The first controller joysticks to make use of... tunnel magnetoresistance.
Controller maker GuliKit, known for various input devices such as the popular KK3 pad along with their range of DIY joystick kits, recently announced promising new electromagnetic joysticks. These new sticks claim to use less power than hall sensors, offer improved temperature stability, and should deliver higher gameplay accuracy via their ability to detect smaller changes in magnetic fields.
These new electromagnetic joysticks use something that's called TMR technology — that stands for Tunnel Magnetoresistance — and GuliKit claim to be the first to use this tech for game controllers.
For the physics nerds out there, this effect and its subsequent application in tech isn't something wholly new — it was first used in hard drives back in the early 2000s, resulting in notable leaps forward in HDD storage density. Now, some twenty years later, GuliKit are experimenting with the same tech to improve joystick performance.
We spoke with Jack He of GuliKit about the new controller kits on the Gamescom show floor this week.
He explained that GuliKit are now offering TMR joystick replacement kits for the PS4 and PS5, along with the Xbox Series controllers, and the Nintendo Switch Pro. They also plan to add this TMR tech into their own KK3 controller — which is slated to release next month.
So if you fancy some DIY, and are happy opening up your controller and adding in these TMR sticks then they may well be worth a look. A highly precise joystick option with no drift.
