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[Giallo Corsa]

...i messed up

My black DS from April 2023 started exhibiting some minor (at first) stick drift a couple of months ago something which some contact cleaner and compressed air would fix for a couple of weeks until...last night.
Performed the same fix again to no avail since the right stick would still drift to the left.

Having nothing to lose since i'm out of warranty, i thought of doing some potentiometer deep cleaning by following these 2 videos :





Everything went nice and (kind of) easy, didn't rip any ribbon cables, opened up the potentiometers, cleaned them well using contact cleaner, assembled the joypad back and now, BOTH my sticks keep spazzing out/spin continuously.
Needless to say, i'm pretty bummed since this seemed like an easy fix, not only because of that but because i actually managed to make things worse.
This is the 2nd controller that i have, i imagine that if it was the only one in use this thing would have lasted half the time of what it did now for fuck's sake.

I really hate to spend extra money on these shitty controllers man and i'd really like to try a last resort :
Would getting some new potentiometers fix the problem i'm having ? The way i see it, i must have done something wrong with the small rings inside the small housing (are those the actual potentiometers ?), They all fitted well inside the small housings (all 4 of them) but, it's no coincidence that both my sticks are now fooked, maybe i bent their metal parts ? Heck if i know, reopened the DS, placed them again inside the housings but still the same problem.

I can't solder nor do i have the time or the patience to be learning how to do so ATM - are the potentiometers i posted in that AliExpress link plug 'n' play or do they need soldering ?

Sorry for the rant boys and thanks for any help/insights

 

[Celcius]

DualSense quality is the worst of any controllers I've owned.
None of my DualShock 1-4 controllers ever had any issues (my dualshock 3's batteries barely hold a charge now but that's just because they're old). I've had multiple issues with the DualSense controllers that I've owned over the years.
Plus they keep packing in new tech and features that make the controller heavier and more expensive, and that requires more battery drain as well.
I miss the simpler controllers tbh.

 

[Puscifer]

The fact they're charging you 80 dollars for these things without hall effect is insane to me.

 

[BennyBlanco]

The fact they're charging you 80 dollars for these things without hall effect is insane to me.

And the $60 8bitdos have went beyond hall effect to TMR.

 

[Mephisto40]

I would lean more towards getting replacement sticks from ebay tbh rather than trying to solder stuff

How much cleaner did you use to clean the sticks out just out of interest?, because flooding them would cause the issues you've said you are now having, if you leave them out to dry long enough outside the case you might find it fixes them

You shouldn't really need to pull the metal fixings apart to clean the sticks out, I've fixed a few myself. It sounds like you may have gone a little overkill with the dismantling. Usually just taking the sticks out, giving them a generous spray with contact cleaner, move the sticks around a bunch and allowing it to dry overnight fixes the stick drift

 

[Pejo]

Sounds like the little white rings on the stick sensors might not be aligned correctly. You already know what you have to do, take it apart and put it back together again.

 

[Zacfoldor]

I fixed my joycon stick drift with contact cleaner and a tooth pick. I think mine was just a little dirty. There is always a chance of fucking it up if you work on it though. I had the "start" button my dual senses start to get stiff. Turns out that if you keep them in too cold a climate for too long the little rubber band that functions as the spring for that button will get stiff. Sometimes you can break it when it is stiff. I'd had this happen across multiple controllers. I keep my controllers in an foot stool that sets on concrete and it must get pretty cold inside when it is cold outside, so it happens. It is well inside the battery safety temp though, so I do think it is an issue with the material used. I bet very few had ever had their PS5 controller get cold, lol. Another PS5 Pro issue I've had is the rattling of the modular disc drive. Only happens in vertical when on hardwood or concrete. Simple fix is to put a mouse pad under the console when it is sat on hard surfaces. It will absolutely quieten it down a lot and also stop most vibration noise from the disc drive. Just make sure that you have the entire ground contact area on the pad. If you are not using the stand and just have it sat vertically, or if you have it sat horizontally, you will need a larger mouse pad.

