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Joysticks: Probably Still Drifty

Joy-Con joysticks use a potentiometer to read the voltage at a wiper that slides across a strip of resistive material. That material wears down over time, or plastic and dust can dirty the sensors.

Stick drift is a huge problem with other Switch models. One survey found that 40% of Switch owners had problems with their Joy-Cons drifting, and things didn’t get any better with the Lite or OLED editions. After a bunch of lawsuits, Nintendo’s president even admitted it and apologized, setting up a free repair program for customers in some parts of the world.

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[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 3 points 1 hour ago

Yeah, I'll just buy a 3rd party joycon if it's supposed to drift anyway, at least they last a bit longer and cost much less

[–] frenchfryenjoyer@lemmings.world 4 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

The more I learn about the Switch 2, the less I want to buy it. thanks Nintendo I'll wait until Ryujinx 2 comes out

[–] kepix@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

did the nintendo management change or something? did we get new laws about repairable devies standards?

so im just wondering what did you guys expect

[–] Asetru@feddit.org 1 points 2 hours ago

Anyone else getting a 404?

[–] Corn@lemmy.ml 14 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

450 USD and they won't spend an extra 40 cents on hall effect sticks?

[–] javiwhite@feddit.uk 17 points 7 hours ago

It's intentional. How else are they supposed to sell you a new set of joy cons every year?

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 6 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Everyone was telling me that this time they would have fixed it. Called it. I think I'm down to one joycon that doesn't drift :P

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

I've never had stick drift with PlayStation or Xboxes despite people telling me it's a problem. The switch though is awful for it.

I don't know what they do to make their analogue sticks so bad but they're definitely getting them from the world's cheapest supplier, apparently one that even Sony and Microsoft turned up their noses to.

[–] Omgpwnies@lemmy.world 1 points 4 minutes ago

PS/Xbox controllers have more internal space, so their joystick modules are much, much larger than what goes in the joycon. That means they can have more material in the potentiometers, meaning less susceptible to wear and dust/dirt intrusions.

PS Dualsense joystick

Switch Joycon joystick

[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 11 points 9 hours ago

Yet suckers keep buying that junk. Luckily I just hate Nintendo.

[–] chunes@lemmy.world 19 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

I will never, ever buy the switch 2 then.

My gamecube controller still doesn't drift. Nintendo can do better.

[–] missingno@fedia.io 12 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Your Gamecube controller also isn't Hall Effect.

[–] CallateCoyote@lemmy.world 8 points 11 hours ago

Yeah, I think we should wait and see how prevalent the drifting is this time around before freaking out. Of course it's going to happen to some people because every stick that uses this technology has some incidence of drifting, but that doesn't mean it's going to be as bad as last time. I have lots of these kinds of sticks on lots of gamepads over the years and only the joycons have ever drifted.

[–] eronth@lemmy.world 27 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Joysticks still drifting is an embarrassment.

[–] CitricBase@lemmy.world 14 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

It would be, if that were the case.

This article is not alledging a systematic pattern of stick drift in the Switch 2, like there was with the Switch. It isn't even saying that so much as a single case of stick drift has been found.

What it's saying is that the Switch 2 still uses potentiometers, a technology which can be susceptible to stick drift. You know, like every single other major console ever launched. So, as of now, we have no particular reason to believe that the Switch 2 will drift worse than the PS5 or any other system.

That said, all the major players are dragging their feet a bit longer on Hall effect sticks a little bit longer than is warranted, Nintendo included.

[–] Pazuzu@midwest.social 4 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

like every single other major console ever launched

dreamcast would like a word

[–] Link@rentadrunk.org 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

What do they use? Is it Hall effect sticks?

[–] Tikiporch@lemmy.world 7 points 7 hours ago

Dreamcast can't come to the phone right now, it's dead.

[–] CitricBase@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago

You're absolutely right! Dreamcast and Saturn make a very good point: The major players are dragging their feet way longer than is warranted.

[–] Lesrid@lemm.ee 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Nintendo doesn't want to use Hall for the same reason neither of the Steam Decks have, the increased power consumption. From there it was easy for them to justify a magnetic locking mechanism for the new joycons.

But also fuck Nintendo

[–] CitricBase@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Hi, are you able to share more about the power efficiencies of each type of sensor? Some cursory browsing of TI datasheets gives me the impression that both types use a similar amount of power. I may be missing some context, though.

I did also find this cool report there. Could be pertinent, although from what I understand of the technology I don't see why you couldn't use the same techniques to save power with a digipot.

[–] Lesrid@lemm.ee 1 points 2 hours ago

HE uses like 25% more power compared to the usual sensor. Meaning a huge decrease of about 2% in joycons battery life.

[–] Rooty@lemmy.world 11 points 13 hours ago

I've genuinely had more fun with an 80€ Anbernic loaded with old Gameboy games than any other modern console.

