Stick drift isn't when the sticks fail to recenter (which is what this would help with).

Stick drift is when the electrical contacts inside the stick change over time and as a result the electrical signal changes over time. A perfectly centered stick might have the same signal as slightly off to the side. (Which this wouldn't help with)

Stick drift wasn't a huge issue before the latest gen.

I grew up poor. What drift? I grew up on mouse and keyboard because a computer was also useful for schoolwork and it's not like it was a gaming PC anyway, it was really crappy but could play GTA San Andreas at 20 fps.

Keyboard and mouse cost like 5 euros a piece to replace, though I don't believe I ever needed to replace a keyboard.

If you had a console growing up, you probably weren't that poor.

Ah yes I too like engaging in controller bondage

That's not how stick drift works. If that worked, then recalibrating the controller should work. Secondly, I guess you weren't the kinda kid who loved taking things apart and putting them back together again. Fixed stick drift on a joystick when I was a teenager by taking the joystick apart, cleaning the sensor and putting it back together again. Had no clue what I was doing and this was before youtube, yet I still managed to do it right.

Shibari controller setup.

I must say, I must have gotten lucky for years while gaming because I had never experienced stick drift and only heard of it in the last few years.

Broken buttons, that I did experience.

That’s what I used to spin in circles while playing GTA V online

I learned to solder, and now here we are. 14 years later I still have to solder different potentiometers into my controllers. (Hall)

Reminds me of my poor N64 controller after renting Mario Party.

Although it does remind me of grinding to level up familiars in Castlevania SotN on OG PlayStation.

Rubberband-trim team go!