"The End of Joy-Con Drift"

[@TheAceWolfe01]

Minor correction.. Nintendo will replace them for free in some regions! In Denmark, the price for getting them replaced by Nintendo is 10% more than just buying new joycons, plus you have to pay for shipping the drifting joycons to them!

[@MultiEltro]

Another correction, some countries don't even have Nintendo support! So it's either 3rd party repair stores or we do the repair ourselves.

[@thomastiefel9075]

Is it available in Germany? Maybe you can ship there.

[@mr.noblemuffin6532]

The life of a nintendo fan is harsh

[@kainmexi8365]

i took mine in to nintendo repair on the website and they fixed mine within a week for free. its sad that you guys don't have that, really sad :(

[@Billy_Souls]

protip - don't live in shit countries

[@Meatwadk6]

Hall Effect sensors have existed in other applications for MANY decades. Keyboards had Hall effect switches in the 60s but were expensive. The automotive industry uses them for engine timing, abs systems, and fuel level sensors.

[@Brentastrophe]

So the solution to the problem was completely avoidable and Nintendo just went too cheap. Good to know

[@djkidna]

Isn't this the same tech that was used in the Dreamcast controller?

[@memediatek]

@@Brentastrophe most companies do, but Nintendo seemed to have gone extra cheap

[@RunicRasol]

@@djkidna Yep, and the Sega Saturn. It's why they make those claims about "no drift" with such confidence.

[@oienu]

​@@memediatek Actually no one first-party do use Hall joystick, they need sell you the overpriced control XD. Most time they get more revenue from accessories than the console itself.

[@stillblazinkush]

Pro tip if you have the option/desire: Replace the shell of limited edition joycons with generic ones before sending in for drift repair. Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk.

[@juanpecan7089]

smort.

[@PatPatych]

If you're going through all the trouble to reshell it, just buy a set of regular sticks for ten bucks and replace them yourself.

[@Kamui916]

​@@PatPatych You've never sent one in before have you??? You should try before saying anything to get firsthand experience on why you should change the shells

[@Papinak2]

​@@Kamui916 What they meant is, that it's easier to swap the stick yourself than swapping the case, as you don't have to do as much disassembly to get to the stick.

[@Kamui916]

@@Papinak2 I repeat, "You've never sent one in before have you??? You should try before saying anything to get firsthand experience on why you should change the shells."

[@ArcStriker]

Hall sensors have been used in high end flights sticks for years and I can confirm the sensors lose 0 sensitivity/drift. These have bearings and you are correct the mechanical's can wear over time, but not to the extend of friction based controllers.

[@thirtythreeeyes8624]

They have become the standard for good rc transmitters as well but, they are also supported by bearings so the real test of these will be if the joints begin to wear over time.

[@Graciashauf]

Um. PS1 controllers used that. Was awesome.

[@konga382]

Ask owners of the Saitek X52 how their hall effect sensors are faring. Talking in absolutes like this helps no one and only serves to mislead people. The fact is, deterioration of the sensors themselves is possible if the magnets get corroded or worn down somehow. If the sensor is well-made, it will last a very long time, but not all sensors are well-made as Saitek owners know all too well.

[@thirtythreeeyes8624]

@@konga382 It'll depend how well sealed they are and the quality of the magnet and hal sensor.

[@konga382]

@@thirtythreeeyes8624 Yeah, not saying that hall effect sensors aren't good or anything, but people act like it's not possible to make a bad one which has very much been proven by Saitek to not be the case. I think as Wulff tried to emphasize in this video, it's worth being skeptical of any company who treats hall effect as some kind of automatic panacea.

[@Calibretto9]

I got really nervous I was experiencing my first joy con drift issue recently. Realized my kids had just turned on the tilt-to-steer feature in Mario Kart. Whew!

[@uhhh_adam]

My stupid guy in Goldeneye started staring at the ceiling randomly

[@goldmemberpb]

Keep in mind that this version of the hall effect sticks have this odd clicking noise whenever you press up on the left joycon or down on the right joycon. There is also a small gap on the top and bottom of the left and right sticks respectively. If that doesn't bother you, then this should be good. I have been using mine after doing this replacement and so far so good. I know Wulff said not to do this as a preventative measure but that's pretty much why i did it. I have the Mario Odyssey red joycons and I barely used them outside of my minimum moon run of odyssey way back in 2017. They did not have any issue prior to this replacement. But now, i can actually use these without the fear of the drift at all. I think the benefit here outweigh the potential headache down the line and it kinda incentivized me to actually play the Switch in handheld mode which I rarely did.

[@nic6569]

that click is the magnets getting stuck, and its actually a problem (and a manufacturing defect). open the switch calibration menu, and very slowly move the stick in the clicking direction. at the moment of the click, the position of the courser will jump. this is really anoying in some games, as you cant use the stick at ~50% in that direction because it will constantly jump.

[@goldmemberpb]

@@nic6569 yeah, i just tried it and you are right. But you can kinda tilt the stick back and get that position back. But idk how much this issue will annoy me. Gonna be a case by case basis. I rarely use my joycons anyway. So, it should not be a massive issue.

