ALPS, Hall effect, TMR and now there are capacitive joysticks. Supposedly even better than Hall effect and TMR tech, but we need more time to really determine that.
List of controllers with Capacitive Joysticks
- PXN P5 8K – it uses JL16 joystick’s model from K-Silver ($39.99)
- Mobapad Huben2 (our review, $79.99)
- Beitong Kunpeng 70 ($129.99)
- Gamesir New Tarantula (coming soon, will have a choice of capacitive, TMR and ALPS joysticks) – source
- MOJHON (BIGBIGWON) Rainbow 3 – $69.99
Are capacitive joysticks better than TMR/HE?
Hard to say. Capacitive joysticks don’t use magnets or current sensors like Hall effect and TMR. Instead, they rely on changes in electrical capacitance – the same principle behind capacitive touchscreens (like your phone).
Marketing claims are that there’s less jitter, they have great stick drift resistance and great precision. We are testing the Huben 2 right now, so stay tuned for that.
Advantages:
- Very precise: 12-bit resolution and 4096 sampling levels
- Smooth input tracking: Less “jitter” and more linear output (as shown in the Mobapad graph).
- No magnetic interference: Works without relying on magnets, unlike Hall/TMR.
Cons:
- New tech = less proven: Longevity in real-world use still needs testing.
- Higher cost: Only a few controllers on the market right now.
- Stick tuning may vary: Feel depends heavily on how well the manufacturer implements the capacitive tech (tension, damping, etc.).
I love testing and writing about new tech. I focus on keyboards and controllers. I'm also a gamer and an engineer. Check out my Twitter for keyboard and controller news and reviews.
Hate that these are called “capacitive” joysticks. While it makes sense, the Steam Deck has capacitive joysticks (they react to you touching them by being capacitive) but they’re not capacitive joysticks (they don’t use capacitance to determine how they’re tilted).
They REALLY should be called something else! My vote’s on capacitANCE joysticks, since that’s more technically correct and that doesn’t overlap with what people think of when they think of capactive (you can touch them)
Good shout! I agree, it’s a quite confusing name