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 11 points 15 hours ago (4 children)

Honest question; was it not possible to mod the original JoyCons to add hall-effect joysticks?

Yes, end users should not be responsible for having to do this - but if a cottage industry exists to repair/upgrade drifting joycons that would be awesome to see.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 6 hours ago

The problem is that it requires disassembling the controller. Apparently that's a quite the pain for the switch 2

[–] barnaclebutt@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

Yeah, I did it. It was annoying. It seems it will be more annoying for the switch 2 (which I'm loving begrudgingly).

[–] Corn@lemmy.ml 3 points 8 hours ago

That exists, you can get switch form factor hall effect joysticks on aliexpress.

[–] SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 6 points 15 hours ago

Yes, it is possible

[–] LandedGentry@lemmy.zip 110 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (10 children)

Looking forward to the Nintendo fanboys telling me how this is actually good for switch 2 owners.

Seriously Nintendo is so fucking cheap and ridiculous sometimes. They’ve had almost a decade to solve this. Given what they charge this is inexcusable if it’s even half as bad as they’re speculating. Who knows what idiosyncrasies and breakdowns we’re going to see as people explore using the Joycon as a mouse as well

[–] sampao@lemmy.ml 41 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Why fix something that is making you even more money?!

[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 1 points 9 hours ago

But the invisible hand!

[–] Blooper@lemmynsfw.com 7 points 17 hours ago

Exactly this. Lots of companies have figured out that filling our landfills with cheap plastic crap is a lucrative business model. In this case, it's cheaply made and expensive to replace - making it hugely profitable. Shareholders would be furious if they were to fix this issue.

[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 22 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

I like how they raised the price on the controllers and only used magnets for a non-issue and not for the thing that is the problem.

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[–] absquatulate@lemmy.world 22 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Lack of innovation: checked. Locking users into their ecosystem: checked. Chasing only shareholder value : checked.

The only thing diferentianting them from Apple now is the pricing, which hasn't reached outrageous levels ( yet ).

I used to respect them for doing their own thing - sometimes winning, sometimes losing, but in the end still innovating. Apparently not the case anymore.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 18 points 17 hours ago

The only thing diferentianting them from Apple now is the pricing, which hasn't reached outrageous levels ( yet ).

Software is priced at Apple levels.

[–] RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 13 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (4 children)

Honestly, I don't mind if Nintendo didn't innovate. I have just wanted a "normal" console from them in a while like a return to their SNES/N64/GameCube days. When they still actually tried to remain competitive, and in the case of the SNES and N64, were technologically ahead of the competition. Sure there were some innovations, but in comparison to the Wii, Wii U, and Switch, their older consoles were more "normal" for their time.

Nowadays they just make underpowered hardware that only truly sells because its usually the cheapest console available and has the Nintendo logo on it. Except Switch 2, which started charging cutting edge tech prices for tech that was cutting edge like 10 years ago. All of the pricing of a better Switch without any of the real improvements except a newer processing unit and slightly bigger screen.

Give me a Switch without a screen. No battery. No detachable controllers. Just a brick that plugs into the wall and the TV, compatible with a Pro controller. Probably could even sell that at a reduced price too. Maybe even overclock it and give it a bigger cooling solution to get better performance. Maybe Nintendo's newer games can actually run at a stable 60 fps on their own hardware finally.

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[–] mintiefresh@piefed.ca 61 points 22 hours ago (5 children)

One thing I will always appreciate about the Steam Deck is how repairable it is. I think that's probably the feature I most desire in any device now going forward.

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[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 16 points 18 hours ago

Disappointing to say the least.

My wife loves the switch but has gone through 3 or 4 different sets of controllers. I tried my hand at repairing one of them and it was not fun -- to put it mildly -- and I do not savor repeating the experience. I honestly did not know there were hall effect replacements for the original joycon sticks, and wish I had known that when I replaced the one I did.

[–] kn0wmad1c@programming.dev 42 points 23 hours ago (3 children)

I don't care that people bought a Switch 2 if it makes them happy. For me, this was the first Nintendo console in a long time I had no interest in. There was no innovation here. It's just a minor upgrade in specs over the Switch with maybe better online?

Nothing about the Switch 2 is going to supplant my Steam Deck, so why waste the money?

[–] LettyWhiterock@lemmy.world 4 points 10 hours ago

That's kinda the thing, a lot of people were basically just wanting just another switch because they liked the switch's formfactor. It may not be innovative, but why innovate just for innovation's sake, y'know? It's a better switch, both in some improvements to the formfactor, and in the same way the Ps5 is just a better Playstation than the ps4.

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[–] RaptorBenn@lemmy.world -5 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

If its still there and its obviously a well known issue, they left they in there so you artards would have to give them more money for repairs 🤣🤣

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

They'll just get sued again if they try that.

[–] RaptorBenn@lemmy.world -1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

What do you mean try? It's done.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 3 hours ago

It's been out like a week I don't think there's been time for anyone to experience stick drift yet.

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