 

[Bitstream]

How much cleaner did you use to clean the sticks out just out of interest?, because flooding them would cause the issues you've said you are now having, if you leave them out to dry long enough outside the case you might find it fixes them

This was my thought as well

 

[iHaunter]

The fact they're charging you 80 dollars for these things without hall effect is insane to me.

Where are you paying $80? They're $65.

 

[GymWolf]

The fact they're charging you 80 dollars for these things without hall effect is insane to me.

They pump up the price with stupid ass gimmicks instead of actual useful stuff like backbuttons or quality sticks\triggers.

And a lot of people eat that shit up unfortunately.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

The fact they're charging you 80 dollars for these things without hall effect is insane to me.

Why would they add anything else than what it has now? It's working. People keep buying them.

I remember the palms of my hand bleeding while playing stuff like Mario Party 64 by spinning those fuckers so damn fast and those controllers lasting a decade, lmao.

Nothing is built to last nowadays. All these brands are building everything so that their products can last just long enough for them to not get sued or for warranty to not work...so 2 or years per 3 controller.

 

[El Muerto]

You can buy some new sticks, and take out the springs on the side and pop them into your controller.

I just put in some hall effect sticks in my dualsense that was getting stick drift and they're pretty nice, easy to adjust too. Just need a soldering iron (recommend the pinecil) a solder sucker, and some flux.

 

[SILKYSMOOTH30FPS]

Its hard to believe, but i fixed my dualsense over 10 times (think i am on the 12th). Began having drift within two months of the ps5 launch. The later few fixes didn't even remove the drift completely so i decided to remove those green plates (whatever they're called), and soldered some new ones i got from aliexpress. Ever since i did this like 9 months ago, zero drift.

 

[Alebrije]

I have My PS5 since launch day

original controller started to have drifft issues after 1 year ; since then I have bought 2 more controllers because the same reason, total 3 controllers and currently one started to have drifft problems like a week ago.

Sonly controllers are crap but saddly there are not choices....basically is a trap from Sony.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I've owned 4 dual sense controllers.

1 the OG DS that came with my PS5. Then I bought a black DS. I then traded in my OG PS5 and got a PS5 Pro and I also bought a PS anniversary DS.

None of these have ever had any stick drift.

 

[GymWolf]

I've owned 4 dual sense controllers.

1 the OG DS that came with my PS5. Then I bought a black DS. I then traded in my OG PS5 and got a PS5 Pro and I also bought a PS anniversary DS.

None of these have ever had any stick drift.

Fun fact, they probably have it but it is not noticeable with normal use\default settings.

When i returned my ps5 to the gamestop to get the pro with a discount, they didn't accepted my controller because their testing resulted in drifting, even if during normal gameplay i had none, and they told that it was extremely common with all the people returning their ps5s.

Thank god i had my friend working there so we just took the new ds5 from the pro and i kept my drifting-but-not-really old ds5.

 

[Puscifer]

Where are you paying $80? They're $65.

On sale. You know damn we'll these things go for $75 dollars usually.

https://direct.playstation.com/en-us/buy-accessories/dualsense-wireless-controller?smcid=pdc:us-en:web-pdc-accessories-dualsense-wireless-controller:buttonblock-buy-now

 

[demented waffle]

Edit: woops, wrong thread.

 

[Synless]

DualSense quality is the worst of any controllers I've owned.
None of my DualShock 1-4 controllers ever had any issues (my dualshock 3's batteries barely hold a charge now but that's just because they're old). I've had multiple issues with the DualSense controllers that I've owned over the years.
Plus they keep packing in new tech and features that make the controller heavier and more expensive, and that requires more battery drain as well.
I miss the simpler controllers tbh.

I disagree, first place is Nintendo switch joy cons… pieces of fucking shit. Second is Xbox, I have four controllers and two of them have stick drift.

