Reddit reviews uxcell 10pcs New A3144 A3144E OH3144E Hall Effect Sensor
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Power supply voltage: VCC 4 to 24V;Output reverse breakdown voltage: Vce = 50VOutput low current: IOL = 50mA; Ambient temperature TA = E profile : -20 - 85C , L profile : -40 - 150CStorage temperature range TS = -65 - 150 CWeigt:2gPackage Content: 10 x Hall Effect Sensor
Assuming the sensors take the same voltage and output in a similar range, there's no reason you couldn't hotwire it on the existing PCB. You might have to worry about mounting it securely if it has a different footprint though. If it has a different output range you'd have to modify the PCB to correct it. Personally I'd use an Arduino or similar just so I could fine-tune the sensor range, but you could probably get a working controller with the stock MCU if you aren't fussy about functionality.
The main advantage of using one of those sensor types is longevity: potentiometers rely on moving parts that make physical contact, and so suffer from wear over time. Hall Effect sensors work by detecting a magnetic field, and so don't wear down. I assume the same is true of optical and induction-based sensors. They are probably more accurate too, but thumbsticks are so small I doubt you'd notice.
The trouble is cost: pot-based thumbsticks are very cheap, but I'm having trouble finding Hall Effect thumbsticks that aren't prohibitively expensive. Hall Effect joysticks can be had for around £45, but that's a much larger sensor which wouldn't fit into a GC shell.
EDIT it seems you can buy Hall Effect sensors quite cheaply, so if you're willing to put in some work building your own stickboxes, PCB and programming an MCU to work with them you could build a controller with them for a reasonable price.