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[>-Baron-Spamedi-<]

I got a wave blue one at launch. Within a few months the left stick was showing signs of wear and tear and the rubber eventually split.
About a month after their release in the UK I bought one of the white controllers and I've used that one ever since.
The thumb grip has started to ever so slightly look as if the surface is slightly smoother. Works perfectly fine and the rubber shows no signs of splitting.

It also feels slightly better put together to me, maybe less creaky if you twist it?
So, this is clearly anecdotal, the quality of the later model seems improved.

Otherwise I really like the functionality of the DS4 but the battery life is disappointing.

 

[ttech10]

The DS4 has done a LOT better than 90% of the DS3s I owned. In college our house had about 10 DS3 controllers and just from normal use, 8-9 of them had problems within 2-3 years. From the buttons to the sticks and triggers, they had at least one issue that made them mostly useless. On one, the sticks basically freely moved around. The quality of those things was laughable.

Currently I only have two DS3s and one of them is unreliable for gaming, the other is only ~1 year old. The only issue I've had with my DS4 so far has been battery life, and I play a LOT of FIFA which requires a ton of stick use.

 

[fallingdove]

This thread is hilarious. There is absolutely no middle ground, either the DS4 is the greatest controller of all time, or it is garbage not fit for even the most vile of society.

I am on the love it side of the fence. Two launch DS4s and not a single issue.

With my XB1 controllers, my Day One is broken and my second XB1 controller has difficulty staying connected.

I wouldn't say that either controllers are of bad build quality though.

 

[Ushay]

It's a far cry from the previous DS3 though.

That being said the battery life is shocking. Especially when compared to the XB1 controller. They could easily re-release a better built one.

 

[reKon]

I don't know if this is a case of people who are having issues being more likely to express their frustrations or if I just got really lucky. Maybe a defect rate of like 5% would cause this (5% is really high). My launch PS4 controller and extra unit I bought months after are perfectly fine. Maybe it's because I haven't played as much as some of the people who claim that are no good games this gen and played through a ton of them?

My only complaint is the lower battery life compared to the PS3.

 

[On Demand]

I I keep saying people say this, do you have any proof that this is true? Bought a White DS4 in January, R2 and sticks already bad.

It uses different rubber material. Maby it's still not strong enough?

I also noticed the L2 and R2 on my blue DS4 feels better than the black one that came with the PS4. The resistance is tighter and doesn't feel loose.

 

[Theonik]

I would do anything for a controller with more battery life. The DS4 battery life is just unacceptable.

For what it's worth it's pretty easy to swap the battery used in the DS4 with a battery with 2x the capacity.

 

[gatti-man]

Yep, still holding off until they're completely confirmed to be golden + better battery.

Not paying that much for a temporary controller.

Id gladly pay more for a controller with a good battery, adjustable triggers and some moddable buttons on the under side for shooters.

 

[jax]

Yeah the first one I got (pre-PS4 launch) has pretty much gone to shit. But that's okay cause I picked up 3 at Best Buy for $75 total when Sears fucked up their pricing, then I exchanged them all for different colors at Target. Guess I got the last laugh, Sony.

 

[privitsan02]

While I think Dual Shock 4 is the best controller I've ever used surpassing the Wave Bird, its build quality truly is questionable. My original controller had the R2 button become sticky and the spring got busted. Not to mention the rubber of my analog stick slowly coming off, which was a first. This was the first time I had to buy a second controller to replace my old one. It still works, but I'd rather have a functional R2. I have a feeling I'd have to buy a new controller every year it seems...

Best wishes.

 

[Theonik]

Yeah the first one I got (pre-PS4 launch) has pretty much gone to shit. But that's okay cause I picked up 3 at Best Buy for $75 total when Sears fucked up their pricing, then I exchanged them all for different colors at Target. Guess I got the last laugh, Sony.

Sony got paid the full amount. It was the retailer that lost money. Sony is laughing at all this.

