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How Long Do Controllers Typically Last You?

The whole life of the console. Easy to do if you don't rage, keep your hands clean while gaming, and clean off the dried sweat and other crap that builds up on them.
 
Only have had two first party controllers crap out on me in almost 30 years of gaming.

First was the wired 360 controller I used for my PC and sometimes my 360. The cord split open and the wires frayed at the controller end of the cord. Replaced with a Razer Onza which works fine.

The second is the DualShock 4. Not the rubber analog tops, but the R2 trigger. I've broken three (!) controllers in the same way. Issue is caused when one of the plastic swivel posts breaks. I guess I don't press the triggers correctly or something. After attempting to repair using cheap Chinese knockoff buttons (they don't work btw) I just removed the internal spring and put the button back. With the spring in place the button presses itself on occasion. Now I have floppy R2 buttons in every controller, but at least they function.
 
Years, generally.

Most impressive is my near launch 360 controller. It's probably got several thousand hours of use and looks and feels no worse for wear outside of a worn down left thumbstick. I still use it as my primary PC controller even though I have newer 360 ones lying around.

Least reliable has been the Dual Shock 3. I'm on my third one and that system had far less use than my 360.

I also have three Gamecube controllers of five with A buttons that have lost their spring. It's like pushing a coin into a countertop.
 
I have 2 wireless 360 controllers that work barely, intermittently, that I got about a year after it launched. they probably worked for a few years before having problems.
Though I have 2 wired controllers that I got maybe a year or two after i got the first two, and they're still fine, and I use them for PC gaming all the time.

I have 2 wii motes I got in maybe 2008 or so that broke after about 3 years. I have 2 wii motion pluses that I got a little while after that, and they still work ok, (except for playing the goddamn harp in zelda SS)

so basically, I think that wired 360 controllers are pretty much boss.
 
Greenzxy said:
Then why do they last a year?
Click to expand...

I get new ones, I usually end up with 2-4 controllers, I love gadgets. For XBO/PS4 I still have the same ones. I gotta "exchange" the XBO ones though, the creaking is ridiculous (great ergonomics, bad assembling).
 
All still work but I got desperate one day for a wireless gamecube controller and bought some cheap chinese junk off ebay instead of paying more for a wavebird. The analog stick broke after a week of use.
 
DS3? 2007-2013
DS4? About 11 months.
My 360 controllers are both OK minus some stick drift, and my XB1 controllers are both in excellent condition still.

I consider this broken :(
imag1221aqcx2.jpg
 
Forever.

Good luck finding good N64 controllers, though. Freaking Mario Party.

Never buy 3rd party controllers. They suck mostly.
 
Matters on the controller.

SNES: Still works
N64: Around 3 years, the analog would always eventually wear down and not work as well
Gamecube: Still works
Dreamcast: Still works
Xbox: Still Works
Xbox 360: Most still work.. one refuses to charge has damage inside the wiring somehow.
PS4: White DS4 controller creaks and the option button is stuck. Feels cheap.. probably need to replace it soon.
 
I spiked a 360 controller once and broke it. Besides that, I've never had to replace a controller from wear and tear or break down. I DO have a couple friends who get new controllers when the little grip nubs on the thumb sticks wear down.

I never understood that
 
Forever, literally had no broken controllers and the old ones I own are still fully functioning. I clean them every fortnight so as not to built up any dust or dirt between the buttons or controller seams.
 
Mine almost never break, despite constant use. I had a wired 360 controller I used since launch, ended up giving it to a friend. He's still using it and it's doing well.
 
Unless I break them through anger, they last me as long as I keep them. Still have launch PS1/PS2/PS3 controllers that work just fine.
 
I rarely have a controller outright break unless it's a shitty third party one. I do end up replacing controllers every 3-4 years though, due to analog sticks getting loose, buttons sticking, or triggers/buttons squeaking. Basically small things that annoy me.

One of my worst gaming fears is my Wii U's Game Pad breaking, since there's no easy way to get a replacement so I'd need to buy a new console just to get the controller. Super dumb.
 
Since the end of the N64 era, I've never had a controller crap out on me. My Gamecube and Xbox controllers all still work, as does all of my 360 stuff.
 
Only controllers I ever broke were Xbox "Dukes". Fell off my couch while playing Def Jam and just stopped working. Happened about a month later with the replacement and learned to not put the damn thing on the couch. Guess the insides were made of stunt glass.

All the others lasted the entire life of the consoles. Pretty chill with my controllers.
 
One of my best friends has to buy a new controller for all his current systems at least once a year...occasionally more often. I had always been baffled by it, but I guess he's just really rough on them.

