81
How Do You Deal With Thumb Stick Drift? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by Zahille7@lemmy.world to c/games@lemmy.world
59 comments fedilink hide all child comments

So I like to use Xbox controllers (doesn't matter if it's first- or third-party) because I like the layout, it's just comfortable to me. However I've noticed that on all my controllers in the past few years, the left thumb stick will start to "give out" over the course of a couple months. For instance I'll be pushing it forward all the way, but it won't register for some reason and my character will only move a little bit. Sometimes wiggling it a bit will fix it, sometimes it doesn't. And it's not like I'm squeezing the hell out of the controller or mashing the stick constantly; in fact it's made me try to be more delicate with my controllers, even though I'm just playing the games normally.

Is it just how controllers are, or am I just getting the shit end of the stick?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I've never had a controller with drift problems, and I know how I treat my controllers. I've seen people with controllers that drift all the time, and I've seen how they treat their controllers. There's definitely a link.

That said high quality controllers (like first party ones) generally drift less, but not always (see switch joycons). If OP is killing his controller in months then something is going on.

[-] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

but not always (see switch joycons).

And PS5 one. I've had a lot of controllers over the years and I've never had stick drift, except with joycons and the PS5 controller.

The switch pro controller is probably my most used controller, because it's so ergonomic. I put the switch pro controller through a few thousand hours of smash bros. The stick is visibly deformed from mashing certain inputs over and over. And then a few thousand hours more playing Zelda and monster hunter (and souls games on PC). I wouldn't be surprised if it's had over 10 thousand hours of use. No stick drift on the controller.

I was gifted a PS5 controller because I was planning on getting the PS5. I never got a PS5, but that's a different story. Anyway I decided to break it in to get comfortable with the layout and feel of the controller. Maybe max thousand hours of playtime which I'd consider it very light usage. And the left stick started to drift left. I've looked into it. It might just be an unfortunate speck of dust interfering with the sensor, but cleaning it requires almost complete disassembly and quite frankly it wasn't that good of a controller anyway so it's just collecting dust.

[-] YuzuDrink@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

I’ve been suspicious that newer production lines for joysticks have been cutting costs in cheaper materials for a while now. I usually replace the joysticks when they drift, but I’m also quite comfortable to taking things apart and fixing them.

I remember my old PS2 controllers never drifted and that was back when I played hard on them every day after school. These days I hardly have time to play during the week, and they regularly go bad within a year or two.

[-] bob_omb_battlefield@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

I've had drift issues with my pro controller several times and I think I have less play time than you. Many of these controllers use the same stick component inside.

this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2024
81 points (91.8% liked)

Games

39570 readers
267 users here now

Welcome to the largest gaming community on Lemmy! Discussion for all kinds of games. Video games, tabletop games, card games etc.

Rules

1. Submissions have to be related to games

Video games, tabletop, or otherwise. Posts not related to games will be deleted.

This community is focused on games, of all kinds. Any news item or discussion should be related to gaming in some way.

2. No bigotry or harassment, be civil

No bigotry, hardline stance. Try not to get too heated when entering into a discussion or debate.

We are here to talk and discuss about one of our passions, not fight or be exposed to hate. Posts or responses that are hateful will be deleted to keep the atmosphere good. If repeatedly violated, not only will the comment be deleted but a ban will be handed out as well. We judge each case individually.

3. No excessive self-promotion

Try to keep it to 10% self-promotion / 90% other stuff in your post history.

This is to prevent people from posting for the sole purpose of promoting their own website or social media account.

4. Stay on-topic; no memes, funny videos, giveaways, reposts, or low-effort posts

This community is mostly for discussion and news. Remember to search for the thing you're submitting before posting to see if it's already been posted.

We want to keep the quality of posts high. Therefore, memes, funny videos, low-effort posts and reposts are not allowed. We prohibit giveaways because we cannot be sure that the person holding the giveaway will actually do what they promise.

5. Mark Spoilers and NSFW

Make sure to mark your stuff or it may be removed.

No one wants to be spoiled. Therefore, always mark spoilers. Similarly mark NSFW, in case anyone is browsing in a public space or at work.

6. No linking to piracy

Don't share it here, there are other places to find it. Discussion of piracy is fine.

We don't want us moderators or the admins of lemmy.world to get in trouble for linking to piracy. Therefore, any link to piracy will be removed. Discussion of it is of course allowed.

Authorized Regular Threads

Related communities

PM a mod to add your own

Video games

Generic

Help and suggestions

By platform

By type

By games

Language specific

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Dremor@lemmy.world
JonsJava@lemmy.world
fxomt@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Dremor@jlai.lu
modfxomt@lemmy.world