I still have three ps5 controllers, one is my launch one and none suffer from stick drift.

 

[keefged4]

The fact they're charging you 80 dollars for these things without hall effect is insane to me.

It's on purpose, why would they sell you hall effect/TMR and have you only pay once for a controller?

 

[Jinxed]

In all the systems I've owned in my life, I only had drift from Nintendo's joycons. I must be extremely lucky. With these controller's pricing, it must suck to have to throw one away and buy another one, damn.

 

[mdkirby]

Get the edge, itll still fail, but it's much cheaper replacing the sticks than buying a new controller.

 

[DeVeAn]

It's on purpose, why would they sell you hall effect/TMR and have you only pay once for a controller?

Why create such a nice controller and purposely sabotage it? Asshole move really. Especially since they are so expensive.

 

[Sooner]

I've had alnost every console since the Atari 2600. I've only experienced stick drift 4 times - joycon, joycon, joycon and joycon.

 

[Walliwallipaloo]

...i messed up

My black DS from April 2023 started exhibiting some minor (at first) stick drift a couple of months ago something which some contact cleaner and compressed air would fix for a couple of weeks until...last night.
Performed the same fix again to no avail since the right stick would still drift to the left.

Having nothing to lose since i'm out of warranty, i thought of doing some potentiometer deep cleaning by following these 2 videos :





Everything went nice and (kind of) easy, didn't rip any ribbon cables, opened up the potentiometers, cleaned them well using contact cleaner, assembled the joypad back and now, BOTH my sticks keep spazzing out/spin continuously.
Needless to say, i'm pretty bummed since this seemed like an easy fix, not only because of that but because i actually managed to make things worse.
This is the 2nd controller that i have, i imagine that if it was the only one in use this thing would have lasted half the time of what it did now for fuck's sake.

I really hate to spend extra money on these shitty controllers man and i'd really like to try a last resort :
Would getting some new potentiometers fix the problem i'm having ? The way i see it, i must have done something wrong with the small rings inside the small housing (are those the actual potentiometers ?), They all fitted well inside the small housings (all 4 of them) but, it's no coincidence that both my sticks are now fooked, maybe i bent their metal parts ? Heck if i know, reopened the DS, placed them again inside the housings but still the same problem.

I can't solder nor do i have the time or the patience to be learning how to do so ATM - are the potentiometers i posted in that AliExpress link plug 'n' play or do they need soldering ?

Sorry for the rant boys and thanks for any help/insights

I wish I had the technical know-how to offer some measure of assistance (which I don't), but I will say this: you deserve props for having the initiative and drive to try and fix something, rather than just toss it (and potentially waste it).

This hardware generation has the cheapest, crappiest controllers I've ever seen. Right there next to the Panasonic 3DO. The Xbox pads are the absolute worst: flimsy sticks, cheap, clicky dpads, and a pathetic charge port made of string cheese, which almost seems designed to fail.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

...i messed up

My black DS from April 2023 started exhibiting some minor (at first) stick drift a couple of months ago something which some contact cleaner and compressed air would fix for a couple of weeks until...last night.
Performed the same fix again to no avail since the right stick would still drift to the left.

Having nothing to lose since i'm out of warranty, i thought of doing some potentiometer deep cleaning by following these 2 videos :





Everything went nice and (kind of) easy, didn't rip any ribbon cables, opened up the potentiometers, cleaned them well using contact cleaner, assembled the joypad back and now, BOTH my sticks keep spazzing out/spin continuously.
Needless to say, i'm pretty bummed since this seemed like an easy fix, not only because of that but because i actually managed to make things worse.
This is the 2nd controller that i have, i imagine that if it was the only one in use this thing would have lasted half the time of what it did now for fuck's sake.

I really hate to spend extra money on these shitty controllers man and i'd really like to try a last resort :
Would getting some new potentiometers fix the problem i'm having ? The way i see it, i must have done something wrong with the small rings inside the small housing (are those the actual potentiometers ?), They all fitted well inside the small housings (all 4 of them) but, it's no coincidence that both my sticks are now fooked, maybe i bent their metal parts ? Heck if i know, reopened the DS, placed them again inside the housings but still the same problem.

