Summary
Nintendo officials might be dancing around the question of whetherNintendo Switch 2Joy-Cons will be resistant to the stick drift issues that have plagued the original Switch since its launch. With just over two months to go before the release of theNintendo Switch 2, that lack of clarity is giving some players trepidation about picking up the new console.
There were plenty ofsurprises at the Switch 2 Directpresentation held on April 2. Along with revealing the console’s launch titles, new games coming down the pipeline, and the return of some old-school classics, the showcase also provided a lot of information on specific features of the Switch 2 hardware, including those linked to its controllers.
Although there are several excitingSwitch 2 Joy-Con featureson the way, one question on the minds of reporters at a developer round table discussion was whether the new Joy-Cons will be resistant to stick drift issues. According to multiple outlets that had representatives in attendance, includingEurogamer, hardware design lead Tetsuya Sasaki was asked about the potential for stick drift on the Switch 2, and his response did not directly answer the question, which many have found troubling. “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,” he is quoted as saying, leaving some with the perception that he had glossed over potential concerns about stick drift altogether.
Nintendo Developer Comment Raises Concerns About Switch 2 Stick Drift
Stick drift, an error that makes a controller read constant input from a control stick even when it is left in an idle position, isn’t a problem exclusive to Nintendo products, but the original Nintendo Switch has suffered its effects far greater than most other consoles. Astudy on Joy-Con stick driftfrom UK-based consumer group Which? in 2022 concluded that the Switch controllers' high rate of stick drift was attributed to a flaw in its design, especially in Joy-Cons intended to be held in the left hand. Problems with Joy-Cons also resulted in the filing of a pair of class-action lawsuits in 2019 and 2020, though both have since been dismissed.
Despite the concerns raised following Sasaki’s comment at the round table meeting, improvements to Joy-Cons sit among the most innovative reveals from the recent Nintendo Direct. Along with their larger size and previously announced magnetic connection to the main console unit, these includeSwitch 2 Joy-Con mouse features, which allow detached Joy-Cons to slide along surfaces and function similarly to a computer mouse. Some developers, like those behindCivilization 7, have been intrigued by this feature, as it could innovate the way some games that originated on PC can be ported to the Switch 2.
Nintendo Switch 2
The successor to 2017’s Nintendo Switch continues down the same path as its predecessor, providing a hybrid experience that supports both home and handheld gaming. Launching on Jul 14, 2025, with games like Mario Kart World, the basic Nintendo Switch 2 bundle comes with the console, Joy-Con 2, straps for the controller, a dock, an AC adapter, an HDMI cable, and a Joy-Con 2 grip.
