Switch 2 Teardown: Still Glued, Still Soldered, Still Drifting

Looking forward to the Nintendo fanboys telling me how this is actually good for switch 2 owners.
Seriously Nintendo is so fucking cheap and ridiculous sometimes. They’ve had almost a decade to solve this. Given what they charge this is inexcusable if it’s even half as bad as they’re speculating. Who knows what idiosyncrasies and breakdowns we’re going to see as people explore using the Joycon as a mouse as well
- Why fix something that is making you even more money?!
  
  Exactly this. Lots of companies have figured out that filling our landfills with cheap plastic crap is a lucrative business model. In this case, it's cheaply made and expensive to replace - making it hugely profitable. Shareholders would be furious if they were to fix this issue.
  
  But the invisible hand!
- I like how they raised the price on the controllers and only used magnets for a non-issue and not for the thing that is the problem.
  
  Eh, those rails were a huge issue over time for people who primarily used their switches in handheld but did swap/remove joycons semi-regularly. My launch model (that I ended up giving to a friend's kid when I got my Steam Deck) would often need me to attach and detach the right joycon a few times to make it fully register that it was connected.
  But yeah. Tinfoil hat and all but a LOT of speculation is that the magnetic based connection is to prevent hall effect aftermarket sticks from working since those are also magnetic. TMR isn't impacted by that but the vast majority of folk would have never considered TMR for a gamepad until the past year or two.
- And the deluded fucks still charge more than US$250 for their half-a-console. It's got good processing power and stellar shell construction, but charging the same price Xbox and PlayStation do for their full entertainment consoles, for a handheld main with the same defect-prone joysticks, tiny battery, stickers for the Joy-Con socket decal, plastic screen and 1080p display? In 2025?
  
  I do appreciate how hard it is to make a powerful, lightweight, long-battery life handheld. But where they are cutting corners is the real issue to me. $450 isn't even that insane of a price, but at $450 I am right to expect the joysticks - the MAIN, CRITICAL input system - to last more than 6mo lol
- Tears of the Kingdom is one of the best games ever made, shame they keep it exclusive though.

One thing I will always appreciate about the Steam Deck is how repairable it is. I think that's probably the feature I most desire in any device now going forward.
- And, as luck would have it, the thing that breaks on mine is the track pad and I cant find a replacement.
  
  I just looked it up on ebay and found quite a few sellers that had touchpad replacements so I'm not sure what you're talking about...
  
  I thought ifixit was carrying everything?
- Yeah had to swap out a steam deck joystick and scooped one up from iFixit and it was wonderfully easy to swap. That being said, being able to switch them out on my dualsense edge without a screwdriver and just having a switch on the back of the controller is really neat. Definitely my favorite controller I've owned, I just wish more PC games supported the haptics.

I don't care that people bought a Switch 2 if it makes them happy. For me, this was the first Nintendo console in a long time I had no interest in. There was no innovation here. It's just a minor upgrade in specs over the Switch with maybe better online?
Nothing about the Switch 2 is going to supplant my Steam Deck, so why waste the money?
- That's kinda the thing, a lot of people were basically just wanting just another switch because they liked the switch's formfactor. It may not be innovative, but why innovate just for innovation's sake, y'know? It's a better switch, both in some improvements to the formfactor, and in the same way the Ps5 is just a better Playstation than the ps4.
- Switch 2 to me is something I'm okay with from the perspective of, I think these consoles need to update more often. Nintendo didn't have anything revolutionary to add this time around, but wanted to update the Switch because it had been 8 years. It's nearly 100% backwards compatible. This is a better choice than the WiiU which basically was Wii without the fun.
  I'm curious what Sony and Microsoft do because there isn't any new improved tech for those devices that would really drive a better experience for people. Microsoft seems to be toying with the Xbox isn't a single device it's an experience concept. Sony made the Pro and no one cared.
  
