Switch 2 Will Finally Fix Joy-Con Drift, Says Leaker

Summary

• According to leaker NextHandheld, the Switch 2 is making a concerted effort to address Joy-Con drift.
• The Switch 2 will reportedly use hall-effect joysticks, which have contactless tracking, ergo no friction causing the joysticks to wear down.
• This would make the joysticks far more durable, avoiding drift altogether.

According to Nintendo leaker NextHandheld, the Switch 2 will finally address the infamous Joy-Con drift problem after nearly a decade.

But before we get into the nitty-gritty, let's first unpack why Joy-Cons drift.

Why Do Joy-Cons Get Drift?

There are a few possible causes, like dust and debris getting caught under the rubber cap or even software issues. But more often than not, it's because of the potentiometers, which track the joystick's position through physical contact. Over time, this friction damages the potentiometers, thus causing drift.

How the Switch 2 is fixing the problem

The Switch 2 will reportedly use hall-effect joysticks instead, which track their position through contactless electromagnetics. They are far more durable as they don't rely on physical friction, meaning that they won't wear down as much over time and develop drift.

NextHandheld claims that they got this information from a teardown, meaning that the Switch 2 and its controllers were opened up so that their components could be examined more intimately. They've got a solid track record of Switch 2 leaks so far, so this is a promising detail.

If you want an idea of what this looks like, PlayStation did an official teardown of the PS5 four years ago.

If you still have an old pair of Joy-Cons lying around that miraculously haven't developed drift, they might be compatible with the Switch 2 out of the box. That's especially handy if you want to try out any new multiplayer games, like the untitled Mario Kart sequel, and don't have a second set of Joy-Cons lying around.

You won't be able to charge them via the Switch 2, since it doesn't have the same rail-latch system as the original console. Instead, the new Joy-Cons snap onto the side magnetically. However, if this leak turns out to be true, then you'll easily be able to save a few bucks by using your old kit instead of buying extra Switch 2 Joy-Cons.

Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 is the successor to Nintendo Switch, scheduled for release on June 5, 2025. Confirmed as backwards compatible, it will play both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games.