 

[Simon_K]

Hey guys, I've been playing a lot of olli olli and I'm getting tired of my fingers sliding off the sticks ;_;

Which thumb grips do you guys use?

 

[gatti-man]

This thread is hilarious. There is absolutely no middle ground, either the DS4 is the greatest controller of all time, or it is garbage not fit for even the most vile of society.

I am on the love it side of the fence. Two launch DS4s and not a single issue.

With my XB1 controllers, my Day One is broken and my second XB1 controller has difficulty staying connected.

I wouldn't say that either controllers are of bad build quality though.

The feel and design of the ds4 is great (not perfect) the build quality is shit. So if you have a decently built ds4 it limits the amount of criticism. If you are like me and have a poopcicle then it's shit lol.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

Only problem I've had is that the rubber on my launch ds4 recently started peeling away. Was easily fixed with some thumbstick covers though. And no I haven't been using it wrong or whatever excuse people are coming up with. This has never happened with any of my other controllers.

 

[Hendrick's]

I'm on my 4th replacement controller, so yeah.

 

[jax]

Sony got paid the full amount. It was the retailer that lost money. Sony is laughing at all this.

Whomever is laughing, I could care less about the build quality of a $24 controller. Also I fixed the first controllers thumb stick ripping with a $5 cover.

 

[Kuro]

Launch controllers were horrible but the latest models haven't given me any issues at all.

 

[dano1]

Got my PS4 three weeks ago and so far no problem with DS4.

Maybe it's a problem with early DS4.

It was. Had both mine replaced and have had no problems with the new ones. Besides battery life it's the best controller out there!!

 

[wumster3000]

Sorry that you are having problems OP. My only gripes about the controller are the awful battery and It feels cheap. At least with my Wii U and Xbox One, I can change my battery pack. It's a terrible design choice by Sony.

 

[On Demand]

This thread is hilarious. There is absolutely no middle ground, either the DS4 is the greatest controller of all time, or it is garbage not fit for even the most vile of society.

I am on the love it side of the fence. Two launch DS4s and not a single issue.

With my XB1 controllers, my Day One is broken and my second XB1 controller has difficulty staying connected.

I wouldn't say that either controllers are of bad build quality though.

The main issue people have is the build quality. Which was a piece of shit when it launched. They improved it since then but it looks like there's still problems with it.

The feel and comfort of it is pretty much perfect though imo.

 

[sfedai0]

I hope the 20th anniversary one is defect free...

 

[Carl]

Both of my launch day controllers are still fine so obviously isn't an issue with all of them.

 

[gatti-man]

Sorry that you are having problems OP. My only gripes about the controller are the awful battery and It feels cheap. At least with my Wii U and Xbox One, I can change my battery pack. It's a terrible design choice by Sony.

I'm moving on to modded controllers. I'll probably try my hand at building my own too with the old ones I have. I'm not the craftiest person in the world but it's worth a shot.

Both of my launch day controllers are still fine so obviously isn't an issue with all of them.

This is exactly how I felt until I started playing destiny and my controllers just fell apart in front of me. Took about 6 months of FPS use for me to start to notice. Now almost a year in they aren't reliable enough for competitive play.

 

[Eternia]

I still don't understand what you people are doing to your controllers. I'm still using the same controller since launch, minimum 2 hrs a day, and the sticks are still totally fine.

No problems here. I like to think I take care of my stuff and some people report the weirdest things with the controller. What are doing to the controller?

Honestly have no clue what you people are doing to your controllers. I game on mine heavily due to Destiny, The Witcher 3, Mortal Kombat X, and now Arkham Knight and it still looks brand new, sticks and all. The battery life still sucks but it makes me scratch my head to come into threads like these and see people acting like their DS4s are falling apart after taking them out of the box.

I like to think people with these problems have sandpaper thumbs and grip the controller with all their strength.

