TheNintendo Switch 2controllers are going to continue Nintendo’s lack of support for a big controller feature that a lot of game tech enthusiasts love. The Joy-Con 2 controllers are quite similar to the original Joy-Con controllers, with adjustments made to their size and sticks, and new additional features like mouse functionality and theC button for GameChat. The Switch 2 Pro Controller also remains largely the same, with a couple new buttons. But even with some new bells and whistles, the controllers carry over much of their original identity, especially with regard to the triggers.
In an interview withVentureBeat(viaNintendo Life), Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamotoand Switch 2 technical director Tetsuya Sasaki confirmedthe Joy-Con 2 controllers and the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller will not have analog triggersand will instead use digital triggers that were used in their previous iterations. Kawamoto and Sasaki stated that the reason they chose to go with digital triggers was because of a more instant response over analog triggers.
Analog triggers are preferred by a lot of players fortheir use in games that require a certain amount of pressure to be applied to the triggers to control something that’s happening. Examples of this are gradually accelerating a car in a racing game or controlling how much water F.L.U.D.D. dispenses inSuper Mario Sunshineon the GameCube.
Nintendo Hasn’t Used Analog Triggers Since The GameCube
There Are Pros And Cons To Digital And Analog Triggers
Despite the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and most gamepads for PC using analog triggers, Nintendo hasn’t used analog triggers for its consoles since the GameCube. Nintendo did acknowledge there are some benefits to analog triggers and considered the possibility for Switch 2, but the company settled on digital.
Nintendo Switch 2 Doesn’t Have Hall Effect Sticks, But Nintendo Still Thinks Joy-Cons “Feel Really Good”
Despite the widespread stick drift issues that plagued the original Switch, Nintendo has confirmed that the Switch 2 doesn’t use Hall effect sticks
Being able to control the pressure of trigger pulls opens up gameplay possibilities and hardware advancements, likethe PS5’s adaptive triggersallowing for greater impact feeling when swinging a weapon inSilent Hill 2 Remakeor drawing a bow inHorizon Forbidden West. On the flip side,digital triggers do allow for quicker response times, meaning input latency will usually be lower and that could be more immersive for some players.
Our Take: Digital Triggers Aren’t A Deal-Breaker
Nintendo’s Audience May Not Notice The Difference
Since it has been so long since Nintendo has used analog triggers,a lot of Nintendo fans may not even notice the difference between digital triggers and analog triggers. The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is often regarded by many as one of the best controllers on the market, and it uses digital triggers. Most fans' concerns are probably not with the triggers and more so withwhether Nintendo will correct the stick driftproblem of the original Switch controllers with the Switch 2 controllers.
For passionate hardware techies, the digital triggers may be a disappointment. For others, the digital triggers may be just fine. How well the Joy-Con 2 and Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller will perform overall is the bigger question, and we’ll find out soon enough when theNintendo Switch 2and its accessories launch on June 5.
