TL;DR
- A user teardown of the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy Cons revealed similar stick components.
- The Switch 1 Joy Cons have been plagued with drift problems for years.
- Other changes to the Joy Con design may prevent drift, but only time will tell.
Stick drift was one of the most notorious and persistent problems with the Nintendo Switch, and it’s looking like it might be an issue with the Switch 2 as well. A user teardown of the upgraded Switch 2 Joy Cons revealed troublingly similar hardware components.
In a series of images posted on Reddit, user and YouTuber moshi_yo disassembled their Switch 2 Joy Cons to find yet another ALPS potentiometer stick. They write: “I took one of the Joy-Con 2’s apart and the markings seem to point to them being Alps, and they look so similar to the original joy con sticks inside. Joy-Con drift lives on in the Switch 2 generation?”
Nintendo confirmed earlier this year that the new sticks would not be Hall Effect, but it also claimed that the new sticks were “larger and more durable” than their predecessors. At a hands-on event in April, a representative also stated that “the new Joy Con 2 controllers have been designed from the ground up.”
Switch 2 Joy Cons are more expensive and may still suffer from drift.
At first glance, it doesn’t look like much has changed when it comes to the stick itself. However, the secret sauce may lie in the rest of the Joy Con design. Based on early user reporting, the Joy Cons appear to be sturdier, with the L3 and R3 buttons more robust. There’s also a plastic ring around the base of the stick, which may help prevent debris from entering.
Regardless, only time will tell whether or not the new Joy Cons suffer the same fate as the OG Switch Joy Cons. All potentiometer sticks, including those used in PS5 and Xbox Core controllers, are susceptible to drift with prolonged use, so dedicated Switch 2 gamers might want to start saving up for replacements early. A single Joy Con will now run you $54, with a full set costing an eye-watering $94.
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