  Sony made the Pro and no one cared.
  A $700 console upgrade is niche, and they know that.

Joysticks still drifting is an embarrassment.
- It would be, if that were the case.
  This article is not alledging a systematic pattern of stick drift in the Switch 2, like there was with the Switch. It isn't even saying that so much as a single case of stick drift has been found.
  What it's saying is that the Switch 2 still uses potentiometers, a technology which can be susceptible to stick drift. You know, like every single other major console ever launched. So, as of now, we have no particular reason to believe that the Switch 2 will drift worse than the PS5 or any other system.
  That said, all the major players are dragging their feet a bit longer on Hall effect sticks a little bit longer than is warranted, Nintendo included.
  
  like every single other major console ever launched
  dreamcast would like a word
  
  Nintendo doesn't want to use Hall for the same reason neither of the Steam Decks have, the increased power consumption. From there it was easy for them to justify a magnetic locking mechanism for the new joycons.
  But also fuck Nintendo

450 USD and they won't spend an extra 40 cents on hall effect sticks?
- It's intentional. How else are they supposed to sell you a new set of joy cons every year?
- Have you even thought about the shareholders?

Lack of innovation: checked. Locking users into their ecosystem: checked. Chasing only shareholder value : checked.
The only thing diferentianting them from Apple now is the pricing, which hasn't reached outrageous levels ( yet ).
I used to respect them for doing their own thing - sometimes winning, sometimes losing, but in the end still innovating. Apparently not the case anymore.
- The only thing diferentianting them from Apple now is the pricing, which hasn't reached outrageous levels ( yet ).
  Software is priced at Apple levels.
- Honestly, I don't mind if Nintendo didn't innovate. I have just wanted a "normal" console from them in a while like a return to their SNES/N64/GameCube days. When they still actually tried to remain competitive, and in the case of the SNES and N64, were technologically ahead of the competition. Sure there were some innovations, but in comparison to the Wii, Wii U, and Switch, their older consoles were more "normal" for their time.
  Nowadays they just make underpowered hardware that only truly sells because its usually the cheapest console available and has the Nintendo logo on it. Except Switch 2, which started charging cutting edge tech prices for tech that was cutting edge like 10 years ago. All of the pricing of a better Switch without any of the real improvements except a newer processing unit and slightly bigger screen.
  Give me a Switch without a screen. No battery. No detachable controllers. Just a brick that plugs into the wall and the TV, compatible with a Pro controller. Probably could even sell that at a reduced price too. Maybe even overclock it and give it a bigger cooling solution to get better performance. Maybe Nintendo's newer games can actually run at a stable 60 fps on their own hardware finally.
  
  Give me a Switch without a screen. No battery. No detachable controllers. Just a brick that plugs into the wall and the TV, compatible with a Pro controller. Probably could even sell that at a reduced price too. Maybe even overclock it and give it a bigger cooling solution to get better performance. Maybe Nintendo’s newer games can actually run at a stable 60 fps on their own hardware finally.
  I'm actually in the same boat. I hardly ever play the switch in handheld mode. It is incredibly uncomfortable for anyone over the age and/or hand size of a 12 year old. The form factor is terrible for mobile use IMO. Even when we don't play the switch docked on the TV, we have taken to playing it plugged into a small USB-C monitor on a side table in front of the couch.
  I really wish Nintendo would offer a different option like you're saying here. The only thing that's nice about the Switch form factor is the size for portability IMO. Scrap the screen (and probably even the battery) and offer an option that's as small as (or even smaller than) one of those NUC-looking mini PCs that are all the rage nowadays.
  
  That's wishful thinking, I'm afraid. Nintendo owns the handheld market and now that they've made a handheld their only platform there's no way they're going back to traditional consoles, especially not after the original Switch sold a gazilion units with the same form-factor as the new one but with a hardware 10x weaker. The higher prices are a risky gamble but their profit margins have never been this high so they probaby don't even care if the Switch 2 doesn't sell nearly as much as its predecessor.

