DS4 thumb sticks might have a problem?

Not sure if I have a problem or what but my left stick feels like it has less grip than my right stick does. Definitely wasn't like this when I first got my PS4. The sticks themselves both look fine, the rubber doesn't look worn out at all and there are no real scuffs anywhere. Not sure if this means I'm fucked down the road or whatever.

Just to make sure I wasn't going crazy I brought my DS4 with me to Gamestop so I could compare the two controllers. Sure enough the DS4 at the Gamestop had a left stick that had way more grip to it than the one I own.

So I just bought myself some of the Geltabz. I hope these solve my problem. Otherwise I guess I'm going to have to hassle Amazon (guess I will anyway) because it doesn't look like Sony is doing shit
 
The DS4 thumb sticks are not durable at all. My friend's PS4 is used very often for local player FIFA, 2K, Madden and CoD. The left thumbstick on all four of his controllers are worn down and going to fall off very soon. I hope they address this problem in the near future.
 
darkside31337 said:
Not sure if I have a problem or what but my left stick feels like it has less grip than my right stick does. Definitely wasn't like this when I first got my PS4. The sticks themselves both look fine, the rubber doesn't look worn out at all and there are no real scuffs anywhere. Not sure if this means I'm fucked down the road or whatever.

But I just bought myself some of the Geltabz. I hope these solve my problem.
Click to expand...

My controller has this same problem. The left stick is slippery compared to the right stick so I'm constantly repositioning my thumb.
 
henhowc said:
Those orbz look much nicer than the grip-its. How is the actual grip on them? Bought the grip-its but I the grip on them was worse (to me) than the stock ds4 sticks
Click to expand...

The concave ones which I'm using now feel just like the Xbox 360 sticks to me which I prefer over the stock ones. Now my thumbs no longer slip off while trying to sprint on BF4 which is a big plus for me.
 
No problem with my PS4 sticks, and I've been playing it consistently and for long sessions since I got it on launch day.

I have yet to be convinced it's anything more than quality control issues on produce from certain production lines, not a issue common to all controllers.
 
I think they need to adjust the sticks in future controllers or make a better quality rubber because my first one was damaged because of misuse, but my second controller has some wear and tear even though I have been really careful with it.
 
Think I'm in the clear with both my DS4's. Only complaint so far is for one of my controller, the two halves doesn't seem to have a perfect fit/seal, and there's a certain hollow feel to it accompanied with the tiniest of creak.
 
Yankee Ruin X said:
The concave ones which I'm using now feel just like the Xbox 360 sticks to me which I prefer over the stock ones. Now my thumbs no longer slip off while trying to sprint on BF4 which is a big plus for me.
Click to expand...

thats my main complain about the ds4 sticks. whenever i do something that requires me to hold the sticks in one direction for a prolonged period of time, my thumbs feel like they are going to slip off the edge.

i did notice that the concave covers add a bit of height to the sticks. did that bother you at all?
 
I can understand why everyone would put the tabs on. But if your controller is susceptible to cracking or deteriorating isn't it just masking the situation? I've had them on my DS3 for years but that's because the stick were convex and your thumb would slip off. DS4 stick are awesome when new until it starts to break down. If I was going to go down that road I would at least make sure I was putting the tabs on a brand new controller.
 
Both of my controllers started peeling a little, so I just went to gamestop and got those geltabz things for 7 bucks. Comes with two pairs. They definitely take some getting used to, but they are pretty awesome overall. I've noticed I'm a lot better at KZ multiplayer with them. If you want something right away, head on down to your nearest gamestop, these are a pretty solid purchase.
 
FrankWza said:
I can understand why everyone would put the tabs on. But if your controller is susceptible to cracking or deteriorating isn't it just masking the situation? I've had them on my DS3 for years but that's because the stick were convex and your thumb would slip off. DS4 stick are awesome when new until it starts to break down. If I was going to go down that road I would at least make sure I was putting the tabs on a brand new controller.
Click to expand...

It went from being a slippery mess to the perfect pair of sticks so I don't know what difference it would make if I were to use my current controller or a new one with grips.

Or do you mean that the grips will eventually fall off? They are a tight fit and extremely durable so I don't see that happening.
 
For what it's worth, from my experience it seems like this is a problem with certain people's sweat rather than the sticks.

Idk what it could be but I have used my DS4 for hours and I have never had the stick wear down (50+ hours in KZSF, BF4, Rayman, etc.) but one of my friends used it for a couple hours and immediately after that I noticed some deterioration on the stick. Nothing major of course, but since then I have put probably 50 more hours on the controller and it looks exactly the same.
 
timmaysmittay said:
For what it's worth, from my experience it seems like this is a problem with certain people's sweat rather than the sticks.

