Nintendo of America recently announced that the Nintendo Switch 2 will opt out of using Hall effect sensors in the analog sticks of its Joy-Con or Pro Controllers. Nate Bihldorff, serving as the Senior Vice President of Product Development & Publishing, divulged this information during a chat with Nintendo Life, explaining that while the new analog sticks don’t follow the Hall effect path, they’re crafted for robustness and a solid user experience.
“The Joy-Con 2 feels fantastic, even if it doesn’t use Hall Effect technology,” shared Bihldorff. “Every piece of hardware we release is built afresh to deliver the best performance, ensuring primary focus on things like the Joy-Cons’ immediate responsiveness, interaction with games, and long-lasting build.”
The old Nintendo Switch’s battle against stick drift was notorious, where users often observed their analog sticks moving erratically without any input, which led to several legal challenges against the company. In response, both Nintendo’s global and American heads apologized for the inconvenience and set up free repair schemes for affected users.
For those unfamiliar, “Hall effect” joystick movement detection is more advanced compared to conventional potentiometers. Whereas standard analog sticks rely on physical contact with pads to adjust voltage readings for movement detection, Hall effect designs employ magnets for the task. Potentiometer-based designs risk durability issues leading to drift, while Hall effect innovations prove more reliable, a fact many third-party manufacturers recognize. This makes Nintendo’s recent choice puzzling to some.
However, Bihldorff emphasized that Nintendo prioritized durability above all else while reengineering the Switch’s controllers—a sentiment echoed at a developer discussion led by key figures in Nintendo’s new console design. Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto remarked that while the Pro Controller may appear unchanged on the surface, it too was reimagined entirely.
Further insights came from Tetsuya Sasaki, Nintendo’s hardware expert, who detailed the company’s ambitious aim to craft the ultimate controller. Although Sasaki remained tight-lipped about achieving this goal with the new console, the focus on “smooth-gliding switches” suggests a significant point of pride for the team.
Ultimately, the true test of these design choices will emerge through user experiences over time. Given the previous controller’s tendency to exhibit drift-related issues within six months, it won’t be long before we see if Nintendo’s decisions paid off with the Switch 2. For more information on Nintendo’s foray into new tech like DLSS and ray tracing, keep an eye on our continued Switch 2 updates.
