Nintendo of America has revealed an interesting tidbit about their next-gen console, the Nintendo Switch 2. Contrary to what some might have speculated, the new Joy-Cons and Pro Controllers for this console will not be equipped with Hall effect sensors in their analog sticks. Nate Bihldorff, Nintendo of America’s Senior VP of Product Development & Publishing, spilled the beans during a chat with Nintendo Life. He assured fans that despite not using Hall effect tech, the design emphasizes durability.
“The Joy-Con 2’s controllers have been crafted anew from the ground up. We’re not using Hall Effect sticks, but they feel really good,” Bihldorff shared. “Every time we ship out new hardware, our goal at Nintendo is to enhance user experience, whether that’s through the immediate responsiveness of the Joy-Cons during gameplay or ensuring they last long.”
For those seasoned Switch owners, the term “stick drift” might trigger a few memories. This notorious issue, where analog sticks would move on their own, plagued the original Switch and led to a flurry of class-action lawsuits. Both Nintendo’s global and American presidents had to apologize, and they even rolled out free replacement services for affected analog sticks.
So, what are these mysterious “Hall effect” sticks? They’re a modern twist on joystick technology. Traditional potentiometers rely on physical contact pads to gauge movement, which tend to wear out over time. Hall effect sticks, on the other hand, use magnets, which makes drifting less of an issue. This is why it’s puzzling that Nintendo chose a different path, especially when this technology has gained traction in third-party controllers and some advanced PC keyboards.
Bihldorff emphasized that creating a durable replacement was Nintendo’s top priority. This was echoed in a recent developer chat with the leads behind the Switch 2. Kouichi Kawamoto, the Switch 2 producer, noted that while the new Pro Controller might look similar to the old one, it’s been overhauled completely.
Adding to this, Tetsuya Sasaki, who leads the hardware team, explained Nintendo’s ambitious plans for controllers. “We’re on a mission to craft the ultimate controller,” he said. While he stopped short of declaring victory with the Switch 2, Nintendo’s pride in their “smooth-gliding switches” is clear.
Ultimately, only time will reveal if Nintendo has finally cracked the code to prevent stick drift in the Switch 2. With previous Joy-Cons showing problems as early as six months, the gaming world will be watching closely to see if history repeats itself. Until then, stay tuned for more updates on Nintendo’s latest innovations, including exciting new features like DLSS and ray tracing.