Idk what it could be but I have used my DS4 for hours and I have never had the stick wear down (50+ hours in KZSF, BF4, Rayman, etc.) but one of my friends used it for a couple hours and immediately after that I noticed some deterioration on the stick. Nothing major of course, but since then I have put probably 50 more hours on the controller and it looks exactly the same.
Click to expand...

My sweat must be special if it causes problems with the DS4 sticks and nothing else.
 
Kyoufu said:
My sweat must be special if it causes problems with the DS4 sticks and nothing else.
Click to expand...

I mean it could be reacting with a compound in the rubber, it's not out of the question.

It actually makes sense since the left stick is the only one deteriorating and coincidentally it usually has the thumb on it for the longest amount of time while the right stick gets air exposure through button presses.

Haha I may be wrong but it is weird that it's only the left sticks, it's not like the right sticks should be any different.
 
timmaysmittay said:
For what it's worth, from my experience it seems like this is a problem with certain people's sweat rather than the sticks.

Idk what it could be but I have used my DS4 for hours and I have never had the stick wear down (50+ hours in KZSF, BF4, Rayman, etc.) but one of my friends used it for a couple hours and immediately after that I noticed some deterioration on the stick. Nothing major of course, but since then I have put probably 50 more hours on the controller and it looks exactly the same.
Click to expand...
Sentient sweat which picks and chooses what type of rubber it corrodes perhaps? Odd that so many of the same people have never had this problem with any controllers in the past.

Or maybe it's the rubber.
 
timmaysmittay said:
I mean it could be reacting with a compound in the rubber, it's not out of the question.

It actually makes sense since the left stick is the only one deteriorating and coincidentally it usually has the thumb on it for the longest amount of time while the right stick gets air exposure through button presses.

Haha I may be wrong but it is weird that it's only the left sticks, it's not like the right sticks should be any different.
Click to expand...

Name a PS4 game which makes heavy use of the right stick, like player movements. Right, there is no such game.
I'm pretty sure there is no gamer on this planet who turns the camera around nonstop. Aiming in FPS does not count.
 
Melchiah said:
Resogun perhaps?
Click to expand...

I haven't played a lot of Resogun, but you move it left or right to shoot, huh?
That's pretty much the same as camera positioning, maybe a little bit more intense. What I want to say is there is still a lot of difference between this and moving your player on the pitch in every possible direction (without a break for ~15 minutes per game).
 
I don't have sweaty hands at all,must be because my hands are usually quite cold and yet i have had 2 DS4's that had problems with the rubber on the left thumbstick.

I think the problem lies with the rubber not handling friction very well, so it probably has to do with both playstyle and the rubber.

But in my opinion the rubber should be able to withstand all playstyles.

To be clear i handle my stuff carefully, my DS3's lasted me all these years and they have not had a single problem, yet i have had problems with the rubber on 2 different DS4's.

They might have to release a revision.
 
PodcastFips said:
Name a PS4 game which makes heavy use of the right stick, like player movements. Right, there is no such game.
I'm pretty sure there is no gamer on this planet who turns the camera around nonstop. Aiming in FPS does not count.
Click to expand...

All I'm saying is I played for 100+ hours and no deterioration.

Friend plays for 2 hours and I notice immediate deterioration.

100+ more hours and it looks the same as that day.

Seems odd that a specific person (who's hands sweat a lot more than mine do when playing games mind you) was able to cause a visible effect in such a short amount of time while my usually dry hands don't seem to effect it at all in the long term.

I'm just saying the problem with the rubber is that it erodes with sweat, it's still a faulty manufacturing process on Sony's part.
 
timmaysmittay said:
For what it's worth, from my experience it seems like this is a problem with certain people's sweat rather than the sticks.

Idk what it could be but I have used my DS4 for hours and I have never had the stick wear down (50+ hours in KZSF, BF4, Rayman, etc.) but one of my friends used it for a couple hours and immediately after that I noticed some deterioration on the stick. Nothing major of course, but since then I have put probably 50 more hours on the controller and it looks exactly the same.
Click to expand...
My hands get so dry they crack. I can't stand lotion and my hands dont sweat.

Now what? Have any other ideas to blame the consumer and not the product? Look, man. I'm quite sure the PS4 is not everyone's first console and basics like wet/dry hands, nails, sandpaper, dogs, UFOs, etc have been worked out. It's not because of sweaty hands, unclipped nails, doge, sandpaper, etc. Some batches are faulty.
 
Brohan said:
I don't have sweaty hands at all,must be because my hands are usually quite cold and yet i have had 2 DS4's that had problems with the rubber on the left thumbstick.

I think the problem lies with the rubber not handling friction very well, so it probably has to do with both playstyle and the rubber.

But in my opinion the rubber should be able to withstand all playstyles.

To be clear i handle my stuff carefully, my DS3's lasted me all these years and they have not had a single problem, yet i have had problems with the rubber on 2 different DS4's.

They might have to release a revision.
Click to expand...

Eh, I could be wrong though.
 