[@dallaynavokan5513]

That's so weird because I haven't experienced it at all or, at the very least didn't notice. I wonder if a batch came out with problems? I mean, first production run so, it's possible that some of them didn't get put together right. Or, it's equally likely that i haven't noticed it yet because it's only been a week or so. Either way, I haven't heard any clicking or noticed any cursor jumps of any kind.

[@goldmemberpb]

@@dallaynavokan5513 it is a very audible click noise. As one of the comments pointed out, if you go to the calibration screen and very slowly move the sticks, as soon as you hear the click, the cursor jumps up suddenly. It would be more apparant in something like a fps or even the sneaking in pokemon swsh where you are holding the holding that stick direction.

[@Avm371998]

The gap is a major deal breaker tho, i mean sure you wont get joystick drift but if dust and debris get inside the joycon itself it might damage the internal components and that is way worse than having to change just the joystick

[@QUESO1011]

A major problem with the joycon repair program is that it doesn’t cover the switch lite outside of the warranty period at all. 2 switch lites, 2 failures, 2 times Nintendo said “oh well you’re on your own”. Going to be really reserved with future Nintendo purchase from now on

[@gixG17]

That was THE reason I was appalled when Nintendo announced the Switch Lite because drifting was already very prevalent at the time (I personally had 2 pairs that drifted by then) and I knew that a lot of people would suffer from what is essentially permanent drift.

[@ActionJaxonH]

I feel for you. Thankfully I've had my Lite 4 yrs and it still works like the day I bought it.

[@vanced1561]

You can change the joycon literally in 15 minutes on a switch lite, I have done it 3 times and it has been much easier than many think, you do not need great knowledge or too much care to do it

[@QUESO1011]

@@vanced1561 I can, and I’ve already done it on one of them. The point is Nintendo needs to own up to their design flaw and allow the switch lite to be in the same repair program as the switch controllers. There are a lot of people who aren’t brave enough to open up their systems, and they are now out of luck. This system is geared towards the casual market, so they need to take care of it as such as well.

[@vanced1561]

@@QUESO1011 I do not dispute your point, it should not be like this, Nintendo should take responsibility, but for people who have one, opening and repairing it for themselves is the only option, let them know that it is not so difficult.

[@pixywings]

Advice regarding opening joy-cons: Be extremely careful with the ribbon cables. You don't have to disconnect them. For me disconnecting them actually made things harder! I ripped the contact off of one while trying to reattach it and had to buy a replacement cable. So just do whatever makes it easier for you.

[@theodorethompson9032]

You almost need one of those microscopes for repairing electronics. I used my phone to zoom in for the ribbons. But joycon drift is easier to fix than Xbox controller drift

[@dioenkai]

you can replace sticks like i did, without unplugging anything, just open it and carefully move it to the side and its gonna open similarly to a book

[@Ephesians-yn8ux]

How does one replace without disconnecting ribbon cable?

[@pixywings]

@@Ephesians-yn8ux for a shell swap you don't have to disconnect the cables. If you're replacing a joystick, then obviously you do have to disconnect the cable to the joystick.

[@purpleguy3000]

Hall effect sensors really are a mircale if they're done right. Back at my old job we got an old Dreamcast in and I remember thinking how great the stick felt even though the controller had been through hell; especially so when compared with PS1 & 2 controllers. Assuming the mechanicals surrounding that sensor are solid, there's no reason a hall effect stick shouldn't just work effectively forever.

[@KarlRock]

I hope console manufacturers start putting these in all controllers!

[@hendystark8333]

you wish! lol

[@mariokarter13]

It's not the console manufacturer, it's the supplier. Most electronics "factories" are more like assembly plants. The parts are pre-made by an actual factory that specializes in components (RAM, CPUs, etc.) and just assembled.

[@arshadsiddiqui9071]

Console manufacturers: Nahi Chahiye Ji! Also Karl how are ya?

[@eeedawg1019]

That's kind of a weird take @@mariokarter13 the console manufacturer specifies parameters for which the "factories" must follow. MS Sony Nintendo etc specify to use hall sensors. It's not like they can use a potentiometer and just ignore the requirement for a hall sensor.

[@cheezyfriez12]

Pro Tip: While I wouldn't exactly reccomend it for your motorized screwdriver since it might interfere with the motor, you can actually just rub a magnet along your bits a couple times to magnetize them. Tried it with all of my precision bits and it's been a game changer.

[@SnakebitSTI]

You can also buy cheap "magnetizer/demagnetizer" devices at most hardware stores. They're just a couple permanent magnets in a plastic housing. The magnetizer side is just a magnet. The demagnetizer side has steps in the housing so you can run parts past the magnet at incrementally greater distances.

[@TheMattMercy]

@@SnakebitSTI You can also just use a 9v battery.

[@KramerJones]

Y’all are genius

[@Tilt_TM]

I highly doubt it would cause problems with that small a level of magnetism.

[@TheMattMercy]

@@KramerJones iirc I leaned that from Bill Nye

[@taggerung890]

I use hall-effect gimbals in RC applications (drones and planes). They last a very long time and are generally "smoother" than potentiometer based gimbals. They do in fact last a lot longer, almost infinite(speaking relatively and generally), because there's no physical contact with the sensor itself. as someone who's used hall effect gimbals in other applications i'm super excited to see them in joy cons!

