A new PlayStation 5 DualSense breakdown has revealed the possible causes of the driver’s driving.
The YouTube video, below, of iFixit looks in the DualSense to find out what is causing the power 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 the off-the-shelf joystick hardware “with a long history of predictable, preventable problems”.
The iFixit investigation found that the components in these sticks can easily exceed their lifespan in just over 400 hours of playing time.
But what causes power in the first place? It seems to be related to the potentiometers. A potentiometer is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding or rotating contact (rotating, in the case of DualSense) that forms an adjustable voltage divider to measure your position. Most modern game controllers have it under the hood.
There are other possible causes of drift. If you move your joystick around, the spring-loaded, self-centering mechanism can stretch slightly and create a new neutral point. This protracted spring can mislead the potentiometers into thinking you are putting your thumb on the stick, even if it is not.
And lastly, pollution can cause drift. Over time, plastic dust can accumulate in the mechanism of the components grinding together.
iFixit offers advice on how to fix a floating DualSense controller, but it involves opening and pinning inside. Alternatively, you can pay someone to stab it, return it if it is under warranty, or buy a new one.
iFixit ends by appealing to console controller manufacturers to make it easier to replace joysticks.
“It’s strange to us that console manufacturers do not consider joysticks as consumables, and design that they can be easily replaced. No device has been created for a limited number of actions, especially one that lives close to so much pollution and takes so much abuse, can maintain perfect performance forever. ‘
Eurogamer News Cast – Nintendo Direct Special
This week, Eurogamer reported on a US law firm that has filed a class action lawsuit against Sony over alleged DualSense deviation.
Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith (CSK & D), the firm behind the ongoing class action lawsuit against Nintendo over Joy-Con drift, filed in U.S. District Court in the southern district of New York on behalf of a plaintiff named Lmarc Turner, of Virginia and other U.S. customers affected by Sony Corporation of America and Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Sony has not yet commented.