Thank you PDP/Turtle Beach for sending me this white Hall-Effect module pack to review!

I recently reviewed the excellent PDP Victrix Pro BFG controller, both the PS5 and Xbox versions. They are basically my favorite controllers now, but they were originally released before the popular resurgence of hall-effect stick modules. While this is a separate purchase, this does significantly extend the life of an otherwise excellent controller.

In the early days of joysticks, they were often constructed with potentiometers and springs. What this means is that the electrical resistance of the X and Y axes were measured and the position was determined from that, and springs or bands were used to keep them centered. These technologies do work, but I remember when some of my favorite joysticks (not gamepads, but flight-style sticks) would start to drift after a while of use. This got really bad on my favorite PC gaming flight stick growing up, and was a real shame. When gamepads started incorporating analog sticks, many used the same type of technology, and they all failed over time and heavy use.

There have been at least two competing technologies to the classic potentiometer joystick. One was optical based, not unlike the laser used on an optical mouse. These systems work really well, but I only saw them on larger modules. I have a classic joystick that uses this, and it still works decades later, but it's for a big flight stick. The other tech is called hall-effect, which uses the variance in flux density inside of a magnetic field to measure joystick movement. This method has largely won the competition between the two types, as it works just as well, is easy to miniaturize, and is cost effective.

Interestingly, a few classic controllers used hall-effect sensors. Sega Dreamcast controllers most famously used them, and at least some Sony PlayStation 3 controllers used them also. For several years, I exclusively used a PS3 controller on my PC, and it worked swimmingly with no stick drift whatsoever. I wonder if I had one of those and didn't realize it. Unfortunately that controller no longer works for other reasons...

Outside of those few examples, the vast majority of modern gamepads use resistance-based potentiometers... and they do work. But after a while of heavy use, they start to drift, where the center is no longer in the middle. For most gamers, it's years before this happens - but for some it's just months. Because of this, there is a significant demand for replacement sticks, and a big cry for controller makers to make controllers that don't drift. Enter: the Hall-Effect joystick.

Since hall-effect modules never drift, and are extremely accurate, there is a big move by third-party controller makers and customers to switch to them. Let's hope first-party controllers move to them also, but that time is not yet. Since the PDP Victrix Pro BFG was released before hall-effect sticks were repopularized, this new module kit solves that problem by offering a replacement set, which is one of the big advantages of a modular controller in the first place.