Possible Joy-Con Price Cut Coming?

Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons are incredibly expensive. The cost is especially high given their rate of drifting and natural wear and tear. It’s a great concept, snap the controller on and off a tablet with ease. Unfortunately, mechanical issues are making them a lot less durable than they should be. Even at half their price of $80 a pair, the drifting issue begs the question as to how much are these things even worth? Well, Japan is cutting its price, and we might see it happen in the West as well.

Japan’s price cut for Joy-Con controllers is coming later this year. Starting November 6th, the price of individual Joy-Con controllers will be reduced by 16.5%, from 4,480 yen ($43/£33) plus tax to 3,740 yen ($36/£27) plus tax. The dip is only $7 USD, but if we saw that here in the West, it’d mean that the $40 Joy-Cons would now be $33. That’s not a huge discount, but the psychology of marketing says it’s enough to make people consider buying one.

When retailers price things, they often aim for one of two things: a seemingly low price on paper and a profit in the books. That’s where we get the whole $19.99 phenomenon instead of a flat $20. Putting the Joy-Cons at $33 could really get people to think they’re not giving up that much for a new controller. If you only need one, then a single controller at that price is easier to swallow than $80 for a pair.

If this becomes real in the West, it could be a great way to push out controllers ahead of the holidays. The only problem: they’re still drifting. Nintendo doesn’t seem to want to fix this issue, so for now, we’re stuck hoping for the best with every new Joy-Con we buy.