After opening over 1,000 Joy-Con 2 – technician reaches surprising conclusion

Gal Silver is the founder of GameTraderZero, a US-based online store specializing in custom gaming controllers and handhelds. According to Silver, he has already opened, repaired and modified more than 1,000 Joy-Con 2 controllers. He has now summarized his experiences in a guest article for Nintendo Life – and his findings are quite surprising.

The Joy-Con controllers of the original Nintendo Switch were plagued by so-called stick drift for years, causing the controller to register movement even when the sticks were not being touched. According to Silver's rough estimate, the new analog sticks are around 50% more durable on average than those of their predecessors. He also says that quality differences between individual units have become smaller. So far, Silver has not encountered a single stick that exhibited drift straight out of the box.

However, the problem has not been eliminated entirely. The Joy-Con 2 still uses mechanical analog sticks, which can wear out over time. But the analog sticks are not soldered directly to the circuit board and can instead be replaced as complete modules. Hall effect and TMR replacement sticks are already available for the Joy-Con 2, which are said to be less susceptible to traditional stick drift.

Less stick drift, but the right Joy-Con has problems

Instead, Silver says the most common recurring issue is brief connection dropouts with the right Joy-Con. Interestingly, Nintendo appears to have already made an improvement – albeit without publicly communicating the change. In newer units, the technician discovered an additional foam pad near the internal connector. His theory is that the inexpensive component is intended to stabilize the connection. However, Nintendo has not officially confirmed its purpose.

Users report mixed experiences

In a Reddit thread on the topic, users report mixed experiences. While many players say they have not encountered any problems so far, others report grinding sticks, unreliable shoulder buttons or loose connections. Nevertheless, the preliminary conclusion remains positive: Nintendo appears to have learned from the Joy-Con debacle. Whether the controllers will also hold up in the long term remains to be seen. Anyone who would like to share their own experiences with the Switch 2 Joy-Con is welcome to do so in the comments section below.