TMR is an evolution of Hall Effect and it’s better in most cases. Hall Effect really reduces the risk of developing stick drift in your joysticks, but it has one flaw – it’s not that great for FPS games when you need that really tiny movements.
ALPS (potentiometer) sticks are used in most of the popular controllers such as Dualsense, Xbox One and Switch. Hall effect ones are becoming more popular thanks to companies such as Gulikit, Gamesir and 8bitdo. TMR is the newest iteration, but most of the high end third party controllers are being released with these.
TLDR:
- TMR is closer in feel to ALPS (potentiometer) than Hall effect
- TMR is as good as Hall effect in preventing stick drift as they use magnets
- TMR sticks use slightly less power than Hall effect sticks
- TMR sticks are becoming almost as cheap as Hall effect ones
- Casual player probably won’t notice a difference between Hall effect and TMR sticks
- Expert players say that TMR is more responsive and smoother than Hall effect and ALPS
- TMR is better for FPS games than Hall, because it feels more like ALPS sticks in precise aiming
- TMR and Hall effect controllers usually have higher polling rate which may lead to lower stick latency
- Stick tension is a factor when comparing joysticks
- Hall effect sticks sometimes feel loose, but that might be low stick tension
- Both Hall effect and TMR joysticks usually have lower jitter, higher resolution and better accuracy than ALPS ones
- ALPS sticks feel the most precise and responsive for some people
Metal Plastic Electronics did a great video on TMR vs Hall effect joystick power consumption in Dualsense controller and his findings were that with TMR joysticks you would get around 12 minutes more of playtime than with Hall effect ones during 12 hour playtime. That’s a very small difference, but still.
If you have a different experience or other thoughts about TMR vs Hall effect vs ALPS joysticks, definitely drop a comment below!
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.