I will never, ever buy the switch 2 then.
My gamecube controller still doesn't drift. Nintendo can do better.
- Your Gamecube controller also isn't Hall Effect.
  
  Yeah, I think we should wait and see how prevalent the drifting is this time around before freaking out. Of course it's going to happen to some people because every stick that uses this technology has some incidence of drifting, but that doesn't mean it's going to be as bad as last time. I have lots of these kinds of sticks on lots of gamepads over the years and only the joycons have ever drifted.

Disappointing to say the least.
My wife loves the switch but has gone through 3 or 4 different sets of controllers. I tried my hand at repairing one of them and it was not fun -- to put it mildly -- and I do not savor repeating the experience. I honestly did not know there were hall effect replacements for the original joycon sticks, and wish I had known that when I replaced the one I did.

The more I learn about the Switch 2, the less I want to buy it. thanks Nintendo I'll wait until Ryujinx 2 comes out

I like that ifixit are specifically explaining the fundamental problem with pot based analog sticks because this IS an issue with every (pot based) controller.
That said: I still firmly believe the reason joycons last like a month and my XBONE controller is still going is because of the flap. Like... I'll always remember that the god damned PCB on my DS3 failed before the stick (you try platinuming Dark Souls 2 when pushing R3 triggers random buttons on the entire gamepad...).
For the "real" console sticks? The analog stick is a big plastic dome and you have to disassemble the entire gamepad to clean it out. For the joycons (not sure on pro controller)? It is a rubber flap that you lift up with a pair of tweezers... or just shove the nozzle of the electronic contact cleaner spray can through to clean. The former keeps both you and dirt out while the latter lets everything in and gets those specs trapped between the contacts a lot faster.
Don't get me wrong. If I am buying a third party controller (the gamesirs look shockingly good these days...) it better have hall effect or the other one. But potentiometers are fine IF you protect them. Like, the vast majority of knobs and the like are pots and people STILL use stereos and the like from the 80s with no issues.

I'm a little tired of the fearmongering from people who seem to be racing to the assumption that JoyCon 2s will definitely be as brittle as JoyCon 1s. We don't know that yet. Yes, we know it's not Hall Effect, but that's been true of the majority of video game controllers for a long time. JoyCon 1s were just anomalously defective in a way specific to that controller, and I highly doubt they haven't considered this with the 2. Until we actually start seeing a failure rate comparable to JoyCon 1s, can people just... wait and chill for a sec?
- While I agree with the overall message, I'd say this is on Nintendo for not doing proper communication on the topic. They must know this is a major concern for most people who had a Switch.
  Yes, I get they don't want to acknowledge the drift problem publicly, but surely someone on their marketing team can still come up with a way to discuss the improvements they made and alleviate fears.
  
  I think they did briefly mentioned they improved the sticks, but they never clarified what exactly.

Shoulda used the magnets for hall effect sticks rather then clacking joycons on the thing
- Fear is a hell of a drug.
  First gen switches were broken through the connector for the joycons. Now it's wrapped in 3 layers of plastic when live.
  
  Increased
  S t a b i l i t y
- I think the reason the connectors are magnetic is because it is something nintendo's designers always wanted to do. So once their engineers figured out how to do it (after the launch of the original switch) they designed the switch 2 around the magnetic connectors. I think it's incredibly stupid when one of the most important things to do for a sequel to the switch is fixing the drift but it's a reason at least I guess?
  Here's the video I watched about it: https://youtu.be/JDhj8s-i--s
  
  Lmao they added magnets even after Iwata told them it was fucking stupid
  
  I wil say that the gen 1 slides were clumsy and early units could be broken by forcing them in backwards. It always felt like the part which was the least well designed. I like the new magnetic interface but I agree it's kind of an odd thing to have a minor quality of life update be the top line.

