On January 17, GuliKit, a game peripheral manufacturer, released information on the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con analog stick parts “Hall Joystick for Joy-Con”. This product is said to take measures against the so-called “drift problem” of Joy-Con.
The Hall Joystick is a replacement part for the analog stick on the Joy-Con. Please note that this is not an official Nintendo product. GuliKitOfficial siteAccording to the explanation, the cap part of the stick can be easily replaced, and a power saving design that is equivalent to half the power consumption of the genuine stick is adopted. A major feature is that it uses a Hall sensor (Hall element) to detect the player’s stick operation.
A hall sensor is an electronic component that measures the change in the magnetic field generated by stick operation with a built-in magnet. Joy-Con’s genuine analog stick has a mechanism to transmit operation information by contacting a conductive pad with a metal brush part inside. On the other hand, Hall sensors are said to be effective in preventing drift because they do not involve physical contact between parts. GuliKit also describes it as anti stick drift.
Joy-Con drift is a problem in which stick operations are performed without permission even though the analog stick is not touched. It’s not a problem unique to Joy-Con, but so far it has developed into a class action lawsuit against Nintendo, alleging that it is a product defect. In some lawsuits, the plaintiffs have pointed out that drift is caused by dust that has entered the interior of the parts and powder generated by abrasion that adheres to the above-mentioned brush parts (Related article）。
GuliKit said that staff members experienced drifting problems first hand, and that’s why they set out to develop an analog stick that could solve the problem. As a result of examining various types of sensors and considering product life, cost, mass production, etc., it seems that the Hall sensor is the best for the current technology. After that, he invested in the development of the original hall sensor equipped analog stick and acquired a patent. The company has so far released controllers for Nintendo Switch that use hall sensors and analog stick modules for Steam Deck.
In fact, in recent years, there has been a movement to introduce Hall sensors into analog sticks in various manufacturers. For example, 8BitDo and NYXI, which mainly develop controllers for Nintendo Switch, and the AYANEO series of portable PC game machines. Some product introductions claim that they “do not drift” or “hard to drift.” The Hall sensor itself is not a new technology, but with the Joy-Con drift problem attracting attention, it seems that companies have begun to appeal that they are taking measures by introducing Hall sensors.
As mentioned above, GuliKit’s “Hall Joystick for Joy-Con” is not a Nintendo-approved replacement part. If you have a problem with your Joy-Con analog sticks, it’s best to contact Nintendo Support for repairs. Please note that disassembling and repairing on your own will be your own responsibility, including the expiration of the warranty.
