One of the biggest pain points of the Nintendo Switch 2 is that it still uses the drift-prone conventional analogue joysticks in the Joy-Cons. Now, GuliKit has revealed that it is working on a set of replacement joysticks for the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons, utilizing TMR (tunnel magnetoresistance) tech instead of traditional potentiometers. GuliKit already makes joystick upgrades for the likes of the PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series, and Switch Pro controllers, as well as for the original Switch Joy-Cons. The benefits of TMR include reduced wear, resistance to drift, and improved sensing accuracy. Pricing and a launch date for the upgrade kit have not yet been revealed, but GuliKit says that the upgrade kit is "coming soon."

Like the old Joy-Con upgrade kits, you will need to disassemble the Switch 2's Joy-Cons to install the upgraded TMR sticks. Fortunately, it will be a drop-in kit, meaning it will not require any soldering or specific tools other than what is necessary to tear down the Joy-Cons. Judging by the iFixit teardown of the Switch 2 Joy-Cons, you will need at least an opening pick and an electronics screwdriver set to open and install the GuliKit upgrade kit.

Gaming has largely been split into two camps: mouse-and-keyboard gamers and controller gamers, and while devices like the Lenovo Legion Go and the new Joy-Cons on the Nintendo Switch 2 blur those lines, the Phase project, recently shown off by a new startup called Pixelpaw Labs, is attempting to blur those lines even further. The Phase is a split game controller that combines using magnets and pogo pin connectors to become a standard PC mouse. The goal behind the project is to "bridge the gap between a mouse, a mobile gamepad, and a controller," all in one device that can be carried with you when you might do both work and play away from home. Phase has not yet launched, although Pixelpaw Labs aims to launch the project as a Kickstarter, and it is currently offering a $20 refundable pre-launch deposit, which also guarantees a 15% discount when the Phase launches on Kickstarter. Kickstarter launch pricing is slated to start at $159 or $188 with the Phasegrip accessory.

Given that this is Pixelpaw Labs's first product and the fact that there is an inherent risk to Kickstarters, it would be impertinent to not mention that there is non-zero chance that the project never makes it to production. That said, the design and concept are interesting, as are some of the workarounds that the designers behind the project came up with for some unexpected problems. For one, the Phase doesn't have a scroll wheel when the two controller halves are in mouse mode—instead, the whole left click button is a touch-sensitive surface. The mouse connects wirelessly or via USB-C while in mouse mode, and it features a 16,000 DPI sensor—likely something like the PixArt PMW 3389 or PAW 3335, both of which are commonly found in gaming mice, even if they are somewhat outdated.

Late on Tuesday (November 25) Valve's Steam Client Beta received a small update—most of the latest improvements and additions are fairly unexciting. A couple of gaming news outlets have picked up on the latest low-key patch notes, due to the presence of previously unsupported Nintendo controllers. Gaming accessory enthusiasts will be pleased to find out that Valve engineers have "added support for Nintendo Switch 2 controllers connected over USB on Windows." Nintendo's current generation Pro Controller launched alongside their hybrid Switch 2 console, back in June. Six months later, official wired functionality—at least on Steam (Windows)—has arrived.

PC gamers can use a multitude of input devices on their platform of choice, but Nintendo's Pro Controllers (gen 1 and 2) have attracted a certain level of fandom. Shape, button layout, and build quality can be major deciding factors, but the Switch 2 Pro controller, along with bundled-in modern Joy-Cons, seems to lack the latest cutting-edge internal tech. This week's Steam Client Beta update also implements older school "support for GameCube adapters in Wii-U mode with rumble on Windows." This surprising addition officially introduces Nintendo's sixth generation solution to a new ecosystem. The unorthodox GameCube pad remains a firm favorite within beat 'em up circles—usually involving the popular Super Smash Bros. franchise.

Following last week's jam-packed Switch 2 presentation, Nintendo staffers engaged in conversation with media outlets. To the surprise of many, a high level member of the incoming console's design team was quite comfortable with his name-dropping of NVIDIA graphics technologies. Meanwhile, Team Green was tasked with the disclosing of Switch 2's "internal" workings. Attention has turned to the much anticipated-hybrid console's bundled-in detachable Joy-Cons—in the lead up to official unveilings, online debates swirled around potential next-gen controllers being upgraded with Hall Effect joystick modules. Many owners of first-gen Switch systems have expressed frustration regarding faulty Joy-Cons—eventually, Nintendo was coerced into offering free repairs for customers affected by dreaded "stick drift" issues. Unfortunately, it seems that the House of Mario has not opted to outfit its Gen 2.0 Joy-Cons with popular "anti-drift" tech.

