• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

DS4 thumb sticks might have a problem?

malaphorically

Neo Member
Finally got around to taking a picture.

4n74.jpg


My Launch day console boxed edition DS4 after about 160ish hours.
Left stick. Replacement is on the way via Amazon refund. Also, picked up some Grip-its.

Did Amazon ask you to return your original?
 

Revengineer

Unconfirmed Member
Wow.

Either I'm not playing my PS4 much, or some of these controllers were made with some real shoddy China-grade materials. My thumbsticks on both the pre-launch standalone controller and pack-in are perfectly like new.
 
how the fuck did this happen lol

Well, what FEELS like is happening is that the plastic of the stick itself is rather sharp right there at that edge. Like sharp enough to cut through the rubber with repeated use from the inside out. A lot of that damage is me just continuing to play through it - normal use stretches and tears the rubber once any small flaw is exposed.

Did Amazon ask you to return your original?

No, they refunded me the cost of a new controller and sales tax on my account.

You play with your thumbs not your teeth. Moron.


Pretty sure we've already determined that this issue has nothing to do with fingernails or chewing. I have no pets or children. My hands and home are kept clean. My original DS3 has several thousand hours of gaming on it and the rubber did nothing like this. It's a quality control issue, please quit blaming the users.
 

eldudebro

Member
Noticed tonight my DS4 left stick is beginning to flake.
I estimate I've only played for around 30 hours maximum, so I am pretty bummed by this. Feel it's only going to degrade further. Pretty poor show, my launch sixaxis DS3 is still going strong!

Has anyone in the UK had any luck getting a replacement off Amazon UK for this problem?
 

KiraXD

Member
no tearing or anything but ive been playing for a few hundred hours now... all thats happening is the grip is getting smooth (like every dualshock grip)
 

.GqueB.

Banned
Pretty sure we've already determined that this issue has nothing to do with fingernails or chewing. I have no pets or children. My hands and home are kept clean. My original DS3 has several thousand hours of gaming on it and the rubber did nothing like this. It's a quality control issue, please quit blaming the users.
...I was joking.

Gaming side is a strange place.
 
Wish the PS4 would keep track of how long you've been playing each game. Got my system on launch day, been playing a tonne of Resogun, and I'm maybe 2-3 hours into Killzone and my thumbsticks still look perfectly fine.
 

viveks86

Member
Both my controllers' left sticks have been 'shedding' for a week now. I'm just waiting for it it to get bad enough before I turn them in and demand a replacement
 

Rich!

Member
Used my DS4 a ridiculous amount since the UK launch. No issues yet. It's a chinese built controller.

Are the ones with issues chinese built or japanese? Or is there no correlation?
 

John_B

Member
Two small holes has started to appear on the edge of the left stick on my controller. I noticed tiny rubber marbles were coming off the stick every time I used it.

L1 also started to get stuck within a short amount of time. But easily fixed by popping it off and cleaning the plastic residue.

Some of the materials are simply not good enough. The controller could also use two more screws to firmly fit the backend part. Otherwise a great controller.
 

viveks86

Member
Used my DS4 a ridiculous amount since the UK launch. No issues yet. It's a chinese built controller.

Are the ones with issues chinese built or japanese? Or is there no correlation?

No correlation that I'm aware of. Although there seem to be lesser complaints since the UK launch
 

RedAssedApe

Banned
hmm seems like we are in the clear if your control doesn't start flaking as that looks like the initial symptoms before full on tearing.

knock on wood. nice that Amazon has been reimbursing people without you having to go through Sony and the long ass warranty replacement process though.
 

jaosobno

Member
I saw this issue on left analog sticks on two demo stations. Note that I live in a small country (Croatia) and that local "Sony Center" shop certainly didn't see thousands of people trying these controllers. Since I plan to buy PS4 when Infamous releases, I really hope they'll resolve this issue by then.

Has Sony issues any form of official statement regarding this problem?
 

