Don’t pay Microsoft for stick drift on the new Xbox Nano controller

Then I got to thinking more. Actually, Microsoft has issued a redesigned controller, and it just launched. The Xbox Nano controller might just make sense for my friend, as she’s on the smaller side. So I looked it up. To no great surprise, there’s no mention of Hall effect sticks in this new design. So my recommendation of 8BitDo’s $30 pad stands for her, and anyone else who wants a basic, affordable controller for PC. 

Michael Crider / Foundry

I kept mentally poking at this topic. As a matter of fact, none of the primary console makers offer default gamepads with drift-resistant sticks, whatever other features they might have. Microsoft’s Xbox pad is happy to connect over 2.4GHz or Bluetooth, but its sticks are vulnerable. Ditto for the Elite Controller 2, which hasn’t changed much since 2019. Sony’s DualSense for the PS5, for all its fancy haptics and adaptive triggers, doesn’t use Hall effect. The DualSense Edge, the PlayStation version of a “pro” controller, doesn’t feature them. 

And Nintendo doesn’t use them for the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons or the Pro Controller, despite nearly a decade of well-documented troubles with the problem. It’s an infuriating exclusion on that point — with a 2025 debut and years of problems, there was no reason for Nintendo not to use HE or TMR sticks. Aside from, of course, the idea that people will buy the Switch 2 whatever they do or don’t include in the hardware. 

Nintendo

That puts us at a point hitherto unknown in the history of gaming: Third-party controllers are, at least in this particular area, superior to the official offerings. The 8BitDo I mentioned earlier is a measly $30, half the retail price of the Xbox pad, and it features Hall effect sticks. GameSir, another reliable budget brand, has a similar one at the same price. Sony is more protective with its official licensing, but you can find a well-reviewed option under $50. 

There’s even a smaller controller that offers Hall effect sticks. And naturally, it’s cheaper than Microsoft’s upcoming option, though it doesn’t look like that one’s officially licensed for Xbox.

This feels weird to me. I can remember the days of Nyko and Mad Catz (with a Z), back when the cheaper options were universally reviled. They were relegated to younger siblings and guests, giving them a handicap in multiplayer for all their claims of “turbo” buttons and fancy lighting. And yet today, despite controllers being shockingly expensive, the “official” options are mostly falling behind. Unless you need something like Sony’s touchpad or Nintendo’s NFC reader, there’s really no reason to spend more.