It makes me feel better.

Sure you aren't chewing on it between rounds champ?

I don't get the thumbsticks thing. Either mine are not made of the same material as everybody else's or people are digging their nails into them or something. Had my PS4 since launch and after 100s of hours they are like new.

Here's an honest question. What do you guys gain from shouting down complaints and shifting the blame to users? If there really is an issue, wouldn't you like Sony to be informed and fix it in either future iterations of hardware or warranty replacements? There is always talk about "improved stick rubber" on newer controllers which seem lower the chance of having poor sticks.

...Why wouldn't you want that? You own the controller, any of these problems listed in the op (and others) could very well happen to you. I just don't get it.

 

[Kinsella]

Hey guys, I've been playing a lot of olli olli and I'm getting tired of my fingers sliding off the sticks ;_;

Which thumb grips do you guys use?

I use these (the convex with dimpled ones).

 

[hydrophilic attack]

Whomever is laughing, I could care less about the build quality of a $24 controller. Also I fixed the first controllers thumb stick ripping with a $5 cover.

And judging by this thread, so could a lot of other people

 

[Clockwork5]

I still don't understand what you people are doing to your controllers. I'm still using the same controller since launch, minimum 2 hrs a day, and the sticks are still totally fine.

Yes it must be our fault that our analogue sticks are shredding even though we have never had such problems with other controllers. Knock it off, dude.

I will say the newer controllers have a grip coating that seems to help the stick shredding. Time will tell though.

 

[Necron]

Have a tear on the right stick on my launch PS4 controller. So yeah... the PS4 controller has poor build quality compared to the PS1-3 controllers. It's a problem and should be fixed. This has never happened with any other official controllers I have had so no excuses.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

Here's an honest question. What do you guys gain from shouting down complaints and shifting the blame to users? If there really is an issue, wouldn't you like Sony to be informed and fix it in either future iterations of hardware or warranty replacements? There is always talk about "improved stick rubber" on newer controllers which seem lower the chance of having poor sticks.

...Why wouldn't you want that? You own the controller, any of these problems listed in the op (and others) could very well happen to you. I just don't get it.

I'd also like to add that just because it hasn't happened to their controllers yet doesn't mean it won't. A couple of months ago I was thinking I must have got lucky with my launch ds4, then the rubber finally started coming away.

 

[Oddvintagechap]

New controllers aren't any better or don't have different sticks

Double Lie.

 

[Dysun]

The controller quality is total dogshit, which is a shame because it feels really nice when it's brand new

 

[Clockwork5]

New controllers aren't any better or don't have different sticks

They absolutely are better and have different sticks.

What a strange comment...

 

[Hugstable]

Here's an honest question. What do you guys gain from shouting down complaints and shifting the blame to users? If there really is an issue, wouldn't you like Sony to be informed and fix it in either future iterations of hardware or warranty replacements? There is always talk about "improved stick rubber" on newer controllers which seem lower the chance of having poor sticks.

...Why wouldn't you want that? You own the controller, any of these problems listed in the op (and others) could very well happen to you. I just don't get it.

THANK YOU! Alot of us have issues, it's cool if they don't, but come on some of the posts in here are straight up trying to blame us like we do something with our controller other than playing a game. It comes up alot on both stick rubber and R2 problems so it's very specific, that should say something that alot of these controllers do have problems. It's cool if you don't have an issue, but stop with the blaming. Sony needs to know this, cause right now it's hard to ever want to think about spending money on any of these controllers, not matter how cool I think the 20th anniversary looks.

Double Lie.

Please show me proof that they are different, because they deteriorate just the same.

 

[WaLlbaNg]

I got 2 controllers replaced and had no problems with the repleaced ones, which seem to be out of a new production series fixing the problems

 

[bobawesome]

My controller is flawless after a year of fairly heavy use. My brother's controller, however, is worn out and the sticks feel like butter under your thumbs. I'm not sure if that's on him or the early models of the DS4.

