Switch 2 could make Joy-Con drift a thing of the past as Hall effect stick leaks gain credibility
Now that one Switch 2 leaker has been proved correct, their previous claims are being studied
Previous suggestions that the Switch 2 would feature Hall effect sticks have been given more credibility now that one insider’s previous leaks have been proven correct.
In late December, a mystery insider calling themselves NextHandheld posted a photo of what they claimed was the side of the Switch 2, then proceeded to give more information on the console on the NintendoSwitch 2 Reddit page.
At the time, the photo and subsequent information were met with some speculation – as was the case with numerous other self-proclaimed ‘leakers’, many of whom have now been confirmed to have been sharing faked photos of the console.
However, NextHandheld’s photo, along with other information – such as the analogue sticks having “a pop of colour” under them, an official announcement coming in January, a statement that the Joy-Cons are larger and a description of the Switch 2 logo – suggests that their information was accurate.
As such, users of the Reddit page (as spotted by TheGamer) are now listing NextHandheld’s other claims, the most notable being confirmation that Switch 2’s Joy-Cons will feature Hall effect sticks, something they said was shown during a behind closed doors teardown of the hardware.
🎄This holiday season, I couldn’t resist sharing this gift with you all. Some might call it an early reveal… but I call it the best-kept secret of the year. 👀🎁 pic.twitter.com/btAcUo9j0Q
— NextHandheld (@NextHandheld) December 25, 2024
Hall effect sticks (named after US physicist Edwin Hall) use magnets and electrical conductors to measure the position of the stick.
Unlike traditional joysticks – which use a physical connection with a potentiometer to measure the stick’s position – Hall effect sticks have no physical contact between the stick and the sensor.
Stick drift is caused by continuous stick movement leading to wear and tear on the potentiometer over time (which leads to inaccurate measurements), but because there’s no physical connection with Hall effect sticks, drift is essentially eliminated.
Further reading
Joy-Con drift has affected the Nintendo Switch since its launch in 2017, and despite revisions in the Joy-Con internals, it’s a problem that reportedly persists, even with newly issued Joy-Con controllers.
Nintendo announced in 2023 that it would repair all Joy-Con controllers suffering from Joy-Con drift in the EEA and UK, even if they’re out of warranty.