I can't solder nor do i have the time or the patience to be learning how to do so ATM - are the potentiometers i posted in that AliExpress link plug 'n' play or do they need soldering ?

Sorry for the rant boys and thanks for any help/insights

1. What kind of contact cleaner are you using?

2. Is it possible you bent the pins or solder joints too much while unclipping/re-assembling? Since a potentiometer is a variable resistor, the quality of the connection will affect functionality. You don't need to have snapped them off to affect the connection. It might explain why both sticks are a problem now.

 

[Neff]

DualSense quality is the worst of any controllers I've owned.

Western Dualsense yes. I went through three of them which all had issues- drift, crunchy sticks, trigger springs breaking, and so on. After doing a bit of research I was recommended to try a Japanese Dualsense, which I did. Three years of frequent play and not a single problem. People say the build quality is substantially higher and I can believe it.

 

[FrankWza]

Western Dualsense yes. I went through three of them which all had issues- drift, crunchy sticks, trigger springs breaking, and so on. After doing a bit of research I was recommended to try a Japanese Dualsense, which I did. Three years of frequent play and not a single problem. People say the build quality is substantially higher and I can believe it.

That's interesting.

 

[yurinka]

My European DualSense works perfectly since launch day. Maybe it's because I keep it clean.

 

[normalguy09x]

The good news is. There are now repair shops on ebay that repair dualsense controllers with hall effect sticks at a cheaper price than buying a new controller.

 

[Randall365]

Just use a hair dryer to dry it out OP - blow it in the gaps.

 

[DeepEnigma]

The good news is. There are now repair shops on ebay that repair dualsense controllers with hall effect sticks at a cheaper price than buying a new controller.

Got any links?

 

[normalguy09x]

Got any links?

Here is one in the u.s. https://www.ebay.com/itm/4055080379...lp:2332490&itmmeta=01JVWR6R5EF3Q013C7HHW4PFQW

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

I've had to pull mine apart several times already. They suck. I've replaced the springs on the triggers and other elements several times. Worth it.

 

[artsi]

Buying a customized DualSense with hall effect sticks from eBay has been a great purchase after going through 6 controllers and every one of them developing stick drift eventually.

 

[JaxarGT]

DualSense quality is the worst of any controllers I've owned.
None of my DualShock 1-4 controllers ever had any issues (my dualshock 3's batteries barely hold a charge now but that's just because they're old). I've had multiple issues with the DualSense controllers that I've owned over the years.

Agreed! I've been on PlayStation since the PS1 and I have NEVER had faulty controllers until the PS5. My two boys and I usually have around 5 controllers in rotation at any given time, and since launch I've had to trade around 8 of them back through EB under warranty due to stick drift.

Never before have I had this issue with PlayStation controllers.

 

[mayham2199]

All my controllers have gone bad but I can't blame Sony because I've dropped these things on tile floor a ton of times. My sons down button on his dpad doesn't even work now. He wanted me to buy a new controller or let him use mine and that got a good laugh out of me.

 

[Jigsaah]

I've only owned 2 controllers from Playstation since the PS4. I just recently had an issue with the right button of the D-pad likely because I play Tekken 8 and Guilty Gear Strive a lot. Dashing in to renovate someone's face will wear the controller down apparently. I probably need to chill. I don't need to hold it so tight.

Sorry to hear about your issue. Since it's already worse, maybe just try the steps again from scratch, just for good measure. I could have been the smallest thing that made the sticks go nuts like that.

 

[Kamina]

Contact Cleaner solved all my stick drift issues I've ever had. Never had to open any controller.

 

[Astray]

Giallo Corsa not sure where you are in the world, but you can find Some Gulikit TMR replacement sticks for the Dualsense.

Amazon.com