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[SirMossyBloke]

Huh? Where do you live? I thought its always at least two years on electronics.

Are you from Europe? Possibly the UK? I think you guys have a standard two year warranty. In North America the standard is 1 year with 90 days on accessories. Not sure where a controller would fit into this though. People are saying its covered for a year so I'm going with that.

 

[Orayn]

Has Sony made any official attempt/announcement on the quality of their controllers?

It's like the console team worked overtime and the quality control guys over at accessories just sort of poked at the controller and said "it works".

They changed the material/texture of the DualShock 4 sticks on newer models, except there are still a lot of the older ones out there. Some of those are defective, some are seemingly indestructible, and many are in between.

 

[Polioliolio]

Has Sony made any official attempt/announcement on the quality of their controllers?

It's like the console team worked overtime and the quality control guys over at accessories just sort of poked at the controller and said "it works".

I don't own either an Xbox One or a PS4, but after playing them both in Best Buy, I can not believe the cheap, shoddy construction of these controllers!

They both feel cheap as hell, crappy easy to scratch plastic, lightweight, and the analog sticks feel like junk.

I use 360 controllers to play on PC, and wow, these things are a masterpiece of quality construction compared to this new gen stuff.

 

[Rambotito]

That happens to 2 of my PS3 controllers sometimes. Not only that either, for some reason the controller gets possessed and starts controlling itself. I try to do one thing and it does the other.

Mine does the exact same thing. Suddenly it will start activating all of the buttons at once as well as activating the stick movement. The only way I can fix it is to turn off the controller (if it lets me) or plug it in via the USB cable. It's very random and the only thing I notice is that the red light on the controller will start blinking when it gets all schizophrenic.

 

[m@cross]

Controllers breaking and new colored version coming out this month... Sony is genius!

 

[Atlas157]

They changed the material/texture of the DualShock 4 sticks on newer models, except there are still a lot of the older ones out there. Some of those are defective, some are seemingly indestructible, and many are in between.

I got my PS4 in February this year so I guess my DS4 is indestructible.

 

[Orayn]

I got my PS4 in February this year so I guess my DS4 is indestructible.

There are people with launch DS4s who haven't had any wear issues either, so it really seems to be more an issue of inconsistent quality than some fundamental design flaw that affected everyone.

I got my PS4 last month from the $360 eBay deal; the sticks are the old style and haven't shown any sign of ripping or flaking yet, though the middle of the left stick has been worn a bit smooth and tends to get a little weird and greasy now. Luckily, I'm the tinkering type and won't have any problem replacing it myself if the issue gets worse.

 

[MJLord]

If it's a drift issue it's most likely a problem with the mechanism, not the cap on that mechanism.

Ah good point.

 

[vypek]

Guess I am lucky here as I only have a squeaky L2 button (so far at least)

 

[icespide]

man this sucks for people having issues. I plan on picking up one of those white DS4's when they come out next month and I'm curious to compare it with my original DS4 for build quality differences

 

[Orayn]

man this sucks for people having issues. I plan on picking up one of those white DS4's when they come out next month and I'm curious to compare it with my original DS4 for build quality differences

From what I've heard and seen, the new sticks have a rougher surface with more pronounced bumps, less "grippy"/tacky rubber, and are a bit darker in color. Seems like they might have moved to an entirely new material again, since the original DS4 rubber was also different from what they used on PS2 and PS3.

 

[dark10x]

Any updates on this? I've just started noticing the problem as well. Both in Alien and Shadow Warrior. While walking forward the character often seems to get stuck or hitch up. It's quite annoying.

 

[Dr. Kaos]

I bought my PS4 at launch and it took until now for my right thumbstick rubber to get torn. My left thumbstick has scars so it's only a matter of time before it get torn as well.

Sony support will replace it, though I'm not happy at all about having to pay for shipping it back to them. They fucked up, it shouldn't cost me a goddamn dime.

I also think that people who have extremely short nails will have their rubber last longer, but that's just a theory.

 

[Jamaro85]

So I wanted to make a thread about this same issue since I couldn't find anything similar. Finally stumbled upon this one somewhat on accident. I think this issue becomes more interesting since we are now just out of the warranty period for launch consoles. I'm just going to copy and paste the thread that could not come to be. Keep in mind that this was typed up before I found/read through this thread:

Is anybody else having an issue with either of the analog sticks not always recognizing input? I was playing TLoU Saturday and noticed that when moving forward with Joel he sometimes slows down or stops moving outright for a brief moment, then goes back to full speed. This persists for my entire time playing. Sometimes he will completely stop in place for a second plus before moving again. It's even worse if I make any slight side movements, and I can forget about attempting to zig zag through an environment. The issue began happening with even more frequency when I played for a few hours yesterday.

