Controller joystick drift

Controller drift is a curse that befalls every gamer at one time or another, but few feelings are worse than when it occurs mid-play session.

Joy-cons, gamepads, controllers—they're known by many names and come in many forms. However, they all eventually run into the same problem: joystick drift. In most cases, the problem gets so bad that you eventually have to scrap the controller and get a new one. But what exactly is joystick drift? And if the problem is so prominent, why hasn't it been fixed yet?

Controller joystick drift

Growing up, I have always played Xbox, and one problem that I've consistently had has to do with the joysticks of the controllers. The problem that I experience the most is referred to as a drift stick, which is when your character in the game moves or looks around when you're not touching the controller. This can become extremely frustrating in first and third person video games, and make it difficult to play well. I decided to create this guide to help others running into the same issue. Keep the item away from children and avoid touching your face and open wounds while using it. Connect your controller and see if there are any drift stick problems on any game. After fixing the controller, if there are any more problems, later on, repeat the same process to have it working again. Cancel: I did not complete this guide. Badges: Personally wouldn't recommend using hand sanitizer. For example, many brands include fragrances, moisturizers, vitamin-E, etc. I had actually been dumb enough not to look this up, so I just replaced the thumb sticks and it had made it better, but it didn't fix it. Any recommendations?

You can do a few things to fix the stick drift issue without getting a new controller.

Fix worn-out thumbstick pads, replace the thumbstick springs, or replace the analog stick. Jump to a Section. When an Xbox One controller starts suffering from drift, you'll typically notice unwanted movement while playing games. It's called controller drift, or analog stick drift, because one or both thumbsticks will drift, or move, in an undesired direction even when you aren't touching them. To fix Xbox One controller drift, you'll have to take the controller apart and repair or replace one or more components related to the analog sticks. The most common situation involves drift in the left analog stick, which usually manifests in your character constantly looking up in first-person games. However, the right stick can also suffer from drift issues.

Joystick drift is a big problem regardless of what controller you use, but some models are more prone to the issue than others. Luckily, fixing Xbox controller drift is just a matter of taking apart the controller and running some simple repairs. In extreme cases, a quick joystick replacement would be required, but that's about all you need to do. Before we talk about how to fix Xbox controller drift, let's take a quick look at what causes it in the first place. We've covered what joystick drift is and how manufacturers can fix it before, but in a nutshell, it happens when the potentiometer inside the joystick module wears out from constant usage or gets dust and debris stuck in it. This causes inaccurate readings which are in turn read as inputs by your controller, resulting in stick drift.

Controller joystick drift

Controller drift is a curse that befalls every gamer at one time or another, but few feelings are worse than when it occurs mid-play session. For the uninitiated, controller drift is the terminology for joysticks that take on a life of their own, wrestling control away from the user. Sounds familiar?

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You might spend more on it than your average controller, but you'll get much nicer, more accurate joysticks that'll last you much longer. So, unless you're willing to desolder and replace your joysticks, you will have to scrap an otherwise perfectly functional controller. Before I dive into the details I would like to reiterate that this mod was mainly to prove an idea and while it works as intended it is complete overkill since replacing the drifting stick or parts of it usually remedies the issue. This difference in resistance is what causes stick drift. Develop and improve services. More by the author:. A can of compressed air and some carefully positioned spraying should solve the problem, provided the cause of drift in your controller isn't pot failure. Even with OEM brand new sticks this resistance isn't always promised but in my experience close enough is good enough. However, they all eventually run into the same problem: joystick drift. I hope I explained this well! Replace Thumbstick Springs.

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An analog stick uses two potentiometers per stick to relay how the stick is being moved. As for swappable joysticks, Sony admirably launched the DualSense Edge controller that comes with swappable joysticks. I hope I explained this well! The controller uses this to create a changing voltage by moving that wiper closer to ground or closer to a positive voltage. Check the thumbsticks to see if they're positioned correctly, and try wiggling them to see if they're loose. What's worse is that it's difficult to fix this problem unless you're handy enough with electronics to take apart your controller and physically inspect the pots. Game Console Reviews. You can do a few things to fix the stick drift issue without getting a new controller. A single component failing inside your controller can introduce drift, making the controller unusable and eventually ending up in the trash. While this operation doesn't require an electronics engineering degree, it's still a relatively complicated process for the average gamer who just wants to pick up their controller and play their favorite game. That translates to about hours of Call Of Duty gameplay. But if the pot is busted, joystick drift will make the entire controller unusable. Controller drift is a curse that befalls every gamer at one time or another, but few feelings are worse than when it occurs mid-play session. I had actually been dumb enough not to look this up, so I just replaced the thumb sticks and it had made it better, but it didn't fix it.