- Nintendo may be addressing the notorious Joy-Con drift issue by incorporating Hall Effect joysticks in its upcoming console.
- Joy-Con drift is primarily caused by the wear and tear of potentiometers, which measure joystick position through electrical resistance.
- Hall Effect joysticks use electromagnetism to gauge position. This design doesn’t wear out as easily since there’s no physical contact between moving parts.
Due to the infamous Joy-Con drift, the Nintendo Switch has brought us many hours of happiness but also, regrettably, many hours of frustration. Thankfully, with the release of Hall Effect joysticks, it appears that Nintendo may finally be saying goodbye to this annoying problem.
According to recently discovered patents, Nintendo may be preparing to address the Joy-Con drift problem head-on in the Nintendo Switch 2, the company’s upcoming console model. The Joy-Con analog stick’s revised design, which the patent proposes, may be Nintendo’s solution to the drift issue that has marred many players’ experiences.
For those who are not familiar with this issue, the potentiometer in the joystick wears out and causes the Joy-Con drift problem. These tiny gadgets measure the joystick’s location via electrical resistance. They start to give incorrect readings as they get old, which causes unwelcome drift.
Nevertheless, the Hall Effect joystick doesn’t rely on a potentiometer that can break down—rather, it runs on electricity. Although Hall Effect joysticks seem like something from a science fiction book, their foundations are in nineteenth-century physics.
These joysticks, which bear Edwin Herbert Hall’s name, measure position using electrical conductors and magnets. Best feature? The moving parts don’t physically touch one another, thus they don’t wear out as quickly.
Hall Effect joysticks are not as widespread as you might assume, despite being around for a long (thanks to Sega‘s Dreamcast in 1998). Potentiometers are more affordable, which is the primary explanation—after all, game firms prefer to save money. But things are starting to change as drift problems become more prevalent and longer-lasting controllers become more in demand.
Nintendo’s prospective shift towards a “drift-less future” is good news for players everywhere, not just for the massive Japanese video game company. Manufacturers need to know that, even while we enjoy a good challenge in our games, we don’t want that challenge to conflict with our hardware.
We’ll cross our fingers that all the speculations coming out of the Nintendo camp regarding the future Switch 2 turn out to be genuine as we wait for an official announcement from Nintendo.