Even John Romero is worried about Joy-Con drift on Nintendo Switch 2, so here's hoping those "not Hall effect sticks" hold up better than the originals

a close up of the left switch 2 joy con stick
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Though it never approached the level of the Xbox 360's red ring of death, Joy-Con analog stick drift became a serious issue with the original Nintendo Sw♐itch, and doubly so witꦅh the Switch Lite, which has controllers baked right in.

Gradual wear would regularly lead the sensors on the analog sticks to misread inputs or, infamously, register movement all on their own. It's a nasty hardware fault that many players are hoping the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2 will a💟void, and we can officially add Doom Guy and Romero Games game director John Ro♛mero to that list of players.

Speaking with GamesRadar+ as part of a broader roundtable on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:devꦅeloper hopes and expectations for the Switch 2, Romero shaജred a simple wishlist for Nintendo's new consoleဣ.

"A stronger and more premium-feeling console with better analog sticks ཧwould be great, as Joy-Con drift is a known issue for some people," Romero said. "More RAM, faster CPU+GPU, and 1080p handheld would be nice."

The Switch 2 certainly has better components and processors, and we've got confirmation of 1080p output on its handheld LCD screen, but there are still a few big questions. Per our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2 hands-on preview, the console looks and feels more robust, but Joy-Con dur🌌ability isn't so𒊎 easily evaluated. We simply have to spend a lot more time with these things to see if they hold up.

an interactive switch 2 joy con in the game welcome tour

(Image credit: Nintendo)

What we do know is that the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Switch 2 Joy-Cons don't use Hall𝓡 effect stౠicks, which are markedly more resistant to wear and drift – if not functionally immune – due to their magnet-based design. Nintendo of America's SVP of product development and publishing, Nate Bihldorff, confirmed this just last month, pouring cold water on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:the hopes of many fans.

"They're not Hall Effect sticks, but they feel really good," he said of the new Joy-Cons. "Whether it's a new system or an accessory, [Nintendo is] designing from the ground up to b𝕴e the best possible experience for our consumers – whether it's the immediate effect of the Joy-Cons that you're playing, how they're interacting with the game, or durability. They take it and rebuild it🃏 so that we can give the best possible experience."

Hopes for more durable Joy-Con controllers have only gone up on the heels of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:price hikes in the US, putting a pair of Switch 2 controllers at an eye-watering $95 pre-tax. The system itself is still holding at $450 despite oဣngoing tariff chaos.

We also spoke to Romero Games studio director and CEO ♎Brenda Romero about her hopes and expectations for Nintendo's new console. She focused on the first-party lineup as a demonstration of what the ♛console can do, saying she's "looking forward to Nintendo’s launch slate of games almost as much as the console itself. Nintendo consistently sets a 'Game of the Year' bar with its launch titles, and I’m hoping Switch 2 is no exception," though "good luck with Blue Prince out there."

Romero Games lead producer Alex Mann, meanwhile, hoped the Switch 2 will advance the handheld gaming space: "With the likes of the Switch and the Steam Deck pushing the limits in terms of what’s possible on the go, it’s exciting to think how other areas of the in🐻dustry will innovate to cut the cable to the big home setups."

Nintendo is suing an accessory maker over "infringement, unfair competition, and false advertising" for releasing Switch 2 mock-ups weeks before reveal.

Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelౠanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

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