Nintendo gives Switch Joy-Con wireless connectivity advice, warns of nearby fish tanks

Have you put your Nintendo Switch console near a fish tank? Do you have a microwave nearby? These could be causing your wireless Joy-Con controller connection problems, Nintendo has said.

The Nintendo Switch Support site now has a topic for Joy-Con connectivity issues. It's the first time Nintendo has given any indication there is an issue to address.

The topic covers problems with characters in games appearing to move on their own; Joy-Con controllers responding intermittently; and Joy-Con controllers losing connection.

Besides the obvious solutions - checking your system's firmware, checking your controllers' charge, checking you're not actually in the garden nowhere near your TV - Nintendo has some extra tips about where your Switch console should ideally be.

To minimise interference, Nintendo advises, place your Switch console out in the open (but maybe not outside in the rain). Don't put your Switch behind your TV or "near an aquarium", and don't put it in or under a metal object or near lots of wires.

Also, try to keep your Switch console three-to-four feet away from other wireless devices such as a laptop, tablet, headset, printer, microwave, speakers or smartphone. But, hang on, how will we use the Nintendo Switch smartphone app to manage our online gameplay experience and voice chat then - with very long arms?

"In most cases it will be enough to move these devices three-to-four feet away from the Nintendo Switch console and/or Joy-Con controllers," Nintendo said. "However, if you continue to experience this issue, please power these devices off while using the Nintendo Switch console."

Our Digital Foundry boffins ran their own tests on Nintendo Switch's wireless Joy-Con connectivity and discovered the left Joy-Con controller inexplicably weaker than the right.

Generally, the wireless Joy-Con signal struggled the further away from the Switch console we were, and the more objects it had to pass through, as all wireless signals do.

What was curious, though, was Oli Welsh's experience playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which he reviewed and loved. On a couple of occasions the left Joy-Con lost wireless connection from one metre away and with no obvious obstruction, although there could have been wireless interference in the room.

We've amassed all of our Nintendo Switch launch coverage in one handy place elsewhere on the site.

Will you support Eurogamer?

We want to make Eurogamer better, and that means better for our readers - not for algorithms. You can help! Become a supporter of Eurogamer and you can view the site completely ad-free, as well as gaining exclusive access to articles, podcasts and conversations that will bring you closer to the team, the stories, and the games we all love. Subscriptions start at £3.99 / $4.99 per month.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7psHRqJ6apZWne6%2Bx02iloqakmrulu4ygoK%2Bdo2LAuLXTnJ9mop%2BueqS7zWauoqqVobK0v4ycpqemlZjBqsLIrbBmmZSrtqSxjLCYq6ajYrynec2emKuaqWKzqr%2FHZquappuo