[@w_callaghan8300]

i knew there would be at least few RC hobbyists in the comments when talking about hall effect gimbals

[@TheZoenGaming]

I had several PS2 and X360 controllers suffer drift very quickly, much faster than they should have. As it turns out, one of my friends would fidget with the thumbstick while watching TV, and the cat would find the controller and lay on them. I went through more than 5 PS2 controllers and 4 X360 controllers before I managed to catch on. These would have been a god send back in the day!

[@HKT-4300]

The Saturn actually already had a hall effect joystick in the 3D controller, Sega was REALLY ahead of their time!

[@Moshugaani]

A word of caution: The greatest hurdle with repairing the joy-con is that the ribbon cables are so fragile! I broke the cable that goes to the L and ZL buttons on a joy-con! So remember to disconnect that ribbon cable before trying to unscrew the stick component. Also the cable that goes to the SL and SR buttons come off too easily.

[@mr.stuffdoer8483]

First time I ever replaced a stick the spring for the trigger button fell out and I never got the button to work again, even putting the spring back in.

[@TakiUdon]

Gotta love hall sensor marketing. Like you said, having a hall sensor doesn't automatically make the controller better.

[@WulffDen]

Omg its the guy

[@Verchiel_]

It certainly adds a selling point of "you won't have to buy a new controller when your joysticks start drifting" Whether it's reliably true and whether it makes the controller in question good is product dependent, but it's sure as hell more promising than. Not having hall effect.

[@earles_0]

It has way less friction in joystick. Makes it a better experience.

[@IceBlueLugia]

Y’all are overthinking this a lot. “Never drift” and “10+ years of no drift” may as well be the same thing. Nobody is using a single controller that long. That’s why they can confidently say stuff like that

[@Enclave.]

I fixed my old joycons with these and they're working great. I am a firm believer that all 1st party controllers should be currently using hall effect joysticks, we shouldn't have to go 3rd party for thumb sticks. Right now hall effect sticks are the best option we have for longevity so it's what 1st party console makers should be using.

[@Zorconic]

idk if this helps, but in early 2022 i sent in 3 pairs of joycon for repair. 2 were from america and 1 pair was from japan (the neon green neon pink joycon). they told me the same thing over call that i might get back neon blue joy con, but when i got all 3 pairs back not even a week later, they completely replaced the two american pair, but not only did they replace the sticks and broken buttons, they cleaned and made the japan pair look almost brand new. idk if that speaks for everyone, but that's just my experience with sending in "special" joycon.

[@GyroCannon]

I've done 6 joycon shell replacements and 4 joycon stick replacements and I agree with Bob that it's not that hard to do a stick replacement, and ribbon cables are not worth the hassle of disconnecting unless absolutely necessary. Trying to reconnect them without proper tweezers (the plastic ones in the video are trash, btw, as they provide no grip whatsoever) is a painful lesson in patience.

[@no-man_baugh]

Looking forward to how these will end up in a couple months to a year, as that's where the real selling point is for these replacements: their longevity I don't doubt Gulikit to provide some quality components and providing them to other controller makers to implement like they did with 8bitdo, but I do doubt them making their own controllers and peripherals in-house; the reason why many report a slight bump in the analog stick on the king kong 2 is because of a bit of uncut sprue on the stick itself that catches on the inside of the controller, and let's not forget that they tried to get Bob to promote one of their third party docks in a convention

[@SyntheticSpy]

As someone who owns the king kong 2, it seems like they have improved on their production to resolve issues like that, and if I am not mistaken they might even replace the ones with issues (not 100% on that so take it with a grain of salt). I definitely think the controller is quality, and I now use it almost exclusively over any other first party controller I own.

[@podracer35]

The calibration on the Switch OS never really worked for me when it comes to fixing drift. Would be nice if it could recalibrate what "center" is when the stick isn't being touched.

[@PaulDaHeadBanger]

The problem with that is that if your controller is truly drifting that center when your not touching it is continuously moving.

[@totally_not_a_bot]

Add a small deadzone and boom, fixed. Anything under 10% is barely noticable, at least to me.

[@finadoggie]

@@totally_not_a_bot that won’t solve your issue if you have drift making it past 10%

[@totally_not_a_bot]

@@finadoggie Then set the deadzone higher. It isn't complicated.

[@SyntheticSpy]

@@totally_not_a_bot then you approach a useless stick

[@valshaped]

Regarding "joy-con drift", the issue, at least in my Joy-Con, is where the center of the stick wanders around over time. When you hold a direction it tends to work correctly, but when you snap to center from a certain angle, it fails to detect that the stick is centered (as opposed to the stick *failing* to center, which would be caused by fatigued springs.) Since the center position changes from moment to moment, calibration by definition *can't* fix it. I've got an OEM joy-con stick that won't even pass calibration, because the center changes dramatically when you flick left or right. Up until now, I've given up on trying to fix it, because I've been through multiple stick replacements.

