Nintendo dismisses Hall Effect Joy-Con rumor for Switch 2, calls them “smooth-gliding sticks” instead
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On the original Nintendo Switch, one annoying issue with the Joy-Con controllers was stick drift, and not much was done to fix it. So naturally, with the upcoming Switch 2 on the way, users were concerned about whether the handheld would use Hall Effect joysticks to mitigate this issue. Initially, based on reports from those with hands-on experience with the device, the Joy-Con drift problem was solved with Hall Effect sensors, but it turns out that's not the case.
After several days without a direct answer, Nintendo has finally confirmed that the Joy-Con 2’s joysticks will not use Hall Effect technology. This information comes from Nintendo Life’s interview with Nintendo of America’s Nate Bihldorff, who, when asked about Hall Effect sticks, confirmed their exclusion. Nate told Nintendo Life that “the Joy-Con 2's controllers have been designed from the ground up. They're not Hall Effect sticks, but they feel really good.”
Nintendo has yet to share more details
Nate also talked about the Switch 2 Pro Controller, but he didn't specify whether or not it would include Hall Effect sticks. Instead, he quickly deflected the topic, mentioning how the Switch 2 Pro Controller is “one of the quietest controllers I've ever played.” Producer Kouichi Kawamoto also touched on this supposed quietness of the Pro Controller in an Ask the Developer discussion, saying:
“In particular, the left and right control sticks are quieter and don't make noise, even when they're moved quickly to the edge. Also, they glide very smoothly, so we’ve taken to calling them ‘smooth-gliding sticks'”
Kouichi Kawamoto
Kawamoto also mentioned that the company “redesigned everything from scratch for Joy-Con 2,” adding that “Compared to the Joy-Con controllers for Switch, the control sticks are larger and more durable, with smoother movement. We've also made Joy-Con 2 bigger to match the larger console.”
That said, we still don't know much about the technology being used. If anti-drift Hall Effect sensors aren't included, then what technology is in use? Perhaps Nintendo has achieved its long-term goal of creating the “pinnacle of all controllers” with the Switch 2's Pro Controller, possibly by adopting tunneling magnetoresistance joystick technology to solve joystick drift once and for all. Or, maybe the console is still using the same potentiometer-based joysticks as the original Switch.
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