PS5 DualSense teardown reveals potential causes of controller drift Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. PS5 DualSense teardown reveals potential causes of controller drift No easy fix. News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 20 Feb 2021 120 comments A new PlayStation 5 DualSense teardown has revealed the potential causes of controller drift. The YouTube video, below, from iFixit looks inside the DualSense to find out what is causing the drift that some users have reported. According to iFixit, the DualSense as well as the DualShock 4, the Xbox One and Xbox One Elite controllers all use off the shelf joystick hardware "with a long history of predictable, preventable issues". iFixit's investigation found the components in these sticks "could easily exceed their operating life in just over 400 hours of game time". But what's causing drift in the first place? It appears to relate to wear to the potentiometers. A potentiometers is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding or rotating contact (rotating, in the DualSense's case) that forms an adjustable voltage divider to measure your position. Most modern game controllers have these under the hood. There are other potential causes of drift, too. As you move your joystick around, the spring-loaded, self-centering mechanism can stretch slightly, creating a new neutral point. This stretched spring can trick the potentiometers into thinking your thumb is on the stick even when it's not. And finally, contaminants can cause drift. Over time, plastic dust can accumulate in the mechanism from the components grinding together. iFixit offers advice on how to fix a drifting DualSense controller, but it involves opening it up and getting stuck into its innards. Alternatively, you can pay someone to have a stab at it, send it back if it's under warranty, or buy a new one. iFixit ends by calling for console controller makers to make it easier to replace joysticks. "It's bizarre to us that console makers don't consider joysticks to be consumable parts, and design them to be easily replaced. No device created for a finite number of actions, especially one that lives near so much contamination and takes so much abuse, can maintain perfect performance forever." Watch on YouTube Eurogamer News Cast - Nintendo Direct special This week, Eurogamer reported on a US law firm that has filed a class action against Sony over alleged DualSense drift. Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith (CSK&D), the firm behind the ongoing class action against Nintendo over Joy-Con drift, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of a plaintiff called Lmarc Turner, of Virginia, and other affected customers in the US against Sony Corporation of America and Sony Interactive Entertainment. Sony has yet to comment. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store