[@bartz0rt928]

another thing you should probably try on drifting joycons: put a paper shim (or cardstock) in between the bottom of the stick and the joy-con housing. Sometimes, drift happens because you've been pushing the stick in too hard and the bottom has loosened a little so the pads don't contact properly, and this can fix it, at least for a while.

[@justshortz512]

Ye he tried it a year ago in a video

[@LastFootnote]

@@justshortz512 And did it work for him? It sure did for me.

[@newmemer8070]

I have tried it, worked for a week and ive been back to stick drift for a while, but i dont play anything serious on the switch, so it doesnt bother much

[@justshortz512]

@@LastFootnote yup it worked

[@JakeobE]

"con" is a really fitting word for console producing companies. They most likely won't switch to a more durable Hall Effect sensor, since having to buy a new $60-$70 controller every year is a never ending free source of income, on top of a subscription fee to play any game online.

[@mistaecco]

I think having these on the market is great, if only because it means there'll be more hall stick replacements on the market. I think the joy cons are a decent starting point, but I think it's far more important to get a drop-in solution for PS1/PS2 and GameCube controllers. Those controllers have often been around long enough that it's almost inevitable that they'll need new sticks, especially when buying a used one.

[@zacktheprogamer7999]

Ps1 and ps2 actually don't need replacements unless it's broken. The reason why is that the controller has a preset hardware system where it detects if a controller stick is pointed any direction. It AUTO CALIBRATE AT STARTUP. that's why when you push the stick in one direction and start the system up, it has an issue.

[@CellPhish]

Warning to the wise. If you use HallEffect joycons on something like the Ayn Odin you need to use magnets to calibrate or your magnetic L2 trigger will cause drive as the magnets interfere with each each other.

[@zadock6370]

one thing I did to to fix (or significantly lessen) joycon drift when it happens is to pound down the metal tabs of the joystick mechanism piece itself. the metal plate gets loose after awhile, so it would seem reasonable that tightening to tabs that secure the metal plate on would fix the problem. I did that and it seems to have worked so far. can't say for certain on whether or not it will stay that way for a while.

[@brunoob-1]

0:35 Yes nintendo does indeed have that feature but Reminder : It does require you to live in a "bigger" country/the more populated areas like US/UK or somewhere near there Meanwhile some people that Dont live there are... kinda hopeless on the "free" system

[@Level1Sword]

I believe "never drift" is possible. I've been playing games since before there were sticks on controllers, and with the exception of the N64 controller and Joy-con, I've never had drift in any controller. If this is the same tech found in the Dreamcast, we're in good hands.

[@RunicRasol]

@@LiteDrift Most likely the wiggle on the Dreamcast controller is because the spring that holds the stick in place is wearing out, or even broken. This means you wore out a literal piece of steel before the sensors.

[@Lee-fw5bd]

I've had plenty of controllers drift but those were mainly xbox controllers (granted, I mainly use xbox controllers) so it seems pretty luck based to me. "never" is a strong word to use but a joystick that outlives the lifespan of the system is definitely possible and probably the goal. After all, even someone who played Dreamcast it's entire lifespan and never changed controllers probably didn't use it very frequently after the Dreamcast era was over.

[@jimmyschwarz9075]

What i really dont like about the stock joycon analogs is that „Springy“ feeling while using them

[@nic6569]

some of the gulilit sticks have a defect where they audibly click wenn pressed in ine or two dirrctions. this happens because the magnets get stuck and is accompanied by a jump in the input, easily viewable in the switch calibration menu wenn slowly moving the stick in one direction and seeing the courser jump at some point.

[@leonardon.05]

Yeah, I experience that problem. I Don't know what to do...

[@PotatotheTroll]

@@leonardon.05 If you're within a return window and it's bothering you, returning it sounds like a good idea to me. I had to buy my monitor a second time after returning it to get a working unit, for instance, and now it's fine.

[@olivererlandsson30]

as someone who exclusively uses joy cons because I play on the go most of the time. Drift is my main worry though I have set some money away to make sure I can get spares when I need them, these seem pretty good for replacement though I haven't gotten drift yet after 3 months of exclusively using joy cons so I'm keeping my eye on these for a while. Thanks for covering them and letting me know these exist so I know what I should keep my eyes on if something were to happen.

[@nicktheweirdgamer]

My joy cons sticks can go through quite the wear when I practice speedrunning Breath of the Wild. They've both had drift (although only one bad enough to send off for repairs) and this is honestly a really tempting fix considering how much more resistant to wear those replacements should be.

[@Antidepressiva1980]

Go for it, you won't be disappointed.

[@LastFootnote]

I’d suggest trying the shim fix first.

[@bruhmandude555]

i love how the fact that the dramcast had this mechanism

[@R4bruh]

In the uk they charged me then they say that they don’t fix it for free and that its a “myth”

[@ltskai]

the US and Canada get the fix for free, no where else does. that’s why ‘Which?’ did a study and researched into it and made the formal complaint to Nintendo. if you look into their actual article about it, they explain what they want and expect Nintendo to do now.

[@ExperiencersInternational]

They do fix it for free, where did you go to? I think I've had 3 or 4 repairs so far.

