- Nintendo has been fined roughly $40 million by French regulators for selling Joy‑Cons prone to drift.
The Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes (DGCCRF) announced the penalty after confirming that the controllers’ analog sticks degrade faster than advertised. The fine, issued this week, follows a year‑long investigation into the issue that has already sparked lawsuits and a class‑action settlement in the United States. Nintendo has not commented on the amount but said it will comply with the ruling.
The penalty matters because it signals that regulators are willing to hold manufacturers accountable for hardware reliability, not just software bugs. French consumers could see stricter warranty enforcement and potentially lower repair costs if the fine forces Nintendo to improve quality control or extend support.
In practice, the fine may nudge Nintendo to redesign the Joy‑Con sooner rather than later, echoing similar pressure from other markets.