New Pokemon Snap players are being sabotaged by Joy-Con drift

Brent Koepp
Sobble crying in New Pokemon Snap

New Pokemon Snap’s successful launch is being spoiled for some players who are now reporting that the game is being ruined by Joy-Con drift. The Nintendo Switch hardware problem is reportedly making it impossible to snap accurate photos.

After decades of waiting, fans of the 1999 Snap franchise were rewarded with the release of New Pokemon Snap in April 2021. The long-awaited sequel has been praised for its gorgeous graphics and stunning animations for the 214 ‘mon who inhabit the Lental region.

Despite its triumphant return, some players claim they are not able to enjoy the game due to a hardware glitch. According to fans, they can’t actually point their camera straight due to the notorious Joy-Con drift problem that has plagued the Nintendo Switch for years.

Frowning Eevee in New Pokemon Snap
Some New Pokemon Snap players are frustrated after having their game ruined by Joy-Con drift.

New Pokemon Snap ruined by Joy-Con drift

In 2019, many Switch owners began to complain that their controllers started to lag. Infamously called “Joy-Con drift,” the problem became so widespread that Nintendo’s own President, Shuntaro Furukawa, officially apologized to customers over the hardware defect.

Unfortunately, it now appears that the issue is impacting New Pokemon Snap players who picked up the photography title in April. Given that the issue causes the in-game controller to move on its own, it’s understandable why it would be a massive problem for a game relying on pointing the camera accurately.

While it’s true New Snap offers an incredible ‘Re-snap’ feature to let you completely re-adjust your photos until they are perfect, it doesn’t solve the issue of pictures sent in to Professor Mirror for grading. In fact, accurate photos play a big part in progressing the game’s story. You need high-quality shots to earn points, which in turn unlocks routes.

Bidoof in New Pokemon Snap
Some players’ New Pokemon Snap photos are off-center due to Joy-Con drift.

The issue quickly went viral online as a handful of players began to report not being able to complete the title due to the Switch controller failure. “My Joycon drift is officially completely destroying New Pokemon Snap for me” one fan tweeted.

Another user wrote, “So playing Pokemon Snap has got a bit more difficult…my Nintendo Switch has got the dreaded Joycon Drift.” One player even hilariously joked, “Pokemon Snap has a hard mode, its called Joy-Con drift.”

New Pokemon Snap players complain about Joy-Con drift

There are plenty more example of players sharing their frustrations over the hardware issue on social media. Even gaming outlets such as Polygon have suffered the infamous Joy-Con drift while playing the photography title.

While New Snap was applauded for its incredible game design and jaw-dropping depictions of Pokemon in their natural habitat, it’s unfortunate that some fans are not able to enjoy it given the controller bug that doesn’t seem to go away.