I know there is a one year warranty on all PS4 hardware, but unfortunately I am a few days outside of the warranty period. For some reason I thought I was well beyond the warranty period (didn't realize the PS4 came out on the 15th, today is the 17th). I called Sony support and tried everything I could to reason with the rep, but it seemed pretty clear that there was nothing they could do as they would need proof of purchase to verify the hardware was in warranty.

What bothers me the most about all of this is that I feel like I've barely played my PS4. I played a couple hours a night most days of the week for about a month when the system came out, then a couple days a month for a few months, and I eventually had months go by without turning it on. I haven't put much use on the controller relative to how long I've owned it, but [almost] within a year it is becoming borderline unusable. I did a few minutes of Google searching and found that I was not the only person with this particular issue, but fortunately the other people who had this problem were within the one year warranty period.

The main reason I'm making this post is to ask for advice on what to do. I'm wondering if there's any way to repair this issue myself. I doubt it's as simple as buying a new analog stick and throwing it in there. I would rather not have to resort to dropping 50+ on a new controller but feel that I have no other choice right now (perfect timing after shelling out for DA:I and GTAV).

Any help is much appreciated.

 

[Syphon Filter]

What is Sony waiting for? Its been a year with the same issue.

 

[DoubleTake]

So I wanted to make a thread about this same issue since I couldn't find anything similar. Finally stumbled upon this one somewhat on accident. I think this issue becomes more interesting since we are now just out of the warranty period for launch consoles. I'm just going to copy and paste the thread that could not come to be. Keep in mind that this was typed up before I found/read through this thread:

Is anybody else having an issue with either of the analog sticks not always recognizing input? I was playing TLoU Saturday and noticed that when moving forward with Joel he sometimes slows down or stops moving outright for a brief moment, then goes back to full speed. This persists for my entire time playing. Sometimes he will completely stop in place for a second plus before moving again. It's even worse if I make any slight side movements, and I can forget about attempting to zig zag through an environment. The issue began happening with even more frequency when I played for a few hours yesterday.

I know there is a one year warranty on all PS4 hardware, but unfortunately I am a few days outside of the warranty period. For some reason I thought I was well beyond the warranty period (didn't realize the PS4 came out on the 15th, today is the 17th). I called Sony support and tried everything I could to reason with the rep, but it seemed pretty clear that there was nothing they could do as they would need proof of purchase to verify the hardware was in warranty.

What bothers me the most about all of this is that I feel like I've barely played my PS4. I played a couple hours a night most days of the week for about a month when the system came out, then a couple days a month for a few months, and I eventually had months go by without turning it on. I haven't put much use on the controller relative to how long I've owned it, but [almost] within a year it is becoming borderline unusable. I did a few minutes of Google searching and found that I was not the only person with this particular issue, but fortunately the other people who had this problem were within the one year warranty period.

The main reason I'm making this post is to ask for advice on what to do. I'm wondering if there's any way to repair this issue myself. I doubt it's as simple as buying a new analog stick and throwing it in there. I would rather not have to resort to dropping 50+ on a new controller but feel that I have no other choice right now (perfect timing after shelling out for DA:I and GTAV).

Any help is much appreciated.

Same thing happens to me. The weird thing is it happens with one controller but not my other one in TLOU. However the problem doesnt show up in any other games, or perhaps due to how movement is in TLOU its much more apparent. Im not sure.

Either way you may end up having to get a new controller my friend, havent found any fixes online.

 

[AmaterasuOni]

Left stick as well! Had to RMA it. I played Tomb Raider when Lara suddenly stopped running. Stick "button" didn't work anymore. Lara just staggered forward.

It was a black boxed DS4. Luckily I had my magma, so I didn't lose anything while the black one was in RMA.

Interestingly this new pad is much heavier than the boxed and magma are. Magma was a bit eavier than the boxed one.

P.S. A bit of a necro, but what the hell.

 

[vesvci]

What is Sony waiting for? Its been a year with the same issue.

