Nintendo’s magnetic joystick patent announced! Switch2 or use Hall rocker handle no longer drifts
According to foreign media reports, a series of patents filed by Nintendo in the United States were recently disclosed. One of the patents related to controller joysticks seems to imply that future Switch successor models will effectively alleviate the controller drift problem that players have been criticizing.
Its latest patent introduces a new rocker whose principle is very similar to the Hall effect rocker. It controls the device by sensing changes in the magnetic field around the rocker and converting it into a voltage signal.
The principle of the current Switch console rocker is that physical electrical contacts send signals through the circuit board. I don’t know if it is a problem with the manufacturing process. The switch rocker is easily worn, and the fine plastic particles after wear will fall on the circuit board. on, causing the controller drift problem that switch players often encounter. This is also the reason why using WD-40 can temporarily repair the drift of the switch rocker, because after spraying WD-40, the worn plastic particles can be temporarily removed.
If the magnetic field method is used, there is no physical contact, so in principle the problem of handle drift can be completely solved. At present, many high-end controllers use Hall rockers, and some third-party manufacturers of switch have introduced replacement rockers. However, judging from the current experience, the Hall joystick is relatively sensitive and suitable for FPS games. However, to play ordinary games, most players need to re-adapt to the feel operation, and even increase the operating threshold for some beginners.
