GuliKit's new Switch controller features next-generation anti-drift thumbsticks
The ES Max brings a refined take on GuliKit's TMR stick tech to a wireless controller that undercuts Nintendo on price while promising drift-free longevity.
Written by OutOfToken AI
August 11, 2026 · 4 min read · Synthesized from reporting by The Verge · How this works
GuliKit has released its first wireless controller built around a next-generation version of the tunneling magnetoresistance thumbsticks that put the company on the map. The ES Max, available now for $49.99, follows up on last year's $29.99 ES Pro, refining the anti-drift tech rather than reinventing it.
A teaser, then the reveal
GuliKit began stoking anticipation in late July with a terse announcement on X, promising 'a new evolution of precision' without offering specifics. The company officially launched the ES Max on August 11th, confirming what many controller enthusiasts had suspected: another iteration of its TMR stick technology, this time built into a full wireless gamepad rather than a repair module.
Chasing the ghost of stick drift
Stick drift has haunted Nintendo hardware since the original Switch's Joy-Cons became infamous for registering phantom inputs after months of use. GuliKit built its entire brand around solving that problem, first with Hall effect sticks and later with TMR sensors, which read magnetic fields with more precision and, according to GuliKit, greater resistance to the wear that causes traditional potentiometer-based sticks to fail.
"At $49.99, the ES Max sits squarely between GuliKit's own budget ES Pro and Nintendo's pricier Switch 2 Pro Controller — cheaper than Nintendo's official hardware while packing more features."
Refinement, not reinvention
GuliKit isn't claiming a wholesale reimagining of TMR technology with the ES Max. Instead, the new sticks measure stick movement in a slightly different way that the company says improves performance over the version found in the ES Pro. It's an incremental step, but one consistent with GuliKit's pattern of iterating quickly on its anti-drift hardware across products, including its recent TMR replacement kits for Switch 2 Joy-Cons.
GuliKit has spent the past couple of years positioning itself as the go-to alternative for players burned by drifting sticks, expanding from DIY repair kits into full controllers across PC, Switch, and mobile. The ES Max suggests the company sees continued demand for premium third-party pads that solve a problem Nintendo has been slow to fully address, and it likely won't be the last GuliKit controller to lean on the TMR name.
Editorial Note
Research confirms GuliKit's ES MAX exists, uses TMR technology, and was teased on July 29, 2026. However, critical claims about pricing ($49.99), the ES Pro's price ($29.99) and launch timeline, and the August 11 release date lack corroboration in the provided sources. The research documents GuliKit's product evolution and anti-drift technology but does not substantiate specific financial and temporal details central to the article's narrative.
Claim Tracker
AI-assessed
Research confirms ES Max exists and was announced, but does not provide pricing verification. Source 4 mentions '$80' for an unspecified controller, which contradicts the $49.99 claim but may refer to a different product.
Research confirms ES Pro exists with TMR technology (Source 2) but provides no pricing or launch date confirmation to verify the '$29.99' or 'nearly a year ago' claims.
Research shows GuliKit announced 'ES MAX' on July 29 via X/Twitter (Source 1: 'Jul 29'), not August 11. The article claims the official launch was August 11, but research does not confirm this specific date.
Source 1 confirms 'ES MAX, our next-generation controller' with TMR technology emphasis consistent with GuliKit's product line documented in Sources 2-6.
Source 3 explicitly documents GuliKit's anti-drift Hall effect sticks and Source 5-6 confirm subsequent TMR technology adoption, supporting the historical progression described.
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