Microsoft is facing down the barrel of a class action lawsuit, which claimants have filed over a hardware defect in the Xbox Elite luxury line of controllers that allegedly causes joystick drift. This suit joins a similar lawsuit filed against Nintendo over Joy-Con drift, a widespread problem that's just as, if not more, notorious as the subject of these Xbox players' grievances.
The timing of this legal action probably couldn't be better for Microsoft, whose gaming division is revving up to unveil a long-awaited games showcase for this year's upcoming Xbox Series X on May 7. Coupled with the global pandemonium caused by the devastating COVID-19 virus, which has dominated gaming headlines with a constant stream of delays and tragic industry deaths, it's probable that mainstream coverage of this lawsuit will fly under the radar for now. Even a verdict in players' favors is still likely to spare the Xbox console line's image, as it isn't liable to come until well after the Xbox Series X's launch, an event that will leave many with little attention span for current-gen issues.
In an April 28 filing at a Washington US District Court obtained by VGC, Donald McFadden and fellow claimants allege that Microsoft is unduly burdening purchasers of Xbox Elite controllers. The document states that they and other players are "experiencing problems after their 90-day warranty expires are paying to repair" the drifting joystick issue, claiming it is "a known fault" at Microsoft. In a mechanical description that closely matches that of the well-known Nintendo Switch Joy-Con defect, the lawsuit details how McFadden and others have discovered the defect to be in a "design flaw" in the Xbox Elite controllers' potentiometer, which degrades from use and "scrapes resistive material off a curved track," causing "electrical contact without input from the user" that results in unwanted controller output.
Indignant players have long reported issues with the Xbox Elite controller line, with the most recent batch of community complaints arriving alongside the reportedly factory defective Xbox Elite Series 2. Of course, anyone who's experienced similar joystick drift with original Xbox One and Xbox One S gamepads would be quick to point out how those controllers have similar issues with their internal potentiometers. Considering the manufacturing similarities shared by all three major consoles and their first-party accessories, it's entirely possible that those parts are shared not only between Xbox's different controller lines, but perhaps even with Nintendo's drift-plagued Joy-Cons.
Although service has been temporarily interrupted by COVID-19-related difficulties, its own class action suit and constant pressure from angry players prompted Nintendo to begin repairing and replacing defective Joy-Cons free-of-charge last year, with or without a warranty. With longstanding community complaints having finally snowballed into a credible lawsuit against Microsoft, the company would be wise to get ahead of the curve by offering its own free services to affected players sooner rather than later.
Source: VGC