It’s Not Just You: What’s Up With Animal Crossing’s Aggressive Rumble In Version 3.0?

1 month ago 2 Comments

There are great new features to enjoy in Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Version 3.0 update, but one surprise so far has been a distinctly intense rumble on some Nintendo Switch controllers.

Ever since the 3.0 update released last week, we’ve been noticing a steady stream of experiences shared online about the rumble feeling aggressive, particularly on Nintendo Switch 2. So if you’ve wondered if there’s something wrong with your Nintendo Switch controllers or if there really was a change — no, you’re not crazy!

Version 2.0 v 3.0 Rumble On Switch 2

After hearing all these reports from players, we got curious about exactly what might have changed in the Version 3.0 to cause such reactions.

Luckily, we happened to have a Nintendo Switch 2 that hadn’t yet been updated to Version 3.0 allowing us to conduct some testing before updating to help confirm if there was in fact a real difference or not.

https://twitter.com/NVPlays/status/2011918635296493755

What stood out immediately, especially after having extensively played on Nintendo Switch 1 in recent days, was a surprisingly weak rumble with Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons when playing on Version 2.0.

For example, there’s a subtle but distinctly noticeable rumble effect when you shake a tree in Animal Crossing: New Horizons — we found that this rumble was practically non-existent when playing using Joy-Con 2 on Nintendo Switch 2 in Version 2.0. Other effects felt oddly toned down compared to on Switch 1.

That led us to wonder whether rumble was just increased across the board on all systems with Version 3.0. So, we connected original Joy-Con controllers from Nintendo Switch 1 to the Nintendo Switch 2 on Version 2.0 to see what would happen.

When playing with Joy-Con 1 controllers, that subtle tree shake effect came right back. Hitting a rock with a shovel? Suddenly, it felt impactful again, and consistently in line with how the same controllers feel when connected to a Switch 1 on Version 3.0.

Did Animal Crossing on Switch 2 Have Weak Rumble Before?

All of this leads us to believe that Animal Crossing: New Horizons actually had significantly reduced rumble on Nintendo Switch 2 when using Joy-Con 2 controllers, compared to Nintendo Switch 1, until the Version 3.0 update.

So if you had been playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons on your Nintendo Switch 2 in the weeks or months leading up to the update, it’s possible that you may have gotten ‘used’ to the reduced rumble and forgotten just how strong it was on original Nintendo Switch.

Additionally, we noticed that the Pro Controller 2 seems to have an extra strong rumble effect. It was stronger on a relative basis than regular Joy-Con 2 controllers, regardless of version. If you’re using a Pro Controller 2 and seeking a weaker rumble, it may be worth testing out Joy-Con controllers for comparison.

That doesn’t account for everything though — we’re not saying it’s as simple as that we all just ‘forgot’. Comparing between Nintendo Switch 1 and 2 both on Version 3.0, the rumble certainly feels stronger on Nintendo Switch 2 after the update than it ever did on the original system.

One way to think about this might be that if the original rumble on Switch 1 was ‘strong’, then the rumble on Switch 2 before the update was ‘weak’, and now the rumble on Switch 2 after the update is ‘extra strong’. It’s likely a mix of both at play — the Switch 2 previously had weaker rumble, but now it has extra strong rumble.

So, Why Did This Happen?

It’s previously been noted by Nintendo that there can actually be a noticeable difference between how the rumble feedback force feels on each model of Nintendo Switch and its associated Joy-Cons.

In fact, on the backwards compatibility page for playing original Nintendo Switch games on Nintendo Switch 2, it’s mentioned that the Everybody 1-2-Switch game featuring Hide & Seek has reduced rumble on the new controllers:

The volume of the Joy-Con 2 controllers’ force feedback vibrations has been reduced compared to the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers, so it may be more difficult to find hidden Joy-Con 2 in the minigame Joy-Con Hide & Seek.

That lines up perfectly with our observations, confirming that it is normal for backwards compatible Nintendo Switch games to have notably quieter rumble when played with Joy-Con 2 controllers.

With everything in mind, if we can hypothesize for a moment, it seems likely that the Animal Crossing developers intentionally significantly increased the rumble force in Version 3.0 intending to match the Switch 2’s rumble to the feedback felt on Nintendo Switch 1 controllers. This is backed up by the official warning about Everybody 1-2-Switch’s rumble.

But based on what we’ve experienced and many others, it seems that Nintendo may have gone a bit too far and accidentally made the rumble feel significantly more aggressive than before, rather than just bumping it up to match the original Nintendo Switch’s strength.

Rumble Is Personal Preference

Ultimately, a lot of rumble feedback just comes down to personal preference. Some players might prefer the stronger rumble force, while others enjoy a more subtle feedback. We’re not necessarily casting judgment on these enhanced effects being better or worse, but rather confirming they’re real.

It’s very possible that in time we’ll all get used to the updated effects and come to appreciate them. Of course, an adjustable setting would be ideal to please everyone, but that’s just not Nintendo’s jam and we’re highly unlikely to ever see that option available.

Let us know in the comments below if you’ve personally noticed a change in your game’s rumble on Nintendo Switch 2 or not, and how you’re feeling about it so far. More data points are always good!

For more on the Version 3.0 Update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, check out our other new articles and guides below:

Stay tuned to Animal Crossing World for everything on the Version 3.0 Update of Animal Crossing: New Horizons! Follow us on X, Facebook, Bluesky, and our mailing list below for updates. Or check out our most popular guides like Redd Art, Bush Types & Colors, Villager Houses, Sea Creatures, and K.K. Slider Songs.

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