Top 5 Joy-Con Improvements the Switch 2 Needs

If the Switch 2 has Joy-Con controllers, we’d like to see a number of improvements ranging from ergonomics to the dreaded stick drift!

The Nintendo Switch is a unique console, and one of its most interesting aspects is the ‘Joy-Con’ controllers. They can be attached to the side of the console for handheld mode or removed when the console is docked.

However, even if the Joy-Cons are pretty revolutionary, they are still far from perfect. That’s why, ahead of the Switch 2’s expected early 2025 release date, we’re going the top five improvements these controllers need.

No Stick Drift

To nobody’s surprise, the most-requested improvement for the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons are joysticks that don’t get stick drift. After all, it seems like everyone with a Switch suffered from stick drift with at least one of their Joy-Cons.

Of course, it’s impossible to ensure that analog sticks won’t ever get stick drift, but the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons certainly need to be more durable.

Not only would it prevent gaming frustration, but it would save Nintendo fans lots of money from buying replacements!

Better Ergonomics & Grip

Another common complaint with the Switch’s Joy-Cons is that they can be uncomfortable or difficult to hold. This is an issue when holding the console, but is especially the case when the Joy-Cons are detached.

Hopefully, the Switch 2 has Joy-Cons that are more rounded and perhaps even have rubberized grips. While they still need to be compact, making them slightly bigger would also be welcomed by gamers with large hands.

Even if it reduces the portability of the console slightly, having larger Joy-Cons that are more comfortable to hold is worth making the sacrifice for!

Larger Buttons & Thumbsticks

In addition to the Joy-Cons themselves being larger and more ergonomic, the buttons themselves should be bigger.

A common Joy-Con complaint is that the buttons and analog sticks are too small to use comfortably and accurately. This is especially the case for the plus and minus buttons, which are tiny and barely stick out from the body of the Joy-Con.

Therefore, even a slight size increase for the face buttons and analog sticks would be a welcome change for the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons.

A Proper D-Pad

Nintendo fans have also been very vocal about wanting a proper D-pad on the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons. Ideally, this would be similar to the Switch Pro Controller.

The original Switch’s left Joy-Con features four separate direction buttons instead of a D-pad. This makes controlling a character in 2D games like Smash Bros or Super Mario Bros Wonder more difficult than it should be.

A D-pad is certainly preferable for 2D platformers or fighting games as it allows a much smoother and more responsive transition between directions than separate directional buttons.

The only downside of having a D-pad on the left Joy-Con is that it would make the layout different from the right one, which would have four separate face buttons. However, considering that the Joy-Cons already have different analog stick placements, this shouldn’t be a major issue.

Pressure-Sensitive Shoulder Buttons

Most video game controllers over the past 20 years have had pressure-sensitive shoulder triggers.

However, this was absent from the Nintendo Switch, which opted for basic Joy-Con shoulder buttons instead.

This feature would be a huge improvement for racing games on the Switch 2, like the next Mario Kart, as it would allow gamers to adjust how fast they accelerate by holding down the triggers with varying force.

We are bound to get a good look at the next-generation Joy-Cons when Nintendo unveils the Switch 2. Hopefully, the new controllers will also have some, if not all of these features.

While there’s no date for this announcement yet, we expect that the Switch 2 reveal will be in late 2024!