After using his Pro Controller 2 for ~350 hours, a Japanese content creator found small flakes on the left analogue stick (images 1-2 below), and the stick also felt a little sticky around the circumference. He opened the controller and identified the culprit: The stick cap’s umbrella grinds on the base ring, causing it to flake (images 3-4).
This isn’t supposed to happen. According to the related patent filing, the base ring should be made of a “wear resistant” material (image 1 below). But apparently Nintendo changed it to a soft material to make it quieter, per Welcome Tour (images 2-3).
The good news is that a) the stick doesn’t drift, and b) after cleaning the stick doesn’t feel sticky anymore. The content creator nonetheless suggests those having the same issue to send the controller to Nintendo for repair if still under warranty.
[Speculation] The manufacturer may be able to improve the ring’s durability by changing the formulation or switching to a different material. Either way it should not be a difficult fix for Nintendo. (It might be fixed already, if they caught this early.)
[Sidebar] Mobapad’s M12 and Chitu 2 controllers copied the gliding base ring from Pro Controller 2 (image below). Let’s see how durable it will be.
H/T @lordclold.bsky.social
Related posts:
Design of smooth-gilding “Aerial Stick”
Why Switch 2 sticks are drift-resistant
[Originally posted on 2026-05-15 Pacific Time]
