Potential New Nintendo Joystick Design Could Solve Joy-Con Drift
gamerant.comA newly surfaced patent for a joystick design might finally resolve Joy-Con drift. The patent, which includes several drawings and an abstract description, sheds light on a revised Joy-Con thumbstick mechanism design that could spell the end of the controller issues Switch players have been suffering for years.
Joy-Con drift is an ongoing hardware issue that has plagued Nintendo's Switch console since its launch over six years ago. Joy-Con drift occurs when the analog control sticks move without player input, resulting in phantom inputs. These can occur when the thumbstick detects movement even when player isn't holding the controller. Dust accumulation beneath the joystick, possibly caused by a grinding action between components, is considered the most likely culprit, though simple wear and tear of contacts has also been blamed. One U.K. consumer group has pointed to a design flaw s the cause. To be clear, the Joy-Con controller is not the only gaming controller to have this issue, though it seems to be more prevalent in the Joy-Con.
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The patent was published on March 30, and was originally filed in September 2021, suggesting that this new joystick could be in an advanced stage of development. Referred to as «Directional Input Device and Controller» in the patent documentation, the device consists of two sliding parts and a par of curved sliding surfaces in addition to various other components. There is also a base and an input part (the thumbstick itself). The sliding mechanisms are intended to result in reduced friction between the components, thereby reducing the grinding between that can cause Joy-Con joystick drift.
Nintendo has made something of an effort to
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