[@ExperiencersInternational]

Like did you actually go through the support form on Nintendo UK or somewhere else

[@ltskai]

@@ExperiencersInternational nintendo uk. and i know im not the only one that has been charged for the fix. (this was about a month ago)

[@ExperiencersInternational]

@@ltskai I think I last repaired a stick back in September, but everything was free, the UPS delivery, repair, everything.

[@eeeeweeezeee]

My launch day gamecube sticks are quite dead by this point, can't even navigate the menu. I've got replacement parts on order, but eventually I'll have to go to third party controllers. Hall sticks are basically standard on FPV drone transmitters, with CNC'd metal gimbals being an increasingly common upgrade. Now that would be cool to game on.

[@Malisteen]

I've had so much drift, every stick on each of three pairs plus drift on post repair sticks both repaired by nintendo and ones i swapped out for new sticks myself, and now one of the double replaces sticks is starting to drift again. if these hall effect sticks work like they claim, they'd be a godsend for me.

[@drdca8263]

Oh hey, fancy seeing you here. (By which I mean: “I recognize your avatar + username from your liveblog”, and also, “Hello”)

[@Malisteen]

haa haa hooo, my liveblogging days, wow, that does take me back. What a small world. [ØųÖ] I still hang out over there - mostly under 'gamesception', what with the liveblog mostly retired. feel free to stop by & say hi some time.

[@jojotoro7201]

Thank you so much Tech Keanu

[@DracoSafarius]

Some older gen controllers used to use similar sensors, but they weren't entirely complete hall effects just one half and then sensors to detect changes rather than like a magnetic receiver. Didn't really have any problems with them as far as I'm aware, was just moved away to the potentiometer style switches for cheaper materials under the excuse (might have held water in the beginning, but not anymore) of magnets of any kind messing with wireless tech.

[@ImplyDoods]

not true dude the only controlelr that used this tech was the dreamcast and the saga saturn and they both used it completely a hybrid system doesnt make any sense since you only need 2 sensors one for both axis you dont need 4 lmao

[@DracoSafarius]

@@ImplyDoods Most models of the dualshock 3 controllers used the hybrid setup as well

[@revemb4653]

I still have working joysticks on my OG xbox controller from 15 years ago. And I know Ive been throwing that thing hard from those halo matches

[@TheAzureLance]

I like how no one is talking about how SEGA solved this 25 years ago with the Dreamcast controllers, they were doing the exact same thing for both, the stick and analog triggers. Both had magnets and sensors that would react to that. I miss SEGA making cool stuff. But yeah, credit to SEGA, they did it first. EDIT:: Just finished watching the video, lol i need to stop commenting before watching everything. I AM VERY HAPPY that you mentioned SEGA :)

[@Straviradius]

Heck, it wasn't just the Dreamcast, they did this with the analog stick for the 3D controller on the Saturn too.

[@floorgang420]

Both official controllers using hall effect are the Dreamcast and the Vita, both does not have vibration motor. I think that's why it can be used, motor are large magnet.

[@StiffAftermath]

Dreamcast has hall-sensing analog sticks. And that is 20 years old.

[@Chris.Batchelor]

Just managed to finally get (very mild) joycon drift on my day one Joycons. Although I’d chalk that up to hardly playing in handheld mode, and having a few pair of joycon that I swap around.

[@emit3338]

Sounds amazing for the switch lite tbh

[@HeartBrains]

Being Japanese, Nintendo must or should be ashamed with the quality of their products which usually synonym with excelllence. At least, Sony does better with their service regarding DS drift issue being more present even in developing countries.

[@IrnMaiden304]

Doesn't matter, people will continue to buy their products, and will only do something when the 💰 starts to slow down to a point that the loss is too great to write off ( Cost Of Business ).

[@patrickjclarke]

As someone who races drones, we've been using hall gimbals for years now and they are indeed a better technology than traditional potentiometers. They have faster response times, more precision, and almost indefinite lifetime...yes, it's true. They are more resistant to foreign objects like dust as well. The only potential downside is they could be affected by strong magnetic fields, so don't use them when you are getting an MRI. ;) They are even cheaper to produce, so I just don't understand why they haven't been the standard for all controllers. I put these in my joycon's and love them. They are a bit stiffer which I like, and they are a touch more sensitive, but I like that too. I love my Gulikit Zen Pro because I can also tweak dead zone and sensitivity, so I really hope they make a full joycon with those features (and maybe ones that are a touch more ergonomic. If you need a tutorial, Gulikit's YT page shows you step-by-step how to do the replacement.

[@carwynvan]

The next tech will probably be thumb sticks using optical sensors like in analogue keyboard switches. Heat/time can cause magnetism to degrade like in old guitar pickups so these hall sensors will eventually drift given the right conditions.

[@zora_tech]

These were my thoughts exactly

[@zora_tech]

@Milk I was not aware of that. That is actually pretty cool and kinda weird that some companies were using, potentially, better technology years back than what we are using now, if only executed correctly

[@carwynvan]

@Milk nothing lasts forever but optical I think would at least be the most resilient, especially with modern manufacturing

[@SnakebitSTI]

It's a problem of economics not technology. The N64 controller has optical encoders. The Dreamcast controller has magnetic sensors. "Contactless" sensors are not remotely new technologies, even in the video game space. However, no-touch sensors are more electrically complicated, weigh more, take up more space, and are more expensive to manufacture than resistive sensors. And so video game controllers are made nearly exclusively with resistive sensors. There is some cause for optimism though. While contactless sensors largely disappeared from flight sticks in the past, they seem to be making a comeback.

