What's wrong with my Nintendo Switch controller? Why is my character moving on their own?
The Switch is a great console, but it has one notorious flaw: the Joy-Con controller — particularly the one that snaps into the left side of the console — tends to develop an issue called "Stick drift".
Stick drift shows itself in a sometimes subtle (but always annoying) way: stuff will move when it shouldn't. Your character will consistently walk in one direction even when you're not pushing any buttons, or you might find yourself having a hard time navigating menus as the cursor jumps all around the screen.
The exact cause of Stick drift can be hard to pin down — maybe it's dust or grit that wiggled under the joystick, or maybe it's just a worn-out sensor. Whatever the cause, it makes games less fun.
Fortunately, Nintendo is very aware of this issue, and is — at least as of 2024 — very willing to fix it for free. Even if your Joy-Con is WELL outside of the standard warranty period, they'll generally cover the shipping costs both ways and have it back to you in about a week. One thing to know: you'll need to provide your own box and packing materials, and you'll need to print a few things (the shipping label and the packing slip that helps the repair center keep track of your order.).
You can even send multiple controllers at once! Nintendo asks that you send no more than four controllers per box due to laws around shipping devices with lithium batteries, but they don't seem to mind if you set up multiple repair requests simultaneously. It means being without a controller for a few days, but your Joy-Cons should come back good as new.