Nintendo has claimed Switch 2’s new Joy-Con analog sticks will be more durable than on Switch 1, when asked about potential stick drift issues.
Joy-Con drift has been a significant issue forNintendo Switchsince its launch in 2017, and despite revisions in the controllers’ internals, it’s a problem that reportedly persists.
‘Joy-Con drift’ is when a stick can register input when there is none. For example, a controller with Joy-Con drift could be left completely still, and yet the player’s character could be moving slowly in any direction.
Two significant lawsuits over Nintendo Switch Joy-Con driftwere dismissed in the US courts last year. A year earlier, following growing noise around the issue,Nintendoannouncedit would repair all Joy-Con controllers suffering from Joy-Con drift in the EEA and UK, even if they’re out of warranty.
As part of itsSwitch2 reveal this week, Nintendo announced Joy-Con 2, the larger controllers for its next-gen console which connect magnetically, and feature new, bigger sticks. However, there was no mention of if they’re drift-resistant, amidprevious hall effect stick rumors.
VGC asked Nintendo if it had taken measures to protect Switch 2 from Joy-Con drift, and a spokesperson replied: “The control sticks for joy-con 2 controllers have been redesigned and have improved in areas such as durability.”
Speaking during a developer roundtable event attended byEurogamer,Nintendo Switch 2hardware design lead Tetsuya Sasaki also responded to questions about how it had improved Joy-Cons following years of complaints about drifting, but did not say if it was fixed.
“As you may have witnessed and felt, the new Joy-Con 2 controllers for the Nintendo Switch 2 have really been designed from the ground up, from scratch, to have bigger movement and smoother movement,” Sasaki said, without going into further detail.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct took place on Wednesday, providing a wealth of information about the Switch 2 hardware and software. We’ve rounded up all the news you need to know aboutNintendo’s next system.
VGC played Nintendo Switch 2following theNintendo Direct, and you may read our full impressions via the link.
