PS5 DualSense Teardown Explains the Common Causes of Controller Drift

A new PlayStation 5 DualSense controller teardown video reveals in detail the common causes of controller drift. Controller drift, if you somehow aren't aware, is essentially exactly what it sounds like: the control sticks "drifting" or causing motion on the screen other than what is directly being input by a player. The video from iFixit doesn't just get into why this happens and how to fix it, but also into the fact that Sony should have really been aware of this going in.

The video, which you can check out below, is fairly straightforward. After pulling apart a PS5 DualSense controller, some familiar elements come into view for anyone that's ever watched a video looking inside modern video game controllers as the same joystick hardware is used across multiple consoles and controllers. As with all the other controllers, there are several points of failure that are possibly causing issues for people, and the manufacturer itself notes that there is, according to iFixit's math, just over 400 hours of operation life depending on how much wear and tear folks put the controller through.

This, of course, is far from the first time that we have heard that the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller had issues with drifting sticks. There was even a class-action lawsuit recently filed against Sony claiming that the company was aware of the defect. Broadly speaking, controller drift has been a serious problem for all of the major console manufacturers, Nintendo and Xbox included. Joy-Con drift is a well-known issue with extensive reporting on the problems, and one that does not yet appear to have been fully resolved.

The PlayStation 5 itself is now available with the version containing a disc drive running $499 while the all-digital console costs $399 -- if you can find either of them in stock. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the PlayStation 5 right here.

Have you been able to pick up a PlayStation 5 as of yet? If so, have you had any trouble with the DualSense controller drifting? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!

[H/T GameSpot]