I've never broken a controller in my life. My N64 (which I still do use every so often) controllers all have terrible sticks now because those hinge sticks were awful. But every other system I've owned the controllers are still fine. Old and a bit worn for anything more than a generation ago, but decent enough shape.
 
Most of my controllers have lasted the generation except for the N64 and its dodgy analogue stick and my DS3 which started pressing Triangle randomly after less than 4yrs (bought 2009). Made for some funny multiplayer moments in GTA Online with my character randomly hopping out of a helicopter loaded with players.
 
All of my pads, besides the first run of DS4's, have lasted me 5+ years, and would last even longer if I had not sold them. Hopefully, this new DS4 version holds up half as long.

Note: I have no long-term knowledge of the 360 pad or it's issue with analog drift.
 
I can't stand analog sticks getting loose or drifting so I replace my controllers every few years. Just because a controller still functions that doesn't mean it's still good.
 
This may come as a shock to some, but for me, practically forever. I've never had a controller go bad on me. The closest I can say would be an Atari 2600 controller way back in the day, when I ripped the rubber cover off the joystick. It still worked, it was just damn uncomfortable.
 
I've never had a controller wear out on me. My PS1, Xbox, PS2, Gamecube, PS3, 360 and PS4 controllers are all still working beautifully. FWIW, this may be because I usually have 2 or 3 and I rotate through them.
 
I'm still using my old GameCube controllers for Smash. N64 had problems but that's mostly mario party's fault
 
I don't tend to murder my controllers, so they've all lasted me for as long as I've bought them.

The only exceptions:

- A couple of N64 controllers due to lots of Mario Party. Those analog sticks ain't great.
-Two of my main Gamecube controllers that I used in Melee/Brawl tournaments. Probably lasted me 1000+ hours each of Melee and Brawl gameplay, among other Gamecube games. If you've ever played Melee competitively, you know you are pressing a TON of buttons. Eventually my analog stick crapped out on one of them, and the L button on another.
 
Been gaming since NES days. Haven't had to replace a single controller yet. I'm lucky it seems.

Although I did have to perform regular maintenance on my N64 controllers.
 
Mine always last me the life of the console and beyond. The only consoles i've had where i've had to replace controllers has been Atari 2600 (joystick needed replacing like once a month....worst hardware i've ever used). Master system, had to buy another controller cuz the d-pad went. Xbox 360...had to replace the main controller twice because the left stick used to very slightly be off centre (so a tiny bit of movement would occur when left idle). Other than that....controllers have been good to me....especially Sony ones which have gotten heaps of use but never faltered.

BTW I'm real anal about looking after stuff. Lol I don't even let dust get on it let alone abuse or crumbs etc.
 
Still have every controller that came with each system. All still work fine, N64,PS1, GCube, Wii, PS3. A few of em have been through hell and back (box that had all my GameCube stuff fell in the pool) but still work like day 1.
 
I lost a PS2 controller because someone spilled water on it. Otherwise I've taken great care of my controllers. My grey N64 controller from Christmas 1996 is still cooking today.
 
Anth0ny said:
I don't tend to murder my controllers, so they've all lasted me for as long as I've bought them.

The only exceptions:

- A couple of N64 controllers due to lots of Mario Party. Those analog sticks ain't great.
-Two of my main Gamecube controllers that I used in Melee/Brawl tournaments. Probably lasted me 1000+ hours each of Melee and Brawl gameplay, among other Gamecube games. If you've ever played Melee competitively, you know you are pressing a TON of buttons. Eventually my analog stick crapped out on one of them, and the L button on another.
Click to expand...

Are you stocking up on the new Smash branded reissued controllers?

I'm like buying as much as I can afford lol. Luckily they're still available pretty widely in stores. Nintendo really fucked up with the adaptors though.
 
only controller related thing that didnt last was a third party nunchuck for the wii. it was one of the pdp afterglow ones i bought on sale so it wasnt a big loss. Everything else has lasted me since i got em
 
Until I get sick of them an upgrade or sell a console. The only exception to this was a Razer Onza which had all the rubber from the analogue sticks tear off. Was a piece of shit controller anyway.
 
I still have the first PS1 controller I ever bought (a DS1 when MGS came out). Everything before that was shared, but everything after that I still have. I have very clean 6th gen controllers for every console still. I have nice NES, Genesis and SNES controllers too but I haven't had them since launch, more like 1999 when I discovered ebay.

Last gen I traded in quite a few controllers, but mostly because of Amazon and Gamestop promotions that made it very cheap or free to upgrade to a brand new controller as soon as holiday deals started. None of them were unusable, mostly DS3s that lost the matte feeling on the sticks.
 
I usually get rid of a system before the controllers break down. I don't really hold onto things for long. The only exception is stick drift or controllers having themselves an accident and throwing themselves around.
 
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