Maybe they're isolated issues? I've never heard of this before. Very odd to say the least.

 

[jaaz]

I have had two DS4 controllers do this. Either they drift, or else they pause and hesitate when you have them pushed in a direction. First noticed it during Diablo 3, when my character would hesitate when moving through a dungeon. It was annoying as hell. They were beyond the Amazon return period, so I had to buy two new ones and the old ones are now a couple of paper weights.

The quality of these DS4 controllers is definitely a step below the DS3.

 

[bobbytkc]

Has Sony made any official attempt/announcement on the quality of their controllers?

It's like the console team worked overtime and the quality control guys over at accessories just sort of poked at the controller and said "it works".

For most people, the controller works just fine. They wouldn't do anything unless it is widespread enough. The ps4 is popular enough that there can be hundreds of thousands of people having issues and still be a tiny minority.

 

[Sumasshu]

My right stick kept drifting up also on my launch controller. I shipped it to Sony a few weeks ago and they replaced the controller. I had to pay shipping to get it there, but that's it. Phone call only took 10 minutes.

 

[msdstc]

You guys there is nothing wrong with the controller. Clearly the only issues have been for slobs and cheeto finger grease balls.

 

[Pachimari]

My 2 left sticks' rubber scratched off as well, just I modified one controller to have 2 right sticks, but now those are peeling off as well.

Seriously low quality controllers.

 

[anddo0]

My left stick had a drift problem (drifted downward). I sent it back to Sony about three weeks ago.

Sony sent me back a new controller. But, apparently this one has a problem retaining charge. It loses charge when not in use. I'll unplug it at 3 bars at night, and the next morning it's already down one bar.

It's sad, but they don't build these things like they used to.

 

[IISANDERII]

So I wanted to make a thread about this same issue since I couldn't find anything similar. Finally stumbled upon this one somewhat on accident. I think this issue becomes more interesting since we are now just out of the warranty period for launch consoles. I'm just going to copy and paste the thread that could not come to be. Keep in mind that this was typed up before I found/read through this thread:

Is anybody else having an issue with either of the analog sticks not always recognizing input? I was playing TLoU Saturday and noticed that when moving forward with Joel he sometimes slows down or stops moving outright for a brief moment, then goes back to full speed. This persists for my entire time playing. Sometimes he will completely stop in place for a second plus before moving again. It's even worse if I make any slight side movements, and I can forget about attempting to zig zag through an environment. The issue began happening with even more frequency when I played for a few hours yesterday.

I know there is a one year warranty on all PS4 hardware, but unfortunately I am a few days outside of the warranty period. For some reason I thought I was well beyond the warranty period (didn't realize the PS4 came out on the 15th, today is the 17th). I called Sony support and tried everything I could to reason with the rep, but it seemed pretty clear that there was nothing they could do as they would need proof of purchase to verify the hardware was in warranty.

What bothers me the most about all of this is that I feel like I've barely played my PS4. I played a couple hours a night most days of the week for about a month when the system came out, then a couple days a month for a few months, and I eventually had months go by without turning it on. I haven't put much use on the controller relative to how long I've owned it, but [almost] within a year it is becoming borderline unusable. I did a few minutes of Google searching and found that I was not the only person with this particular issue, but fortunately the other people who had this problem were within the one year warranty period.

The main reason I'm making this post is to ask for advice on what to do. I'm wondering if there's any way to repair this issue myself. I doubt it's as simple as buying a new analog stick and throwing it in there. I would rather not have to resort to dropping 50+ on a new controller but feel that I have no other choice right now (perfect timing after shelling out for DA:I and GTAV).

Any help is much appreciated.

Can't you tell them that you tried to contact them earlier but the wait times were too lengthy?

 

[Frosted]

I wish my thumb stick was screwed up. A week ago my Playstation began turning on and off by itself, then ejecting the disc 2 or 5 minutes after inserting it. Now it keeps beeping and making the ejecting noise non stop. Right after my 1 year warrant expired.....

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

When playing infamous, I noticed that there is almost no dead zone with the DS4's sticks. On one hand, this is nice, because it feels very responsive and not anything like the Wii U Gamepad deadzone issue with games like Resident Evil Revelations. On the bad side, if i even breathe on the controller, it moves my character ever so slightly forward. It makes me nervous, because there's no room to allow for a slightly looser stick as time passes.

