Getting very bad drift on PS5 controller

D

drhankmccoyphd

Member
I've had my PS5 for a little less than a year. It's worked great but recently I'm noticing some really bad drift. On games like demon souls the left stick seems to stick in the forward position and keeps me walking unless I tap the stick back to nuetral. Death stranding isn't as bad but the map feature seems to move all over the place. I'm wondering if this is a controller sensitivity setting issue or if I need to update the controller firmware or if it's completely borked. I don't want to disassemble the controller either. If the issue is mechanical what options do I have for warranty replacement or repair?
 
I never had drift but the triggers have been giving me issues on mine,got it in June. They're not broken but they feel off,that could just be Control because its the only game I notice it in.
 
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mikespit1200 said:
I've had my PS5 for a little less than a year. It's worked great but recently I'm noticing some really bad drift. On games like demon souls the left stick seems to stick in the forward position and keeps me walking unless I tap the stick back to nuetral. Death stranding isn't as bad but the map feature seems to move all over the place. I'm wondering if this is a controller sensitivity setting issue or if I need to update the controller firmware or if it's completely borked. I don't want to disassemble the controller either. If the issue is mechanical what options do I have for warranty replacement or repair?
Click to expand...
If its still in warranty. Definitely contact Sony about it.
 
Got my ps5 at the end of February and already both my analog sticks have drift. I sort of fixed it myself by taking the controller apart and trying to clean the analog housing, but I think it I just extranded it's life by a little, because it still has moments when it will just drift super crasy for a moment, then stop, so I'm still going have to buy another.

These controllers are really fancy, even in the inside, but I feel like they may have cheaped out on the analog modules..
 
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contact the retailer you bought it from or get in touch with Sony.

It's not going to get any better. It's a defect. Send that shit back to Sony directly or through the retailer.

it's not worth trying to fix yourself. i had drifting on my controllers and bought replacement sticks but you need to be good at soldering to replace them.
 
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No controller is safe from drift.

I find that it kinda depends on what games you play on that controller.

My controller used for FPS games drifted like 2 years in. While the one for RPGs still going strong.
 
killatopak said:
No controller is safe from drift.

I find that it kinda depends on what games you play on that controller.

My controller used for FPS games drifted like 2 years in. While the one for RPGs still going strong.
Click to expand...
yup. people shit on Nintendo for it but 5 years later no drifting on my switch. my playstation + xbox controllers started drifting after about a month. it can and will happen to anyone. there really needs to a be better solution to these sticks.
 
It's not an easy fix but there are cost effective replacement parts you can buy. Contact Sony if it's within warranty (fairly certain it's 12 months).

I had the same issue with my launch controller and sadly there's nothing you can do but try to repair or replace. Once the drift starts it only gets worse.
 
All my controllers since 2001 have had drift within a year. For the last couple of years I've disassembled them, cleaned them and they work without drift for another year - rinse and repeat.

 
I've had PS5 controller drift and this fixed it for me - whatever stick is drifting, push it in and rotate it in clockwise circles a few times, then (while still being pushed in), counter clockwise. If that doesn't solve the issue, get some compressed air and point it toward the edges of the stick and blow all the way around while pushing the stick in the opposite direction to make sure the air is getting in the crevices.

The compressed air part worked for me.
 
billyxci said:
yup. people shit on Nintendo for it but 5 years later no drifting on my switch. my playstation + xbox controllers started drifting after about a month. it can and will happen to anyone. there really needs to a be better solution to these sticks.
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Every controller can get drift, but the failure rate on JoyCons is WAY above normal or acceptable failure rates.
 
I've also gotten drift on my first controller.
The analogue stick seems to give feedback of not being fully pushed when pushed at a certain direction.

A friend of mine also encountered the same problem in both of his launch controllers.
 
Sucks but worth trying, otherwise perhaps make it a DIY project. =/

I recently bought a everything to open up my Pro to get to the (what's it's called) beneath the fans... The Heatsinks) even bought thermal paste but I'll wait till I ha e a PS5 so when I fuck up it's less of an issue
 
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22:22 said:
So you are that guy that accelerates with your left stick...