[@carwynvan]

@@SnakebitSTI it's probably going to be the enthusiasts driving forward the tech to be more compact and cheaper (definitely not the big companies that don't care if their stuff breaks so you have to buy more from them). But the hall sensor tech definitely seems to have shrunk down enough to fit and be viable

[@rolandk2403]

I bought some of these and the Steam Deck versions to thrown into my devices. Never had drift before on any of my joy cons but was looking for a simple project for a rainy day. I guess, according to Guli-kit, I'll never have drift now. I can't tell the difference which is probably the best compliment I could give. I put them in a brand new pair of white joy cons so I have an unused pair of original sticks now. I can always put those back if I have to.

[@gabrielnepo]

Man, I've had my first pair of joy-cons for more than 4 years before they started to drift and I used them a lot. After they started drifting, I got them replaced for free by Nintendo here in Brazil and the new ones are just as good as they could possibly be after almost a year, no drift at all. Still, I just got a retroflag controller with these hall effect sensors, but for the ergonomics it offers.

[@stretchstronggaming8087]

Just dropping in showing the utmost love n respect my boy Wolfy! Keep the videos coming brotha we appreciate this shhhhh 💪🏽👏🏽👍🏽✊🏽

[@Zx30]

New test to add with the OLED burn in. Get some kind of device that will move these joycons 24/7 and check back every few months to see if it ever degrades or drifts!

[@adriancarrillo2026]

i took apart the analog stick on my original launch day switch and i cleaned the contacts and they havent drifted since. Those joycons started drifting about 5 years ago and I got them working again about 6 months ago. I heard from an electronics repair guy that the reason its better to clean the contacts and go through the hassle is because replacing them with new ones from amazon will result in wear and eventually, dirty flakes of worn material on top of the contacts which are what causes drift. a pair of drifting joycons are already broken in so if you clean the contacts they wont wear again so easily or at least not for years to come. But I am glad that gulkit is looking to provide more premium alternatives to solve this issue. I recently bought the 8bitdo ultimate controller and the gulkit zen pro controller thats exclusive to target. both are great options that use gulkit's hall effect sensors but I personally feel that the 8bitdo ultimate has much better quality control on their products

[@zdspider6778]

So what you're saying is, clean it first, before spending $55 (+shipping?) on fancy parts. All right. It makes sense that metallic flakes will be in there, causing trouble. I'll give it a shot in the upcoming days, let you know if it worked or not.

[@trceb]

Awesome video. Above and beyond like always. I have had like 8 different pairs and have had drift in 7 of them. I am an exclusive handheld player with over 1500 hrs of BoI alone. It was funny because at one point I replaced the joycon sticks with a new pair that almost immediately started drifting. I am considering buying these guilkit brand but gotta say, the steam deck kinda came in and took care of all my Nintendo needs.

[@Xld3beats]

Typing this on a hall effect keyboard (Wooting 2 HE). The hall effect mechanism itself just doesn't wear out period, but any other moving part can. But the main failure point on input devices is the electrical contact (mech keyboards have little metal "leaves" that touch) where as the springs or plastic pieces can last a very long time when lubed well. Hall effect keyboards are tested to last about 10x longer than a mechanical keyboard. Safe to say you'll die long before these joysticks ever have problems, and when they do it will be the plastic itself.

[@pixywings]

I actually only experienced Joy-con drift with my very first set of Joy-cons that came with my original Switch. I am absolutely certain that it was my aggressive playing of Hollow Knight that did it. LOL I didn't want to go through the hassle of shipping them to Nintendo, so I first tried the trick with the piece of cardboard over the joystick. That seemed to work for a while, but eventually I had to replace the joysticks in both joy-cons. After replacing the joysticks, I have not had any problems. (Knock on wood) Let's hope it stays that way. My three other joy-con sets all work just fine. I guess if I do have another problem in the future I will try some GuliKit joysticks to fix it.

[@Ozzianman]

International shipping SUCKS. If I am gonna send to Nintendo they will most likely get me to ship through an international shipping company with a single office in the middle of nowhere where I have to contact them and go through a process to get them to send me shipping labels so I can send the Joycons to them through the local post office so they can ship it to Nintendo. Oh yeah, and delivery to my home is a pain because international shipping companies don't have pickup points where the package is stored safely and I don't trust having packages left in the mailbox or somewhere outside. Have had cases where they do not even message me before delivery. So nah, international shipping sucks. I would rather repair my controller. Less time and energy wasted, and I know what I am doing.

[@eloujtimereaver4504]

I really want the circle pad from the DS on my joycons.

[@Mikey___]

It might just be the end of drifting, but my set lost all movement on one axis after 2 days, so now my left joycon only registers up and down - had to switch back to the previous, non-hall effect stick

[@Famedawg]

That blue hard lighting….what a overlooked masterpiece.

