Nintendo of America has recently shed some light on its plans for the next big thing in its console lineup, the Nintendo Switch 2. It seems that this new console won’t be using Hall effect sensors in the analog sticks of its Joy-Cons or Pro Controllers. Nate Bihldorff, who holds the position of Senior Vice President of Product Development & Publishing at Nintendo of America, shared this update with Nintendo Life. He emphasized that while the analog sticks aren’t employing Hall effect technology, durability has been front and center in their design process.
He said, “We’ve completely reimagined the Joy-Con 2 controllers. They’re not equipped with Hall effect sticks, but they provide a fantastic feel. With every new piece of hardware, our goal at Nintendo is to deliver the best possible experience for our users, whether it’s about the immediate interaction of the Joy-Cons with games or their long-term durability.”
For those who remember, the original Nintendo Switch had its fair share of stick drift issues. This would cause the analog sticks to register movements even when untouched, leading to a less than ideal gaming experience. The problem was widespread enough that it sparked multiple class-action lawsuits, prompting Nintendo to publicly apologize and offer free replacement programs for affected analog sticks.
So, what exactly makes Hall effect sticks different? They represent a more advanced way of tracking joystick movements compared to the older potentiometers. In traditional systems, the joystick’s wiper makes contact with pads, altering voltage to track position. Hall effect switches, on the other hand, use magnets for this purpose. While potentiometer-based sticks suffer wear over time, leading to drift, the magnetic method used in Hall effect technology is considered more reliable. Third-party controllers and even magnetic PC keyboards have embraced this tech, which makes Nintendo’s decision to avoid it rather puzzling.
Despite this choice, Bihldorff was quick to highlight that ensuring the durability of their new controllers was a major focus. This sentiment was echoed in a recent discussion where Switch 2’s product leads spoke about their engineering efforts. Kouichi Kawamoto, who leads the Switch 2 project, mentioned that at first glance, the Pro Controller might look quite similar to its predecessor, yet it’s been thoroughly redesigned from the ground up.
Tetsuya Sasaki, who leads the hardware division, spoke about Nintendo’s ambitious vision for its controllers. “There’s an ongoing project at Nintendo with the lofty aim of creating the ‘ultimate controller.’ While Sasaki didn’t specify if this goal has been achieved with the Switch 2, there’s definitely a sense of pride in the new ‘smooth-gliding switches’ they’ve developed.”
Now, we’ll have to wait and see if Nintendo has effectively tackled the early stick drift problem that plagued its predecessor. If history is any guide, the Joy-Cons might show signs of drift within their first year if the issue isn’t fully resolved with this new approach. Watch this space for further updates on the Switch 2, including exciting features like DLSS and ray tracing, covered extensively in our ongoing coverage.
