Nyxi’s New Switch Controller Can’t Develop Joy-Con Drift

Joy-Con drift remains a serious problem for Switch owners, but Nyxi believes its new Wizard controller won’t develop drift thanks to the use of magnets.

As Eurogamer reports(Opens in a new window), the Nyxi Wizard is a Switch controller that looks like a classic GameCube controller, but offers a split design allowing it to slide either side of the Switch display if desired. The Wizard uses “Hall Effect Joysticks,” which means the components inside the sticks never physically touch, so they can’t develop drift over time like Nintendo’s own Joy-Cons often do.

As thegamingsetup explains(Opens in a new window), Hall Effect joysticks contain a permanent magnet that moves relative to an electrical conductor. This creates a voltage change which is converted into positional data. So you get the same movement tracking without any of the wear associated with physical sensor contact. Another advantage is a much smaller dead zone for the sticks, meaning they are more responsive.

Assuming you don’t mind the button layour, the promise of no drift will be enough of an incentive for many owners to spend $69 purchasing the Wizard controller(Opens in a new window). However, the controller does offer a number of other features to help entice a purchase.

The ZR and ZL buttons are lighter, quieter, have a shorter trigger distance, and less resistance to make them faster. The joysticks can be removed and replaced, there’s adjustable turbo and mapping functionality, illuminated face buttons, and one-key wake-up and a screenshot function. Battery life is rated at 8.5 hours, but it can be connected to your Switch via a USB-C cable. Tempted?

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