[@el.xu4n]

0:35 only in Canada and the US Latin America is pretty much fucked. At least they didn't want to fix mine for drift.

[@gustavodefariaesouza]

in Brazil they do fix for free.

[@ExperiencersInternational]

They fix for free in the UK as well, there's a comment suggesting otherwise but I've done it for free for 3 or 4 times. I've only given Nintendo money for delivery for My Nintendo rewards through their site.

[@ExperiencersInternational]

@@gustavodefariaesouza I thought Switches were kinda uncommon in Latin America, and I think they're like $100 more expensive than other places

[@gustavodefariaesouza]

@@ExperiencersInternational Man, I don't know... I'm 33 years old and, in my social circle, few people play videogames at all, so it's hard to tell, BUT we have a bunch of youtubers here fully dedicated to talk about nintendo, so I guess it's not that bad? Also, about pricing, the Lite version is very much affordable. Definitely the cheapest option to play games such as Nier, PS5... 2 months ago, I bought the mario kart bundle for 2000 reais (400 dollars, roughfly) and it was an all time low

[@el.xu4n]

@@gustavodefariaesouza That's nice. I got blocked with every excuse possible for not fixing my joycons in Mexico. Glad at least Brazil has it good.

[@matecarto]

As an Argentinean, no Nintendo support here, we have way more "creative" fixes. I only had drift once, with my OG 2017 joycons, and I fixed it with a dose of WD40 right in the joystick, never had a problem since. Try it as a first option, most people fix it with this. But if Nintendo provides the service of a free fix, well, it's a no brainer

[@Klutchmos]

The End is nigh

[@kaine7672]

The Bill is Nye

[@cirlurbyrbos3865]

Lisa le painful moment

[@andregon4366]

If the thumbsticks will eventually degrade we don't know. Since there haven't been reports of thumbstick drift in Dreamcast controllers, which use the same technology. The Dreamcast is what? 25 years old? That seems a pretty solid lifespan. SEGA was truly ahead of its time. Only after a quarter century are companies catching up to it. 2:55 We're in GameCube 5, and the DC controllers still don't show signs of drifting.

[@Antidepressiva1980]

exactly

[@acalthu]

We've been using hall effect gimbals on our R/C transmitters for a few years now. It' shocking that Nintendo hasn't offered this upgrade already.

[@MinkSquared]

the main issue is/was, that sticks were made to degrade. its not like we didnt have a better option, the old atari sticks already had them. "planned obsolescence" i believe this is called?

[@dragoon1090]

I will definitely be buying these in the future. They seem like the better solution than the generic ones.

[@clark2109]

I have had to buy 4 playstation 5 controllers due to drift. First party companies have absolutely no incentive to fix drift. So I'll definitely try these out when things degrade next time. Hopefully they make PS5 ones soon.

[@Psmgamer]

PS4 controllers I had to replace like four times cause of the left analog stick. Ended up getting a third party one that's wired.

[@GabrielIgnacio]

I’d love hall-effect sticks on my regular Dualsense Controllers and Scuf Reflex, since I cycle between the regular for anything non-CoD and the Scuf for anything that would otherwise make me go with a claw grip. Not sure how it’ll be done with the Dualsense Edge considering those now have removable thumbsticks that can be easily swapped for like $20 a pop.

[@matejamicic3037]

@@Psmgamer WIRED CONTROLLERS IN 2023 💀💀💀 EVEN THE GAMECUBE HAD A WIRELESS CONTROLLER

[@Axtecrosu]

when steam said their thumb stick can't get drift but guli kit still giving you the anxiety that they will drift and need to be change

[@Gamigner]

Saul Goodman

[@atarit3]

dreamcast conroller got the hall sensor joystick from the 3D pad from the saturn! come on over you can try a few races with it on Daytona usa

[@netvisionz]

Joy in drift isn’t the only issue. The rails moving upwards is also an issue.

[@Goobyster]

and the sr/sl buttons and the lights and the shoulder buttons

[@gl1tch630]

Oh and the whole system is the issue too! Don’t forget about that😂

[@Hudtoons]

Can you do an update video in like a month then again in like 3 months to tell us how they’ve held up?

[@tales.sampaio]

Hey! Great video! Thanks a lot for all the information. Would you mind testing another thing? My concern with hall sensors and the joycons is when a huge vibration from the hd rumble happens. Does it disturb the sensors due to the elctromagnetic field generated by it?

[@crashbandicoot5636]

I don't know about this one... Especially the last take about the whole hall effect narrative or such. If you're looking forward to newer technology without glancing back at the previous stuff that actually worked, then the cycle of consumerism and e-waste will never go away. Not everyone has the financial capability to be buying "New Technology" when it becomes available in order to fix prior faults, and at the very least Gulikit has given us an option to fix said faults. You can always go for first party controllers if you really want to and have the money, but for the rest of us that are sick and tired of "New Technology" being crappier than older technology, well, we'd rather take our chances elsewhere.

