Nintendo Switch Packaging

Friday was a big day for Nintendo, and indeed the gaming community as a whole, with the launch of the new and innovative console-tablet hybrid, the Nintendo Switch. For consumers lucky enough to get their hands on this new release over the weekend, tearing it apart is probably the very last thing on their minds. Here at TechInsights, however, we couldn’t wait to get started and take a look at what is bringing our heroes, Mario and Link, to life once again.

This unique combination of mobile play with big screen living room comfort in one integrated system gives us at least four different component parts to tear down and do what we do best. We were particularly eager to delve into the mystery of those Joy-Con controllers and see if we can provide some new insights. Be sure to read to through to the end to see what we discovered.

Docking Station

When the main mobile unit is placed into the docking station, the Switch morphs into its living room console counterpart, and brings your games to life on the big screen. This additional functionality is brought to you by a VIA Labs VL210-Q4 USB 3.0 hub controller, a STMicroelectronics 32P048 (likely MCU), a Macronix MX25V2006E 2 Mb serial Flash and a MX25L512E 512 Kb serial Flash, a MegaChips STDP2550 Mobility DisplayPort (MyDP) to HDMI converter, a Texas Instruments TLV62130ARGT (“VUNI” package markings) DC/DC converter, and an unknown M92T55 chip.

Joy-Con IR Camera Module

Also residing in the right Joy-Con is another feature, the motion IR camera. This camera is an infrared CMOS image sensor that is used to detect object shape and distance and, according to Ars Technica and Nintendo, will be able to record full video in the future. This camera sensor appears likely to be manufactured by OmniVision, and has a die size of 3.90 mm x 3.73 mm and a pixel pitch of 5 µm.

The mystery of the Joy-Con connectivity

Since the initial reviewer releases of the Nintendo Switch, there have been wide reports of intermittent connectivity challenges between the Joy-Con controller in handheld mode and the main console. Online videos show the player covering the controller with their other hand, or placing it behind their back, causing the controller signal to jump and sometimes disappear altogether. These problems were first noticed in reviewer units causing concern among consumers. While the issue is not consistently replicated in all units (or even with both controllers), they persist in newer consoles, even after installing a software update reported to solve the problem.

In this screen capture from the video linked above the player has moved his right hand to cover up the “inside” of the Joy-Con. On that inside surface, just under the plastic cover, is the antenna for the BCM20734 Bluetooth 4.1 SoC.

Is this syncing problem simply from covering the antenna or is there something more happening here?

On Nintendo’s support site they suggest interference from other BT transmitters may interfere with the Joy-Con signals, stating that “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. However, if you continue to experience this issue, please power these devices off while using the Nintendo Switch console.” Not only are reports of its efficacy mixed, this is really an impractical solution. How many game systems are in a room where there are other BT devices functioning? These days, probably all of them.

Unfortunately, we were too eager to begin our teardown to test our unit first, so we’re not sure if we got a good one or not, but it is possible that there is simply a bad design out there. In our right Joy-Con, pictured below, we see a pretty bare bones BT antenna design: a connector, a wire and a very small antenna. Perhaps the antenna is just too small.

Here in a cleaner image, the antenna connection of the right controller can be seen more clearly. The gold connector on the left leads to a rectangular piece of fiberglass, or FR4, with a metallic coating that is the actual antenna. This rectangular plate resides on the flat edge of the Joy-Con and is underneath that flat face plate.

According to recent reports, the left controller does not share this design and instead “the antenna in the left Joy-Con is soldered directly onto the motherboard, right next to a metal box.” In the side-by-side image below, it can be seen that there is indeed no antenna in this location in the left controller. This points to a possible explanation for the more frequent issues experienced with the left controller.

Nintendo has been slow to respond to these reports. Their answer, when we get one, will be telling. Will they issue another software update that will more reliably fix it? Or will consumers with “faulty” units be offered replacements or repairs, pointing to a design flaw? We will certainly be watching to see what they do next.