Rainy Dog

Member
Has anyone with a UK system had this issue yet? Have over 50+ hours in to mine, no signs of wear yet.

No, mine's perfectly fine as well Nibs after at least the same amount od playtime. Not even the slightest sign of wear. My R1 button is knackered though, sticks everytime I press it on the right hand side. Tried popping it off and cleaning it but that only sorts it temporarily.
 

Griss

Member
Irish PS4 user here with two controllers.

Both have had the rubber start to flake off their sticks, but so far it hasn't been a serious problem. What's far more worrying is the overall shoddy build quality of them both. They feel incredibly cheap. When I play I can feel the top and bottom parts of the chassis itself moving against each other as if they are loose at the seams. I want to open it up and screw them back together. If I flex my hands together I can hear the whole thing creak and feel it move - again this is because it's loose. One controller is far worse than the other at this, though.

On top of that all of the L1/R1 buttons stick.

All in all they are really shoddy pieces of work and I am very disappointed. The basic design of the controller is stunning, but the build quality just isn't up to scratch.
 
Halfway through this thread, my sticks were holding up so well that I couldn't understand how anyone was having an issue, but now my left stick is starting to peel too. Fuck.
 

Griss

Member
Halfway through this thread, my sticks were holding up so well that I couldn't understand how anyone was having an issue, but now my left stick is starting to peel too. Fuck.

This was exactly my experience. 'Shit, these things are perfect! What the hell are all these morons doing to theirs?'

One week later: 'Ah, shit.'
 

Ardenyal

Member
My R1 button is knackered though, sticks everytime I press it on the right hand side. Tried popping it off and cleaning it but that only sorts it temporarily.

Mine did that for about a week.

70+ hours of mashing R1 in warframe fixed it though. Never opened the controller or anything it just started sticking less and less.
 
Halfway through this thread, my sticks were holding up so well that I couldn't understand how anyone was having an issue, but now my left stick is starting to peel too. Fuck.

This was exactly my experience. 'Shit, these things are perfect! What the hell are all these morons doing to theirs?'

One week later: 'Ah, shit.'

Hah! Same.
And look how it turned out for me!

At least now I have 2 controllers for the price of 1. Even though one of them needs stick surgery - I can probably mask the issue with grip-it's until I decide to take an x-acto and remove the factory rubber, file down the sharp edges of the plastic, and then plasti-dip them.
 

dcx4610

Member
The texture in the middle of both of my analogs have completely worn away already. I used to think it was only, fat, sweaty, mongoloid hands and fingers that caused those kind of problems but it's already happened on the DS4 for me.

It's not all that bad, it's just a smooth feeling to the middle now rather than the textured feel when it was brand new. I could already tell from the moment I picked it up that the rubber texture wasn't going to last. It almost felt like an eraser head.
 

entremet

Member
Finally got around to taking a picture.

4n74.jpg


My Launch day console boxed edition DS4 after about 160ish hours.
Left stick. Replacement is on the way via Amazon refund. Also, picked up some Grip-its.

I've seen demo units look like that.

They've really cheaped out this tiem. I remember old PS3 demo units with old ass controllers all fine. But seeing DS4 break down so quickly is crazy. System is not that old.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Two weeks of playing several hours a day most days here, and not a single blemish on the sticks so far that I can see. I don't know if I just use my controller in a more careful way than some other people, or if there's truth to the different batches theory.

Used my DS4 a ridiculous amount since the UK launch. No issues yet. It's a chinese built controller.

Are the ones with issues chinese built or japanese? Or is there no correlation?

I think all controllers are Chinese? Because mine is, but my PS4 is Japanese.
 

SonnyBoy

Member
I've had zero issues with my controllers. Thankfully. My 360 controllers look like that, but that's after years of use. I've seen my brothers controllers end up like that, but his kids destroy his stuff.
 
I've seen demo units look like that.

They've really cheaped out this tiem. I remember old PS3 demo units with old ass controllers all fine. But seeing DS4 break down so quickly is crazy. System is not that old.