[@Rexcelot]

just replaced my analog sticks with these a couple days ago and they feel identical to my stock nintendo analogs from the joy-con. Just don't forget when finishing your swap you need to re calibrate the sticks and they will center up back to normal, if you skip that step don't panic your analog sticks are not broken if you launch a game and theres still a drift, just apply the re calibration and everything will be good as new.

[@smurdd]

It's really embarrassing that sega did hall effect from the start with the saturn 3D controller.

[@schtormm]

Fun fact: Hall effect sticks have been an example used in Dutch high school final physics exams

[@HappyBlite]

Just FYI, I called out to my local (Netherlands) Facility to ask about the limited edition shell issue Chances are if you live in western Europe they will have an abundance of any shell that is or was on the market I sent my Mario red joy-cons out for repair and got them back no issue within a week

[@DaveAdams222]

We'll go back to those controllers from the 70s and 80s that used mercury to replicate the "analog" effect. Bam! I just solved world hunger. Pay me money!

[@MesonW]

Dreamcast had hall-effect sensors? I cracked open an imported Japanese DC controller I'd held onto for ages, bought as new, and straight out of the box the thumbstick didn't work. Was such a shame. Hall-effect not infallible it seems.

[@TheFloridaBikeVlogger]

that all white mac look with the apple is nice touch

[@snow3pea]

i play the switch in exclusively handheld mode, since i find that motion controls are less delayed. i have been noticing some odd behavior in my joy-cons, but it is not directly switch drift. i have had the pair for about 4 years, so i'm honestly surprised that they have not worn out yet. this could be a possible fix for my pair (or as a preventative measure for my acnh pair) so this video was a great help

[@slimydroid]

I tried the cardboard trick (worked for a month), and replaced it with cheap replacements (worked for a couple of months), now I have a pair of these to fit. One thing I did note was the same as you, they go out of stock really quickly. I'm also guessing once they've done the rounds on youtube (like this one) more people will know and they will get even more difficult to obtain. Still, I am hoping this will be the last time I tear down the joycons!

[@TheAmazingWolfie]

now we just need to bully Nintendo into including these instead of the regular joysticks, but we all know how good they are at listening to their fans

[@Nintenboy01]

These wouldn't work in a Switch Pro Controller right? Actually are those prone to drift at all?

[@hsrfshfhsfsfbh9897]

No they are different sticks and they can get drift

[@Nahueru]

It's nice seeing the Dreamcast's analog system comming back 25 years later

[@mythrillium2]

Okay now I need cnc'd Hall effect gimbals for my switch Hall effect gimbals are fantastic as is, but having used machined gimbals on an rc radio, it's a major improvement

[@Mindartcreativity]

bought a Switch in late 2018. First drift happened in 2021. And I played A LOT of Switch on the go. Bought new joycons together with the Pokemon DP remakes (November 2021). EXACTLY one year and one month later (December 2022). Between 2021 and 2022 I played 90% at home with the pro controller yet they started drifting again. This time I bought a screwdriver bit set and fixed the damn thing myself (the cardboard method).

[@lasz1979]

I fixed my OG Joycons 2 times, by the time the second fix rolled around the Split pad pro was released, never came back to joycons, if this new joysticks fix that I will dig up the joycons from the bottom of my drawer, hell I'll even replace the shells for those Famicom themed.

[@PastPresentFutureEndofTime]

Thanks for the video might have to do this if I decide to buy a switch had a lot of problems with the PS2 & PS3 controlles in the past via analog drift still waiting with about 7 games on the shelf to see what Nintendo makes next and if future devices will support switch cartridges or not.

[@atomixfang]

Its a shame they currently seem to have a fabrication issue with the fitting of the joy con. For some reason they are leaving a gap in the controller. Ill wait for them to fix that.

[@Kumimono]

One ponders, if DC Hall Effect sticks, have been durable? Not the same design, but, technology.

[@joes3461]

I replaced my original joycon analog sticks when they started drifting years ago with the cheap replacement ones one available off Amazon. I have the hall effect ones on my list to get at some point as I don't need them yet. I also replaced my shells with clear ones with a D pad on the left one instead of buttons and have been happy since and look cool too. Yes replacing them can be fiddly and take your time. I also watched spawn's video too.

[@gamersuniversity7836]

Hope they make replacement joysticks for the switch lite !!

[@danieljimenez1989]

The graphite is the resistor that makes the potentiometer. It's not just dust and pressure, but the actual electrical properties that are affected by the wear of the material.

[@sergiojimenez3415]

I fixed my major joycon drift with a small square of card stock behind the joy stick. It’s worked for over a year now with no issues.

[@Ciscokid_5446]

As a mechanic, hearing people say “new technology” when talking about Hall effect sensors is baffling. Hall effect sensors have been in cars for idek how long

[@JP-jc7tr]

magnets degrade over time, specially in hot conditions

[@Topheeeee]

Your camera sensor has a dead pixel by the way. It's visible right by the crease of your jumper sleeve on your left arm

[@jbridges10]

I just ordered a set. Can't wait to try them out.

[@Crusty783]

how are they

[@Phynellius]

Instead of the electrical contact porting wearing down the stick body itself will be the wear point, which should last substantially longer. The return to centre may get weaker with use though, the “spring” wears out