Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con may have the same stick drift problem as original Switch

It's quite well known that one of the biggest problems Nintendo Switch users faced throughout the lengthy life of the console is the chance of Joy-Con controllers suffering from stick drift. Unfortunately, Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con's may suffer the same fate.

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For those who don't know, stick drift causes the system to register movement when no user is touching the stick. This hardware problem can occur in any analog stick and can be caused by multiple things: wear and tear on the contact pads, dust or debris within the stick housing influencing the internal sensors, or a simple design flaw. As for Joy-Con stick drift, the problem became so prominent among users it resulted in Nintendo facing lawsuits and issuing an announcement for free worldwide repairs to those affected users.

Hall Effect sticks are far less prone to stick drift, and now a new report by Nintendo Life can confirm the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con's won't be using Hall Effect sticks, which may come as a big disappointment to some, especially those that have been affected by stick drift issues with the original Nintendo Switch. The confirmation comes from an interview with Nintendo of America's Nate Bihldorff, who outright said the Joy-Con 2's controllers aren't using Hall Effect sticks, but have been designed from the ground up.

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Q: Let's jump off the sensitivity stuff then and talk about the stick of the Switch 2 Joy-Con because it feels so different to the original Switch's analog stick. So is it a Hall Effect stick? Were you inspired by the Hall Effect stick?

A: Well, the Joy-Con 2's controllers have been designed from the ground up. They're not Hall Effect sticks, but they feel really good. Did you experience both the Joy-Con and the Pro Controller?

While Hall Effect sticks aren't used for the Joy-Con 2, it doesn't mean these sticks are going to suffer from the same problems as the original Nintendo Switch Joy-Con's, as Nintendo has undoubtedly made progress in preventing stick drift on its own. However, it isn't reassuring to say the least, especially when a tested solution is available.

Q: Speaking of the sticks more, we know the original Nintendo Joy-Con had many issues with stick drift, and Nintendo's not alone in that. PlayStation has lots of issues with its DualSense controllers as well. Do you know if that's been taken into consideration with the new Joy-Con and Pro Controllers, and how that was handled to remedy that?

A: Really, every time we put out a new hardware, whether it's a new system or an accessory, [Nintendo is] designing from the ground up to be the best possible experience for our consumers, whether it's the immediate effect of the Joy-Cons that you're playing, how they're interacting with the game, or durability. They take it and rebuild it so that we can give the best possible experience.