I think maybe it's a factory/design issue. I think the problem on mine, as I said, is that the plastic edge of the actual analog stick itself (that the rubber is applied to) is actually kind of SHARP. It's invisible to the naked eye until it starts to cut into the rubber from the inside out. Once a weakness is created, it causes stress related breakage which magnifies the problem.

The DS3 analogs had a rounded or curved edge. The DS4 analogs are basically rubber covered knives. Combined with a new/different kind of rubber that may not be as sturdy as the previous gen. (but which is grippier and nice when new) - that's what seems to be the issue on my specific controller.

When I decide to plasti-dip my controller, I'm going to file down the sharp edges first. I have a feeling that will solve most of my problems.
 

shwimpy

Member
Wish the PS4 would keep track of how long you've been playing each game. Got my system on launch day, been playing a tonne of Resogun, and I'm maybe 2-3 hours into Killzone and my thumbsticks still look perfectly fine.
The PS4 doesn't do this? Even the Wii U does it! =P

But yeah, I've spent numerous hours on Resogun (plat'd it!) and Battlefield 4 since launch and my sticks are fine.
 
Two weeks of playing several hours a day most days here, and not a single blemish on the sticks so far that I can see. I don't know if I just use my controller in a more careful way than some other people, or if there's truth to the different batches theory.



I think all controllers are Chinese? Because mine is, but my PS4 is Japanese.

There is truth to the batches theory. Check my post on the last page with comparison photos. The two sticks have a significant difference in texture.

Why are these same issues coming up over and over and over and over? Just like the terrible joke "play with your thumbs. moron." We're on page 33 of this thread and seeing the same nonsense from page 3.
 
When I first heard about this and saw the intial pictures I figured it was down to the users and over use.
Then it started happening to my controller.

I noticed the rubber around the left stick was getting smooth after a week. I did have that week off work and I had been playing a lot of Killzone, Resogun and Battlefield 4. Some wear and tear would be inevitable with that sort of play time.

Then two nights a go I tried the DS4 with my PS3 on Super Stardust HD and honestly after a 1 hour playing, the right stick was a whole lot worse for wear. I could feel it wearing down under my thumb.
The edges have smoothed like they had on the left stick and it looks like the centre part of the rubber is going to wear into a hole any day now.
 
Damn, the peeling has finally hit me. Anything that can be done? Contact Sony?

I did a livechat with a sony customer service rep. The only solution they would offer is for me to send it back at my expense and then wait for a replacement. I hope that this gets picked up by more gaming/mainstream press and they come up with a more consumer-friendly replacement method.
 

nampad

Member
My PS4 arrived wednesday and one of my controller already has the problem. Played mostly Fifa against my brother the last few days and the controller was used maybe around 6-8 hours, maximal 10. My other controller, which was used more, doesn't have any problems. Sucks to have this on me right before the holidays and my vacation.
Amazon.de won't exchange the controller, only my console bundle for which they can't even guarantee a delivery date. They said I should call Sony.

Sucks to have this happen, especially right before the holidays and my vacation. I guess I have a new console curse on me, shit like this always happens to me.
 
Finally got around to taking a picture.

4n74.jpg


My Launch day console boxed edition DS4 after about 160ish hours.
Left stick. Replacement is on the way via Amazon refund. Also, picked up some Grip-its.

Holy fuck! This is really something else.

I've noticed mine has microscopic tearing as seen in the pictures before... but through continued use, it just gets "smothered" out.

If your picture is an end result, then WOW. If I can refund through Amazon, that's great, but I got my second controller from Toys R Us and I doubt they will be kind
 

malfcn

Member
It's more expected..but the Target demo controller was torn up a bit. But almost everything gets mangled in public displays.
 

sca2511

Member
I'm starting to get a little flaking, but it's not really affecting gameplay, just my mind. Hoping it doesn't end up like tokyo slim's.
 
Top Bottom