Honest question; was it not possible to mod the original JoyCons to add hall-effect joysticks?
Yes, end users should not be responsible for having to do this - but if a cottage industry exists to repair/upgrade drifting joycons that would be awesome to see.
- The problem is that it requires disassembling the controller. Apparently that's a quite the pain for the switch 2
- Yes, it is possible
- Yeah, I did it. It was annoying. It seems it will be more annoying for the switch 2 (which I'm loving begrudgingly).
- That exists, you can get switch form factor hall effect joysticks on aliexpress.

Yet suckers keep buying that junk. Luckily I just hate Nintendo.

I've genuinely had more fun with an 80€ Anbernic loaded with old Gameboy games than any other modern console.

My first takeaway opening the box was WTF is going on with the speaker grille/fan intake?
Every phone/tablet has dust/waterproofing mesh, it's standard. Everyone puts in on the inside layer of the device with the meatier grille outside it, so the mesh doesn't get scuffed up or cut.
Nintendo had to think different and put the mesh on the outside. Good luck to the handheld players, luckily mine will live in a dock for eternity.

Everyone was telling me that this time they would have fixed it. Called it. I think I'm down to one joycon that doesn't drift :P
- I've never had stick drift with PlayStation or Xboxes despite people telling me it's a problem. The switch though is awful for it.
  I don't know what they do to make their analogue sticks so bad but they're definitely getting them from the world's cheapest supplier, apparently one that even Sony and Microsoft turned up their noses to.
  
  PS/Xbox controllers have more internal space, so their joystick modules are much, much larger than what goes in the joycon. That means they can have more material in the potentiometers, meaning less susceptible to wear and dust/dirt intrusions.
  PS Dualsense joystick
  Switch Joycon joystick

did the nintendo management change or something? did we get new laws about repairable devies standards?
so im just wondering what did you guys expect

Yeah, I'll just buy a 3rd party joycon if it's supposed to drift anyway, at least they last a bit longer and cost much less
- That will show them

everyone: Nintendo is a horrible company that does shit that's harmful to consumers and the gaming industry!
also everyone: WOW can you believe I was able to buy a Nintendo Switch 2 the literal day it released?!?!
We really showed them. 🤷‍♂️

I can't understand why they still ship a plastic screen. Surely there are other ways to keep glass from exploding that don't involve a top plastic layer.
I got a screen protector first thing for mine. In a matter of months any unprotected screens will turn into shit.
I guess this is typical nintendo, haven't bought anything from them since the 3ds.
- There are two major advantages to what Nintendo did. The plastic top significantly increases shatter resistance. Look at Jerryrig Everything's review to see, it's almost impossible to break the screen now via blunt force, which is a big problem for people with kids. Surface scratches are far better than a shattered screen.
  The second advantage is that you can put a glass screen protector on it and get the best of both worlds. A replaceable glass surface that is nice and hard. What I think would have made it better is if the console came with a pre-installed glass protector that was replaceable.
- Your post is a little confusing. If you haven't bought anything from them since the 3ds, then how did you put a screen protector on your Switch 2?
  
  I meant that prior to the switch 2 I only had a 3ds. I've been out of the loop on nintendo stuff during all that time
- Is glass exploding even that much of a problem?
  Dropping an iPad doesn't even break the screen all the time and when it does it's garbled.
  
  Not sure, but they anticipate a lot of children having this device in their hands, so they're going to design it for that, perhaps even over-design it, just in case.

Anyone else getting a 404?
- Works fine for me.

Oh, yeah!
You gotta get sDrifty
You gotta get sDrifty in here
It's time to get sDrifty.

Yet, millions will buy it. Because they hold onto their exclusives for dear life. Getting literally anything else is a better decision.

If its still there and its obviously a well known issue, they left they in there so you artards would have to give them more money for repairs 🤣🤣
- They'll just get sued again if they try that.
  
  What do you mean try? It's done.