Nintendo VP confirms Switch 2 Joy-Cons won't feature Hall effect sticks

Switch 2 Joy-Cons in controller grip
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Nintendo of America has confirmed that the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 will not use Hall effect sensors in the analog sticks of its Joy-Cons or Pro Controllers. Nate Bihldorff, Senior Vice President of Product Development & Publishing at Nintendo of America, confirmed the news in an interview with Nintendo Life, where he posits that the new console's analog sticks have still been designed with durability in mind.

"The Joy-Con 2's controllers have been designed from the ground up. They're not Hall Effect sticks, but they feel really good," said Bihldorff. "Every time we put out a new hardware, [Nintendo is] designing from the ground up to be the best possible experience for our consumers, whether it's the immediate effect of the Joy-Cons that you're playing, how they're interacting with the game, or durability."

Sunny Grimm
Contributing Writer

Sunny Grimm is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has been building and breaking computers since 2017, serving as the resident youngster at Tom's. From APUs to RGB, Sunny has a handle on all the latest tech news.

  • bit_user
    Could it be using optical tracking? With optical mice now being so cheap it could be economically feasible. On a technical level, it seems like it'd be relatively straight-forward to transplant the same tech into a joystick, where you have a sensor looking up at the bottom of the stick, which has a segment of a sphere attached to it, with a pattern similar to what you see on trackballs.

    The biggest issue with the tech in trackballs is dirt accumulating in the sensor well. But, with a joystick, you could probably seal that part tightly enough that not much dirt can get in there.
    Reply
  • ekio
    At this price level, that's insulting the consumers.....
    Reply
  • Notton
    Hall effect joysticks don't even add to the cost of a controller, so this is doubly funny.
    Reply
  • CelicaGT
    bit_user said:
    Could it be using optical tracking? With optical mice now being so cheap it could be economically feasible. On a technical level, it seems like it'd be relatively straight-forward to transplant the same tech into a joystick, where you have a sensor looking up at the bottom of the stick, which has a segment of a sphere attached to it, with a pattern similar to what you see on trackballs.

    The biggest issue with the tech in trackballs is dirt accumulating in the sensor well. But, with a joystick, you could probably seal that part tightly enough that not much dirt can get in there.
    It's cruft from the carbon track itself that causes the issue, just like a crackling volume dial from back in the day. I fixed every single one of my drifting joycons with some alcohol applied into the mechanism through a syringe, no disassembly required. That's not to say this was not an issue, it was, and it was exacerbated by the very short throw that joycons have. The new ones should have been hall effect, and as far as I know (I could check on amazon but I won't) hall effect sticks can be transplanted in to the old joycons, just like for other platforms.
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    Honestly I hope they are using TMR (Tunneling Magnetoresistance) as its MUCH better than hall effect.

    much higher sensitivity detection & less power draw.
    Reply
  • ekio
    hotaru251 said:
    Honestly I hope they are using TMR (Tunneling Magnetoresistance) as its MUCH better than hall effect.

    much higher sensitivity detection & less power draw.

    It's nice to hope they went from the crappiest joystick to the best tech...
    If they went TMR, they would've bragged about it a while ago.
    Reply