Nintendo VP Confirms Switch 2 Joy-Cons Will Not Include Hall Effect Sticks

Nintendo of America has officially announced that the eagerly awaited Nintendo Switch 2 will not incorporate Hall effect sensors in the analog sticks of its Joy-Con and Pro Controllers. This bit of news was confirmed by Nate Bihldorff, who serves as the Senior Vice President of Product Development & Publishing at Nintendo of America. He shared these insights in a conversation with Nintendo Life, emphasizing that despite the absence of Hall Effect sensors, the new console’s analog sticks are crafted with longevity and reliability as top priorities.

Bihldorff explained, “We’ve reimagined the Joy-Con 2’s controllers entirely. Although they’re not utilizing Hall Effect technology, they offer a fantastic feel. With every new hardware release, Nintendo dedicates itself to providing the finest experience for our users, whether through the immediate impact of the Joy-Cons during gameplay, their interaction with the software, or ensuring their durability over time.”

The initial Nintendo Switch was fraught with issues concerning stick drift. This problem resulted in analog sticks registering slight movements even when untouched, disrupting gaming experiences for users. Such issues led to several class-action lawsuits, prompting apologies and free repair programs from both Nintendo’s global and American leaders.

Now, you might wonder how Hall Effect sticks compare. These devices use a contemporary approach to track joystick movements, relying on magnets instead of contact pads, unlike traditional potentiometers. Since analog sticks with potentiometers can degrade over time and contribute to stick drift, Hall Effect designs are often seen as more durable. They’re quite popular among third-party controllers, as well as on some magnetic PC keyboards, making Nintendo’s decision to bypass this technology somewhat puzzling.

Despite the choice not to include Hall Effect sensors, durability was a critical factor for Nintendo during the development of the new controllers. This focus was reiterated during a recent developer discussion led by Nintendo’s product team for Switch 2. Kouichi Kawamoto, the Switch 2 producer, mentioned that while the Pro Controller resembles its predecessor, it has been re-engineered from the ground up.

Tetsuya Sasaki, the hardware lead at Nintendo, further detailed the company’s long-term ambitions for controller innovation. “Nintendo has long envisioned creating the ultimate controller,” he shared. While he didn’t specify if this goal was achieved with the Switch 2, there’s certainly excitement within the engineering team regarding their “smooth-gliding switches.”

Ultimately, users will need to wait and see if these innovations effectively tackle stick drift problems notable in the original Joy-Cons, sometimes within just six months of use. If the issue lingers despite these changes, the gaming world might still experience stick drift incidents as the years roll by without Hall Effect technology. For more insights on Nintendo’s latest hardware, including details on its DLSS and ray tracing features, don’t miss our other updates on Switch 2.