The Switch 2 has new Joy-Cons, and the same kind of sticks
Nintendo announced fully redesigned Joy-Cons for the Switch 2. Many people read that as a promise: finally no more stick drift. When iFixit took one apart, the core of the story was unchanged: the sticks still measure your thumb movement with potentiometers.
That does not mean every Switch 2 will drift. But it explains why we are already seeing them come in.
What a potentiometer does, and why it wears
A potentiometer is a resistive track with a contact sliding over it. The key word is sliding: two parts rub against each other thousands of times per session.
- The track wears where it is used most, and the reading starts to wander.
- Dirt gets in: dust, skin oil, debris from the track itself.
- The spring weakens: the stick no longer returns exactly to centre, and the console thinks you are still pushing.
On screen your character keeps walking or your aim slowly drifts. That is stick drift.
What Hall effect and TMR do
These technologies measure magnetically, without contact, so they do not wear in the same way. Third-party controllers with Hall effect have been around cheaply for years. Choosing potentiometers remains the manufacturer's choice: they are cheaper and smaller, which matters in a Joy-Con.
Calibrating is not enough
Calibration in the settings hides the offset for a while, but it does not repair the worn track. The drift comes back, often worse.
We replace the stick modules and clean the controller. More on our stick drift page.
Is your stick moving by itself?
We repair both sticks of a controller for 59 euros. Request a free shipping label.