Summary
- The Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons will reportedly incorporate Hall effect analog sticks.
- This would make the controllers immune to stick drift, one of the most prevalent issues with the original Switch Joy-Cons.
- More details about the upcoming console will be revealed on April 2, which is when the first Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct is scheduled to take place.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons will feature Hall effect analog sticks, according to a recently established leaker. This claim suggests that the Switch 2 controllers will offer a massive improvement compared to their immediate predecessors.
Stick drift has long been established as one of the most annoying issues with Nintendo’s 2017 console. Its controllers were so prone to developing a tendency to register ghost movements that Switch Joy-Con drift resulted in multiple lawsuits, some more successful than others.
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Nintendo’s next console will look to resolve this issue by incorporating Hall effect sticks, according to Twitter and Reddit user NextHandled, who previously leaked early looks at both the Switch 2 and its dock in the run-up to the upcoming console’s official announcement. The same source has once again taken to Reddit in mid-January 2025 to reiterate the claim that the Switch successor will feature Hall effect analog sticks, citing unspecified teardowns. Such an inclusion would make the next generation of Joy-Cons effectively immune to drifting.
How Hall Effect Analog Sticks Work
The technology that will supposedly be utilized by the Switch 2 controllers revolves around a Hall effect sensor—a device that detects magnetic fields. This contraption is used to avoid having the central components of an analog stick in direct contact, and instead relies on magnets to detect positional changes while minimizing wear and tear. As such, Hall effect sticks tend to last for a long time, much longer than their more traditional counterparts.
Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons Were Rumored to Feature Hall Effect Sticks for a While Now
Although NextHandheld has maintained that the Switch 2 controllers will feature Hall effect sensors for weeks now, there have already been prior indications of that being the case. Back in September 2023, Nintendo secured a patent for what’s essentially a Hall effect analog stick configuration, prompting speculation that this technology will be commercialized in the company’s next console. In the past, gamepad manufacturers wanting to utilize this solution possibly had to pay royalties for every unit sold because Hall effect controllers were patented in the U.S. However, the most recent of these patents that Game Rant managed to identify has expired circa 2016, not counting Nintendo’s aforementioned IP.
The Japanese gaming giant should hence no longer face any legal barriers to commercializing Hall effect sensors in the near future. Whether the company actually decides to do so could be confirmed on April 2, which is when it scheduled a Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct that promises to reveal new details about the upcoming device. The console itself isn’t expected to hit the store shelves until June 2025 at the earliest.
Source: Google Patents
Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 is the successor to Nintendo Switch, scheduled for release in 2025. Confirmed as backwards compatible, it will play both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games. A full reveal is pencilled in for April 2, 2025.
- Brand
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Nintendo
- Original Release Date
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2025-00-00