Nintendo on Stick Drift: Switch 2 Joy-Cons are 'Redesigned and Have Improved Durability' - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 03 April 2025 / 5,126 Views
Nintendo speaking with VideoGamesChronicle was asked about the Joy-Con analog stick drift issue with the Switch 1 and stated the Joy-Cons on the Switch 2 have been improved.
"The control sticks for Joy-Con 2 controllers have been redesigned and have improved in areas such as durability," said Nintendo.
Nintendo Switch 2 hardware design lead Tetsuya Sasaki in a developer roundtable attended by Eurogamer was also asked about Joy-Con stick drift.
"As you may have witnessed and felt, the new Joy-Con 2 controllers for the Nintendo Switch 2 have really been designed from the ground up, from scratch, to have bigger movement and smoother movement," said Sasaki.
Nintendo yesterday announced the Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on Thursday, June 5 for $449.99 USD, while a Mario Kart World Bundle will also be available for $499.99 USD.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Bluesky.
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I would certainly hope that by 2025 they fixed the problem that should have been fixed by 2018.
Sounds like I'll be getting the Hori Split Pad Pro again for Switch 2, lol. I've virtually gone completely third-party when it comes to controllers this gen.
They better have improved durability! I had to send a couple of Joy-Cons for repairs because of the drifting issues.
Its pretty easy to repair them, but the fact that they only last a few months is... Unacceptable!
Yeah maybe, haha. My 2017 Switch Joycons only lasted a little over a year before I had to repair them, and then they lasted about another year after that. I’ve repaired the Joy-Cons for three out of four family members who own Switches. The OLED ones are the only ones still working.
I mostly play on the TV with my Pro Controller and Wii U controllers. (I modded my Switch just to use my 7 Wii U controllers, lol, not for piracy.) So, maybe my family and friends are doomed, or the Joycon sticks just have a bad design.
Mine seem fine still.... I think it varies with use and how careful you are around them.
Like some people might push harder on them than others and such. Probably also has to do with game choices. I bet a person that plays fighters, wears out a controller much faster than one, that mainly plays like slower paces rpgs :p
Absolutely! I really hope their joysticks are more durable this time!
Yeah! I don't want to talk about drifting again with Switch 2! Unless is for Mario Kart haha
You should never have to do that.
First off they never fixed the problem on Switch joycons, so sending it off for repairs is a temporary fix, the problem is just gonna come back on the new sticks.
All you need is some electronic cleaner (like this: https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05103-Electronic-Cleaner-11/dp/B000BXOGNI). Spray it under the stick flap and you'll be good for awhile. You have to keep doing it occasionally, since the problem is inherent with how the joycon sticks are made so eventually they start drifting again generally after a few dozen more hours of play, but that's no different than when you get it repaired, using the spray is just way cheaper and easier and quicker since you can do it yourself and be playing again just after waiting for it to dry for a little bit.
Thanks for the advice!
Damn that's not good. I was lucky to have never have that problem since launch day.
Hopefully that means it's fixed.
I’m still using my 2017 Joy Cons, and they don’t drift.
How?
Common sense and basic maintenance. A small spray of electronic contact cleaner, a few minutes of swirling fixes the issue when it arises.
Now I’m going to echo some George Carlin. And I mean this in the kindest way possible: if you’re still sitting here, 8 years later and whining about Joycon drift, incapable of learning these simple steps, then I’m afraid you’re probably stupid. Now ignorance is one thing, having Joy Con drift and never learning how to fix it. But I see names on this site who I have personally explained how to fix it to, and they failed to learn, or didn’t even try, and come back whining again in the next article/thread on the topic. If this is you, then you’ve crossed the line into stupidity. And if you’re still here, 8 years later, then you’re not just stupid, but maybe hopelessly, incurably stupid. But who knows, even HIV is curable with extreme treatments thanks to recent developments in medical science. But I sometimes feel like some people see these simple steps the way normal people see the complexity of a bone marrow transplant, and all the tools, sanitation, and steps involved to clear and replace the bone marrow with compatible bone marrow from an HIV immune individual.
But really! These steps are easy:
- Spray
- Swirl
-
Wait to dry
Fixed!
And this is repeatable (unlike, say, the N64 cleaning steps which really only work the one time) - I’ve probably done this about 5+ times or so over the past 8 years on my own controllers alone. And, aside from a finnicky R1 button, and some rail fixing, my joycons work today as well as they did 8 years ago. I find that the left is usually good for 18 months to 3 years, and maybe 3-4 years for the right joycon before cleaning needs to be repeated.
But if you want some more robust steps: - Bottle of electronic contact cleaner.
- Spray it in and around the joint at the base of the stick.
- Swirl in one direction about 90 seconds.
- Swirl in the other direction about 90 seconds.
- Let stand for 5 minutes (the stuff evaporates quickly).
-
Optional step for those whose controllers have not been cleaned when they should have been, and have been drifting for a while. If it’s not quite working, don’t worry, it’s already mostly clean, repeat steps and it should be working after. There is about a 25-30% chance it might start drifting again in a few days - repeat the steps, and it should be clear for a year or two.
Steps so simple that a minimally supervised 6 year old can do them - just so long as you tell them to do it outside (or in the shed), and to wash their hands after.
I had stick drift on my original joycons. I mostly use a Pro Controller. I've had the same Pro Controller for almost 7 years, and it's one of the best controllers I've ever owned.
I hope so but they look mostly the same. Definitely not something any of us should have to suffer through going forward
Some say they are not using hall effect sticks, while others are suggesting the opposite.
Its not Hall Effect based on the wording, as Hall Effect is a different tech, not a *redesign of the potentiometer.
Thanks goodness. It's crazy they never solved the problem on the Switch. Here's hoping they completely solved it with the Switch 2 controllers.
100% gonne have massive stick drift problems
They 100% dont care
You are actually hoping for that, so you can have another thing to go full attack mode on Switch 2.
Unfortunately for you, Nintendo isnt stupid to commite the same mistake
We shall see. I had 3x stick drifts problems with my 2 switches.
Soo noo shit sherlock i dont trust nintendo
