PS5's DualSense Has a Problem With Stick Drift [UPDATED]
PlayStation 5 users are crowding in to report another issues with the DualSense. This time, the problem is the analogs, which quite quickly began to drift, messing up control precison in games.
Update:
Over the past week, Sony has felt the first effects of DualSense's shortcomings. The PS5 manufacturer has received a lawsuit from law firm Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP for the aforementioned analog drifting. It claims that Sony is selling defective pads, and as the letter states: "This defect significantly interferes with gameplay and thus compromises the DualSense controller's core functionality." Lawsuits of similar nature have also been received in the past by Microsoft (Xbox Elite) and Nintendo (Joy-Con) due to a similar defect in their controllers.
As it turns out, it's not just the unavailability of the PlayStation 5 console in stores that's a big problem for Sony. Lately, also the latest DualSense controllers are starting to show their thorns. More and more PS5 users report controller's analog sticks drifting, making precise control in games impossible, and many are experiencing spontaneous character or camera movement in games.
In theory, this issue wouldn't be surprising for a piece of hardware that's already had a significant amount of time in the hands of gamers, but it's important to remember that the controller debuted last November. The first reports of analog drifting appeared on Reddit almost two months ago, with some users reporting the issue just days after purchasing their PlayStation 5. It's worth noting that the number of reports increases with each passing week.
While the aforementioned malfunction is covered by Sony's warranty, we have to reckon with shipping costs and a long waiting time. The company has also not done much to improve its controllers. The only exception is a very small update, but it is not known whether it really improved something. There are more and more tutorials online on how to fix the analogs by ourselves; sometimes even resetting the controller to factory settings helps, but these are rare cases. The best solution remains the replacement of defective analogs.
A large number of reports indicate that this is not a minor issue, and this is not DualSense's only fault. Previously, there have been reports of loose triggers that become less sensitive or stopped working altogether after prolonged use. However, such a widespread problem among PlayStation 5 owners could indicate a likely design flaw in the DualSense, with both the triggers losing sensitivity and the analogs drifting.