As reported by Nintendo Life, Nate Bihldorff—senior vice president of product development and publishing at Nintendo of America—"outright confirmed the exclusion" of Hall Effect. Up until the publication of Nintendo Life's sit down interview, other company representatives have opined that Switch 2's default control system features very "durable feeling" sticks. When asked about the reason behind "new-gen modules (feeling) so different to the original Switch's analog stick," Bihldorff responded with: "well, the Joy-Con 2's controllers have been designed from the ground up. They're not Hall Effect sticks, but they feel really good. Did you experience both the Joy-Con and the Pro Controller?" The interviewer confirmed that they had prior experience with both new models. In response, Bihldorff continued: "so, I like both, but that Pro Controller, for some reason the first time I grabbed it, I was like, 'this feels like a GameCube controller.' I was a GameCube guy. Something about it felt so familiar, but the stick on that especially. I tried to spend a lot of time making sure that it was quiet. I don't know if you tried really whacking the stick around, but it really is (quiet)...(The Switch 2 Pro Controller) is one of the quietest controllers I've ever played." Nintendo will likely not discuss the "ins and outs" of its proprietary stick design, but inevitable independent teardowns of commercial hardware could verify the provenance of underlying mechanisms. Nowadays, hardcore game controller snobs prefer third-party solutions that sport Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) joysticks.

The Nintendo Switch 2, in all likelihood, is set to see the light of day on the 2nd of April at Nintendo Direct. Among the many rumored features, mouse-like functionality for the Joy-Cons have graced the interwebs quite a few times now. In the recently uploaded Switch 2 teaser video on YouTube, a portion of the video showed the Joy-Cons sliding on a surface akin to a tracking device, which added credibility to the aforementioned rumors. A recently uploaded patent filing also seems to confirm mouse-like functionality for the Joy-Cons, making the possibility all the more likely.

The patent reveals that Nintendo intends to allow the Joy-Cons to be used like a mouse with the help of laser tracking underneath, with the shoulder triggers cosplaying as the left and right mouse buttons. The drawings seem to indicate that the analogue sticks will be functional even in mouse mode, while another image portrays both the Joy-Cons being used in mouse mode with the user's thumbs on the analogue sticks. Using one Joy-Con in traditional mode, while the other in mouse mode also seems to be possible, which would be quite helpful for FPS games, at least in my opinion. Of course, it is entirely possible for a patent to never see the light of day in action, but considering that Nintendo themselves hinted at such functionality in the official teaser, the probability is enticing for sure.

Well, unless someone has been living under a rock for the past four years, freshly launched gaming hardware getting scalped to oblivion should hardly come as a surprise. We witnessed this just recently with the launch of the NVIDIA RTX 50-series GPUs, considering the multiple-thousand-dollar premiums that the cards were sold for on platforms such as eBay. One might foresee a similar predicament for the much-awaited Nintendo Switch 2, but if Nintendo President Furakawa's recent statements are anything to go by, that might not be the case after all.

According to Furakawa, Nintendo is well-aware of the potential stock shortages that the Switch 2 may face, taking lessons from the OG Switch launch back in 2017, and is taking "all possible measures" to make sure the Switch 2 launch plays out smoothly. Of course, what this essentially means, is that Nintendo will be attempting its best to produce as many units of the Switch 2 as possible in order to meet customer demand at launch. This is exactly what Furakawa mentioned in his interview with Nikkei, citing that the supply chain constraints that hindered production in 2024 and 2023 no longer exist in 2025. As such, there should not be any further hurdles that hold back Nintendo from its production targets.

In celebration of the announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2, NACON, premium gaming accessories designer, is pleased to introduce its new range of products dedicated to the console, all of which will be available at launch.

Protection solutions for the whole console
To safeguard your console against accidental damage, NACON has designed a range of solutions to protect it from knocks and drops, including cases, protective shells, pouches and travel bag, all equally useful when playing or on the move.

HyperX, the gaming peripherals team at HP Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, today announced the new ChargePlay Quad 2 Charging Station for Nintendo Switch. Designed specifically for the Nintendo Switch, the ChargePlay Quad 2 Joy-Con Charging Station offers improved charging time, making it an ideal choice for charging Joy-Cons.

"HyperX continues to enhance its range of console accessories to provide better gaming experiences for players across different platforms," said Aurelius Martinez, global category manager - cloud and console gaming, HyperX. "The new HyperX ChargePlay Quad 2 ensures players' equipment is fully charged and ready for lengthy gaming sessions."

Late last week, several specialist Nintendo coverage websites cottoned onto an update on the company's UK support pages - the offer to repair faulty Joy-Con units, affected by the notorious drifting problem, for free. Customers who possess long out of warranty controllers will not be charged for fixes, as long as it is apparent that drifting is occurring. The blurb on the official website outlines a pattern of diagnosis: "Joy-Con Control Sticks Are Not Responding or Respond Incorrectly (responsiveness syndrome or so-called "drifting")."

Nintendo has already offered free lifetime repairs to its customers in North America, way back in 2019. Latin America and France received similar treatment shortly thereafter. According to its updated documentation the company is now extending the same service to folks spread across the European Union (and adjacent to): "Until further notice, Nintendo will not charge you in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK and Switzerland for the repair of the responsiveness syndrome irrespective of whether this is caused by a defect or by wear and tear."