Smh 🐸
Click to expand...

computer GIF
 
I had stick drift on both the one I got with the PS5 (launch day console) and the one I bought separately for the PC, sent both to Sony and got fixed in a week or so. Just send em away pal.
 
mine also had bad drift, I ended up calling sony and had to ship mine back to get it fixed. they won't pay for shipping though which sucks
 
Prekk said:
Yeah, but wouldn't a system level or per game dead zone setting on consoles solve all these issues?
Why don't console manufacturers just implement something like this?
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You need ~5% deadzone for responsiveness in games. Going to 10-20% would ruin most games. Also the main cause for drifting is dirt on the sensors - not something you can tinker with in software.
 
Yea I've been having issues with one of mine too OP, it sucks. I bought one Dualsense before I had the PS5, and got the other with the console. One has bad drift now and the other is fine. Of course, they're probably out of warranty. I watched a guy try to fix it on youtube, but it's more work than I'm willing to put in.
 
Mine started doing that with Demons Souls too, and I was walking off the edge of stuff. One thing they will tell you to try first is to reset and update your controller first. If that doesn't work, they'll tell you to ship it to them to refurbish or replace.
 
Welcome to the club. My 3 controllers all had this issue and I already sent them for repairs. They have been fine for a while now.
 
Sony recognises the issue. I called them and a no fuss return ensured. Got back a brand new model that supposedly has improved guts, was fast too.
 
I must be super lucky. Even my old ass dualshock 4 and Switch joy cons dont have any noticeable drift. I always keep them clean and wipe them down often around the sticks.
 
mikespit1200 said:
I've had my PS5 for a little less than a year. It's worked great but recently I'm noticing some really bad drift. On games like demon souls the left stick seems to stick in the forward position and keeps me walking unless I tap the stick back to nuetral. Death stranding isn't as bad but the map feature seems to move all over the place. I'm wondering if this is a controller sensitivity setting issue or if I need to update the controller firmware or if it's completely borked. I don't want to disassemble the controller either. If the issue is mechanical what options do I have for warranty replacement or repair?
Click to expand...

Try this. He uses BW-100, but there is a WD-40 version of this (non-conductive electrical contact cleaner) but don't use industrial/automotive-grade contact cleaners as it will potentially strip the coating off anything it get onto which could damage the circuit board.



In his case this worked on all but the most damaged analog units.

Basically spray the electrical contact cleaner unto the unit and move it around to clean all the shit out of the unit.
 
I'm currently playing with an old PS4 controller on my PC. Was hoping to pick up a Dual Shock 5 because the white color goes nicely with my white hardware and PC desk.

Is Dual Shock 5 decent on battery life? Does the haptics stuff carry over to PS games on PC?
 
Golgo 13 said:
I've had PS5 controller drift and this fixed it for me - whatever stick is drifting, push it in and rotate it in clockwise circles a few times, then (while still being pushed in), counter clockwise. If that doesn't solve the issue, get some compressed air and point it toward the edges of the stick and blow all the way around while pushing the stick in the opposite direction to make sure the air is getting in the crevices.

The compressed air part worked for me.
Click to expand...

When you say to push the affected controller stick in, do you mean to push it down, like R3 and L3?
 
Investor9872 said:
When you say to push the affected controller stick in, do you mean to push it down, like R3 and L3?
Click to expand...
Yes, exactly. Push R3 or L3 and while they're pressed down, rotate 360 in both directions a few times around. Personally this method did not work for me, but the compressed air fixed the problem immediately.
 
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Roxkis_ii said:
Got my ps5 at the end of February and already both my analog sticks have drift. I sort of fixed it myself by taking the controller apart and trying to clean the analog housing, but I think it I just extranded it's life by a little, because it still has moments when it will just drift super crasy for a moment, then stop, so I'm still going have to buy another.

These controllers are really fancy, even in the inside, but I feel like they may have cheaped out on the analog modules..
Click to expand...
It's a shame that no one has found a fix yet. All 3 consoles still have the drift. Very annoying.
 
My L2 triggers seems to be pressed all the time even though I'm not pressing it. Happened right after i played GT7 with a lot of constant braking and acceleration
 
My 3 controllers' right analogs all had this issue and I already sent them for repairs, too. :( They have been fine for 2 months now.
 
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