Quantum mechanics might have the solution to joystick drift (www.theverge.com)
from Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world to games@lemmy.world on 07 Apr 05:33
https://lemmy.world/post/27880333

cross-posted from: lemmy.world/post/27880332

#games

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silverchase@sh.itjust.works on 07 Apr 06:24 next collapse

You want us to sell fewer controllers?!

30p87@feddit.org on 07 Apr 07:14 next collapse

Also, Hall effect fixes all problems, since decades. Why weren’t they used widely? Because that would cost poor little Nintendo/M$/Sony a few cents more. So they sure as hell won’t implement that new thing.

DacoTaco@lemmy.world on 07 Apr 07:49 next collapse

Its not that i disagree with you, they should have used them and its pretty bad ( though a lot can be fixed with some good old wd40 for electronics lol)

However, its not a few cents more. Its way way more. A regular stick is around 1.84 - 2.73 euro a piece depending on how many you order from official components store. A hal sensor stick is often 2-4 euro.

Lets say 150mil switches are sold, each having 2 sticks and its 0.2 more per stick. That gives us the following
150,000,000 * (0.2 * 2)=60mil
60mil difference in cost for the company, at least, for using different sticks. And thats just sticks that come with the console, not separately sold controllers or pro controllers.

Manufacturing cost is very different than just ‘its a few cents more’.

Arcane2077@sh.itjust.works on 07 Apr 08:06 next collapse

Okay, but, they’re already selling a product with a BOM of $20 at most for 70-90 monetary units. They can absolutely afford a few cents less of profit

Burnoutdv@feddit.org on 07 Apr 08:21 next collapse

Nu nu, it would be way more expensive, have you thought about all the not sold controllers with incredible markup due the stick not drifting? I not saying that it is planned obsolescence but it really quacks like a duck

CallateCoyote@lemmy.world on 07 Apr 10:09 next collapse

8bitdo sells a fantastic controller that does everything the Switch Pro controller does besides gyro for $25. It has hall-effect sticks, hall effect triggers and a much better d-pad. It really sickens me how greedy the console manufacturers have gotten with controller prices.

DacoTaco@lemmy.world on 07 Apr 10:50 collapse

Im not saying i disagree, im saying its more complex than “just a few cents”.

Arcane2077@sh.itjust.works on 07 Apr 14:15 collapse

I’m disagreeing. It’s really that simple. $60 million fewer dollars from $1 billion in revenue over 8 years (using your numbers here, please correct me if you think it’ll make your case stronger) is still about $1 billion. Any way you cut it, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s just a few cents

SparrowHawk@feddit.it on 07 Apr 08:07 next collapse

Manufacturing also gets cheaper when scaled

CHKMRK@programming.dev on 07 Apr 10:46 collapse

But this applies to both sticks, so the relative price difference would still stay roughly the same

30p87@feddit.org on 07 Apr 08:29 next collapse

And a switch costs, MSRP, ~300€/$. So they just got 45,000,000,000, 45 billion dollars. Or, in other words: They could raise the MSRP by 6$. Which would be justified for a then better product.

EddoWagt@feddit.nl on 07 Apr 16:58 collapse

They are never going to sell a product like that for €306 or whatever. They’d probably bump it up to €349 in that case

SharkAttak@kbin.melroy.org on 07 Apr 21:33 collapse

If they have the money for frivolous patents and lawsuits to maliciously tank a game better than theirs, I think they can afford better sticks.

mr_jaaay@lemmy.ml on 07 Apr 11:03 next collapse

Yeah, there are quite a few Hall effect controllers on the market, from what I’ve read they’re quite good…

state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de on 07 Apr 18:45 collapse

Hall effect sensors are crazy expensive. Sony has controllers with them and they’re more than twice as expensive as the normal ones. It’s very unlikely that Sony would set this insane price without a good reason.

30p87@feddit.org on 07 Apr 19:07 collapse

It’s very unlikely that Sony would set this insane price without a good reason.

<img alt="1000043595" src="https://feddit.org/pictrs/image/09d75430-2315-4ca8-91b2-e44654d8635f.jpeg">

sheogorath@lemmy.world on 07 Apr 10:48 collapse

Don’t worry, we’ll find another part that’s going to be broken instead. TBH it already happened to my friend’s Gullikit controller, his shoulder and trigger buttons are already broken, but not his analog stick.

ieatpwns@lemmy.world on 07 Apr 11:33 next collapse

Magnets do too

SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world on 07 Apr 16:19 collapse

Did you even read the article? This solution also uses magnets but requires smaller magnets, is more sensitive and the response curve is more linear compared to Hall effect sensors. So it’s more accurate than Hall effect sensors, smaller and uses less power.

ieatpwns@lemmy.world on 07 Apr 16:27 next collapse

Ahhh you got me

Just read it but still magnets already do it I’m just saying

EddoWagt@feddit.nl on 07 Apr 16:56 collapse

Is accuracy or size even an issue with hall effect sensors? Hall effect sensors can have plenty of resolution and can also be small, the PSVita 1000 had hall effect sensors and those are smaller than the switch joycons

SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world on 08 Apr 11:56 collapse

These new type of sensors require less power so that’s the biggest advantage. But them needing smaller magnets probably could mean they can be manufactured cheaper than Hall effect sensors. The increased accuracy and size shrinkage is just a bonus on top.

Chewget@lemm.ee on 07 Apr 11:34 next collapse

Pretty sure there’s already a solution

SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world on 07 Apr 16:24 collapse

Read the article. This is an improvement over Hall effect sensors.

CMLVI@lemmy.world on 07 Apr 13:17 next collapse

I got a Gulikitt KK3 Max and have really liked it so far. I got one because I got tired of having to resynv my Elite 2 to the PC via Bluetooth (it NEVER saved it as a device, some kinda issue I imagine switching from Xbox connection to BT), and I wanted to try to get out of the Elite 2 swap every 7 months. No complaints so far, other than I can’t monitor battery level. I like the back paddles more too, they are more spaced than the Elite.

Hall effect sticks, swappable ABXY mechanical buttons, and the triggers can be mechanical switch with the trigger stops engaged. Really nifty controller.

daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 07 Apr 15:36 collapse

My ps1 controler have not gotten stick drift in… how long now? 30 years?

Is that a lost technology like in sci-fi books?

Dasus@lemmy.world on 07 Apr 17:15 collapse

Idk man.

29 years ago this came out.

The traditional controller for PS1 didn’t have joysticks. You needed a DualShock for that, or it’s predecessor the Dual Analog controller.

But yeah year or two here there, the DualShocks and PS controllers after that were very good controllers.

But those first decent ones came out more like at the turn of the millennium than halfway through the 90’s as you imply.

Back then it ps1 without joysticks and from 96 on N64 with extremely shitty joysticks. Gamecube came out in 2001 and Nintendo had clearly learned it’s lesson — to an extent.

MellowYellow13@lemmy.world on 08 Apr 13:36 collapse

My original Dualshocks as well as Dualshocks 2 from back in the day still have no stick drift

Dasus@lemmy.world on 08 Apr 15:09 collapse

I was stoll using the first wireless one as a BT controller to play switch games last year. The battery gave out imo, otherwise zero issues.