 

[Cheech]

Yeah, a year later, it's clear the QA on these pads was subpar. I'd be shocked if the newer ones had issues though. I bought four in the launch window, and they're all crap.

I would steer a wide path around used Dualshock 4s.

 

[Goodacre0081]

I think I had the same problem as you but it's easy to test out.

open up the PS4 web browser and move the cursor in straight lines. up/down then left/right.

I had a problem where right/left would produce an erratic downward movement. something that couldn't be fixed. now the replacement controller works great, no stuttering or other erratic problems. I assume it was a fault with the actual analog box that is soldered to the board so a simple fix was out of the question.

this is what the box looks like

 

[LookAtMeGo]

I had the left stick go on 2 controllers now. My problem was moving the left stick up did nothing and moving it right made it go backwards. I took mine apart and there was nothing wrong with the rubber bands or anything and there was no debris in there. I tried cleaning them with electrical contact cleaner and blowing it out with compressed air but had no luck. I made sure to buy insurance on my 3rd controller.

 

[Jawbreaker]

Still on my launch pad and have had zero issues. No signs of wear/tearing, either. It clearly seems to be more widespread than initially thought, though.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Had the same issue with mine. Oddly enough I noticed it on Last of Us too. I would push up to move Joel (or my character in MP) forward and he would just sort of stutter like if the command wasn't fully registering before finally going into a full sprint. I honestly assumed it was the game at first, but it wasn't til I got Destiny (and it's cursor based menus) that I realized the stick was completely fucked. It just wouldn't go up. Didn't notice as much in the gameplay in Destiny but it made navigating the menus and equipping shit a pain in the ass. I contacted Sony and they just sent me an email asking me to send it in to them.

I do have a question though for anyone that has done this before: The email just says to pack the controller in a box and send it to them. Doesn't specify that I need to send a printout of the order, or a copy of the receipt or anything...is this normal? How are they going to know it's from me?

 

[Deleted member 126221]

Sorry for the necro-bump, but there's still no DIY fix for this, isn't there? It started happening to my launch DS4 (joystick drifting up or down when pushing it on the sides), and booooy do not feel like splurging for another DS4, especially not at the current price in Canada (which is like $80).

I think all 4 of my controllers are from the first batch, so I'm afraid it could happen to all of them eventually... Urgh.

 

[Exploratory]

Sorry for the necro-bump, but there's still no DIY fix for this, isn't there? It started happening to my launch DS4 (joystick drifting up or down when pushing it on the sides), and booooy do not feel like splurging for another DS4, especially not at the current price in Canada (which is like $80).

I think all 4 of my controllers are from the first batch, so I'm afraid it could happen to all of them eventually... Urgh.

Hate to tell you but this can happen on any PS4 controller. It happened on my PS1 Anniversary controller.

 

[Cynn]

Plenty of ghosts were gamers when they were alive I'm sure. Just let them have it for a bit go make a sandwich or something.

I like you KyleCross and so do the ghosts haunting my house. The same ones that used to show up on Kinect Tuner and make things fall every single time I play a horror game.

Ectoplasm and Stick Drift. Unrelated no more!

 

[BennyBlanco]

build quality on ds4s is not good

 

[Ranmo]

I'm on my third DS4 controller. They feel great but they are cheaply produced. It's always the same problem, the left stick starts ghosting.

With the exception of my first DS4 they've all had the same problem. My first DS4 had the ghosting AND for whatever reason, R2 would make me move sometimes...I don't know why...

I'm usually really good with my controllers too, I've used the same DS3 controller since launch...

If you have any warranty left just hit Sony up. I've gotten all mine repaired but they usually end up breaking down again...hence why I own three now.

 

[Deleted member 126221]

Hate to tell you but this can happen on any PS4 controller. It happened on my PS1 Anniversary controller.

Well, fuck.

That's really disappointing, cause the PS4 controller is by far my favorite one for PC gaming now (...on top of PS4 gaming of course). I don't wanna go through DS4s like disposable objects... Hey, my NES controllers are still working, damnit!

 

[MilkBeard]

Yeah, design-wise it's great, but the build quality is iffy.

To be fair, though, my PS3 controller thumbstick broke (the left one-it's because this gets the most use by far). It first started glitching out occasionally, then it flat out stopped working.

Haven't had a problem with the thumbstick on the PS4 controller yet, but I bought a new one because I broke my old one playing bloodborne (got pissed, lol).