I've had my Meta Quest 3 for less than a year now and already encountering the dreaded stick drift and directional issues. I had my controllers replaced like 5 times on the quest 2 and definitely don't want to go down that path once again for a $750 product I purchased!
Meta, please upgrade your controllers to "2-Stage Hall Effect Sticks"!!! Hall Effect technology creates no drift issues EVER! It's also much more accurate than traditional sticks.
I have a joystick with Hall Effect and the accuracy and sensitivity is amazing, and to know I'll never hae stick drift is a sigh of relief.
If you wont do it, then please allow a 3rd party to make your controllers.. For these things to start having issues ln less than a year and having to deal with in/out of warranty issues is a pain!
1. Durability and Longevity
No physical contact between moving parts and the sensor (unlike potentiometers which use resistive tracks).
Less wear and tear = longer lifespan, especially ideal for heavy use (e.g., gaming, drones, industrial applications).
2. Precision and Consistency
Provides smooth, linear response curves and higher accuracy.
Maintains calibration over time: Hall sensors don't degrade like analog potentiometers do.
3. Improved Reliability
Immune to dust, moisture, and mechanical degradation because the sensor is magnetic-based, not mechanical.
Better performance in harsh environments.
4. Reduced Drift
Analog sticks with potentiometers often develop stick drift over time.
Hall effect sensors are far less likely to drift, making them more reliable for consistent control.
5. Better Feel and Sensitivity
Some users report smoother feel and finer control in Hall effect sticks, especially noticeable in gaming and precise applications like FPV drones or robotic controls
How It Works
Hall effect sensors detect the position of a magnet attached to the joystick shaft.
Movement changes the magnetic field, which is converted into an electrical signal
I take it you know there are already two hall-effect sensors inside each controller? I can well imagine that close proximity to other magnets would be hard to design around.
At least they stopped using magnets to hold the battery covers on, if you read the raw grip trigger (hall effect) values they would actually have a different range when you add or remove the battery cover. 🙂
People have done custom mods to add hall effect to the Quest controllers and they work, so its probably fine.
Or go with Tunneling Magneto Resistance thumbsticks. Similar to hall effect but lower power and cooler name. 🙂
(My Gamesir Cyclone 2 gamepad has TMR thumbsticks and hall effect triggers)
