Nintendo Switch 2 Upgrades Come with Key Feature Omissions

The Nintendo Switch 2 is shaping up to be a feature-packed upgrade over the original, boasting enhancements that are likely to draw in hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of eager fans on launch day. The console does not provide all the features that fans expected. The console features three major exclusions, which could frustrate some players. The new Joy-Con 2 controllers lack Hall-Effect joysticks, according to VGC, which many players had anticipated would solve stick drift problems.

Nintendo Switch 2 Brings Major Upgrades but Lacks Hall-Effect Sticks, Achievements, and eShop Music

The console will operate without a standard achievement system that works across all games. The Nintendo eShop will maintain its current design without the nostalgic background music that the Wii generation used to have. Starting with the least critical omission, the lack of eShop music, Nintendo Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto told Polygon that the platform’s current design focus drove the decision. Since today’s eShop prominently features game trailers and video content alongside screenshots, Kawamoto explained, “We didn’t want to intrude on that, so we don’t have music there.”

The missing achievements system received no explanation from Bill Trinen, who serves as Nintendo of America’s Vice  President of Player and Product Experience. The Polygon journalist asked directly about achievement inclusion but received only a simple “Nope” response from him. The Joy-Con 2 controller does not include Hall-Effect sticks, which would have addressed the well-known problem of stick drift, according to Nintendo Life. The new controllers do not implement Hall-Effect technology despite previous speculation indicating otherwise.

Nate Bihldorff, Nintendo’s Senior Vice President of Product Development and Publishing, commented, “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.” This confirms that the new controllers, which come at a higher price point than those for the original Switch, may still be prone to the same drift issues that plagued the first generation. It also puts to rest earlier speculation that Hall-Effect sticks would be a key feature of the new Joy-Cons.

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