Jack_AG said:
My hands get so dry they crack. I can't stand lotion and my hands dont sweat.

Now what? Have any other ideas to blame the consumer and not the product? Look, man. I'm quite sure the PS4 is not everyone's first console and basics like wet/dry hands, nails, sandpaper, dogs, UFOs, etc have been worked out. It's not because of sweaty hands, unclipped nails, doge, sandpaper, etc. Some batches are faulty.
Click to expand...

Haha I'm not trying to blame the consumer at all I was just sharing my experience, it isn't my problem though I suppose.
 
darkside31337 said:
Not sure if I have a problem or what but my left stick feels like it has less grip than my right stick does. Definitely wasn't like this when I first got my PS4. The sticks themselves both look fine, the rubber doesn't look worn out at all and there are no real scuffs anywhere. Not sure if this means I'm fucked down the road or whatever.

Just to make sure I wasn't going crazy I brought my DS4 with me to Gamestop so I could compare the two controllers. Sure enough the DS4 at the Gamestop had a left stick that had way more grip to it than the one I own.

So I just bought myself some of the Geltabz. I hope these solve my problem. Otherwise I guess I'm going to have to hassle Amazon (guess I will anyway) because it doesn't look like Sony is doing shit
Click to expand...


i have the same problem except that both analog sticks are slippery, no signs of the plastic wearing off even after 200+ hours of use.
 
timmaysmittay said:
All I'm saying is I played for 100+ hours and no deterioration.

Friend plays for 2 hours and I notice immediate deterioration.

100+ more hours and it looks the same as that day.

Seems odd that a specific person (who's hands sweat a lot more than mine do when playing games mind you) was able to cause a visible effect in such a short amount of time while my usually dry hands don't seem to effect it at all in the long term.

I'm just saying the problem with the rubber is that it erodes with sweat, it's still a faulty manufacturing process on Sony's part.
Click to expand...

Well my brother an me were playing a lot of FIFA a few weeks ago. We both do not have sweaty hands while playing.

Both controllers looked fine before our very first session (3-4 hours long maybe), and after it my brother complained about the rubber "falling apart". A few days later it looked really bad while mine was still in good condition.
People handle the sticks different, some push on the inside (this is what my brother does), some push from the outside (this is what I do). This is definitely a reason why all this is happening.
 
FYI guitars with steel strings have a very similar problem. Certain people will make the strings corrode much faster than usual because of the pH or who knows what in their sweat.
 
I wonder if it's exacerbated by L3-heavy ( click to run) games. That would consistently put more pressure on the edges.
 
My left stick has some definite signs of wear and tear since I started playing fifa. Considering I do well to do 90mins per night for only about four nights a week I'd say they are far from as durable as they should be.
 
PodcastFips said:
I haven't played a lot of Resogun, but you move it left or right to shoot, huh?
That's pretty much the same as camera positioning, maybe a little bit more intense. What I want to say is there is still a lot of difference between this and moving your player on the pitch in every possible direction (without a break for ~15 minutes per game).
Click to expand...

Mostly left or right I guess, but you use the right stick more than in 3rd person games for example. And I'd say its use in a fast-paced game like Resogun is more harsh. Dunno if that's the reason the right stick on my DS4 is a bit more smooth than the left, as I played the game a lot for over a month.
 
A crack has developed on the left stick. The right stick shows two very weakened spots that are likely to crack soon.

What a fucking disaster Sony, issue a goddamn recall already.
 
Both my controllers have torn left sticks and Sony won't send me a replacement until I ship them to Sony. Just go look at the display ones too, the left sticks are all f*cked. My XBOne sticks are perfect.
 
henhowc said:
thats my main complain about the ds4 sticks. whenever i do something that requires me to hold the sticks in one direction for a prolonged period of time, my thumbs feel like they are going to slip off the edge.

i did notice that the concave covers add a bit of height to the sticks. did that bother you at all?
Click to expand...

The increase in height wasn't really noticeable to me but the fact that my thumbs fit nicely into the concave shape and they have a more non slip finish which feels slightly softer yet less slippy than the original design made a huge difference.
 
I have had my PS4 for a couple of weeks now & the sticks are fine, i will be getting some of the rubber ones that slip over, i always use these & have them on my X360, WiiU gamepad & Pro controller & PS3 pad, the only things that happen to my pads are they sometimes get crisp juice over them (salt & what-not), that is usually on just the actual buttons though.

The edge of the DS4 stick does seem to be rather a sharp edge & most people will have their thumb on the lower left of the stick between 6 & 9 on a clockface, the rubberised top layer must just be giving way on some pads.

Just get a set of stick grips because you will find they are much better than any standard stick, they are only a couple of dollars/euros/yen/pounds.
 
I'll probably wait till this issue is settled before I buy a PS4.
What's weird is that the controller on the PS4 station at my local gamestop has perfect sticks.
 
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