Nintendo Switch Lite teardown reveals modified joystick components
iFixit has taken a Nintendo Switch Lite apart and discovered the ways it differs from its non-Lite siblings. If you’re wondering whether the gaming giant made changes to prevent drifting, which is a persistent issue for Joy-Cons, the answer is: maybe. Nintendo definitely did something to its joysticks — some of their components are a different size from the original, and the part that controls the buttons is narrower. However, the black contact pads under their (slightly wider) metal sliders still look the same. One of the theories behind the infamous Joy-Con drift is that those contact pads wear down over time. As iFixit notes, though, it’s unclear if they’re now made of tougher materials.
The handheld might also have better speakers, according to iFixit, because they now drive sound downwards instead of through the display like the main Switch devices. To make the Lite as compact as possible, Nintendo had to fuse some components and make it less modular and easier to repair. Its Joy-Cons are also firmly attached to its body — you can’t slide them out in hopes of using them with your regular Switch.
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