DualSense / DualShock 4 stick drift: clean, recalibrate or replace the stick
Stick drift is when the character or camera moves with no input. It's caused mainly by wear in the stick's potentiometers, sometimes by dirt. Try the software fixes and a clean first. A lasting fix means desoldering the analogue stick module and fitting a new one, or a Hall-effect/TMR replacement.
Written by the CircuitScope research team in our own words, from the sources listed at the end, and checked by our moderators.
Stick drift is when the character or camera moves with no input. It's caused mainly by wear in the stick's potentiometers, sometimes by dirt. Try the software fixes and a clean first. A lasting fix means desoldering the analogue stick module and fitting a new one, or a Hall-effect/TMR replacement.
Difficulty: Hard · Time: about 2 hours
Also applies to: Sony PlayStation 5 Pro, Sony PlayStation 4, Sony PlayStation 4 Pro
Symptoms
- Character or camera moves when the stick is untouched
- Stick doesn't return to centre
- Drift gets worse over time or in one direction
- Inputs register late or jump
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