 

[_woLf]

Am I the only one who feels like the PS4 controller feels better built than the Xbox One controller?

The trigger rumble in the Xbox One controller sounds like a phone vibrating on a sheet of tinfoil, there is constant disconnect issues, and the front and back plastic pieces are not flush with each other at the seam, causing my hands to occasionally get poked (and even a small cut, once) by sharp edges.

I love the PS4 controller and have only had two major issues with it: The sticks having the rubber rubbed off, and then the rumble seems to rattle or not work right in one of my controllers. Battery life has never been an issue for me. :/

 

[Atlas157]

Here's an honest question. What do you guys gain from shouting down complaints and shifting the blame to users? If there really is an issue, wouldn't you like Sony to be informed and fix it in either future iterations of hardware or warranty replacements? There is always talk about "improved stick rubber" on newer controllers which seem lower the chance of having poor sticks.

...Why wouldn't you want that? You own the controller, any of these problems listed in the op (and others) could very well happen to you. I just don't get it.

But I'm not shouting down anything. I was joking with my sandpaper comment.

 

[AgentP]

I have five, all look and play like new. I know this is a bitch fest, but the silent majority should chime in.

 

[Bunta]

I like the controller, but I've had my problems with it. I had to send my launch one to Sony for a replacement due to the rubber splitting. The rubber on the next is better, but it's obvious it's still wearing down. The same controller's right trigger after many hours of Destiny doesn't register all the time now. When using it on my PC, the program shows R2 reading doesn't go as far as the L2 one does.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

I have five, all look and play like new. I know this is a bitch fest, but the silent majority should chime in.

If you have five then your use is probably being divided between them. Wear and tear issues wouldn't appear as quickly as someone who only had one.

 

[rapid32.5]

my only complaint is the battery life, I'm using Destiny bundle controller, maybe it has a slightly better build quality. But then again I don't play games like COD which degrade controllers quite often. I had to go through three Dualshock 3 controllers back in the day and the battery life was about 3 times longer than DS4.

 

[klaus]

I like to think people with these problems have sandpaper thumbs and grip the controller with all their strength.

It makes me feel better.

Like this?

 

[visiblemode]

I have two launch DS4's and I have zero problems. I have put a ridiculous amount time into both units.

I really wonder, is it play style? Is it batch problems?

Why do some of us have old controllers that are practically like new and others wear them out in a month.

The DS4 is so divisive.

 

[protomouse]

The main problem is battery life. Useless.

 

[Mr. Nice_Guy]

New controllers aren't any better or don't have different sticks

The material on the sticks is different from the launch ones. I've only had mine for a week but I feel like the material will hold up a lot better than my launch ones.

If you bought a new one and they are ready deteriorating then either you got another bad controller or it's something you've done because that's pretty fast to see wear and tear already.

Do you play a lot of fighting games? XRD is what finally caused the left stick on my launch day controller to tear.

 

[Hubble]

Sony Dualshock 4 Gold controllers coming E3 2016

 

[Valnen]

The DS4 feels great to hold, but I'm pretty bitter about the short battery life and fragile sticks. You shouldn't need to replace your controllers in less than a year of use. They should be lasting 3+ years minimum, if not longer for the price tag. Less than a year of life would be okay if it cost $10 or something.

 

[Atlas157]

Sony Dualshock 4 Gold controllers coming E3 2016

Will something snap on it like my Gold headset?

Like this?

Yes.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Had a launch controller with a drifting left analog stick, luckily I was able to dump it on GameStop when they were doing those big PS4 trade in deals a few months ago and got a nice new shiny one. Have 5 PS4 controllers total, that's the only one I've had issues with.

 

[Gamer79]

I love the dualshock 4 and think it's the best controller out there. (coming from a 10 year xbox player.)

the only gripe I have is the battery life. I have had the controller for a year and have no problems with it.