticks because the way things are now joycon drift seems inevitable for almost every pair.

Before a lot of the current forum dwellers were born... and the Internet didn't exist to bitch on... we had this!

The SNES had a very bad oxidation issues.

Wasn't there something about scratched screens and bad wifi for the controllers?

Can someone explain what joy con drift is so I know if I have the problem?

The 'dock scratches the screen' issue was massively overblown, and I believe the poor bluetooth of the left joycon has been fixed a while ago.

Drifting is a common issue of all 3D controllers ever since the 5th generation when Nintendo brought you an N64 controller, then the competitors were inspired(Sony and SEGA) & decided to make their own 3D controllers known as Dual Shock and Saturn 3D control pad, then, one day the complaints about drifting began, the complaint messages were mentioned on Video Game Magazines, internet fanbase forums and even voice call supports.

To be honest, it's extremely normal. It's just because the more you move the sticks hell out, the more gets more scratches inside the analogue sticks, the less the controlling.

In conclusion, revision Joy-Con won't be fixed, there will be the same problems like any other 3D controllers.