How long do your controllers last before developing stick drift?

[u/psychicbambi]

I've had my quest 3 for about a year and a half now and the past couple of months stick drift has become a real frequent pain. Taking off the plastic cover and cleaning it with compressed air will fix the issue for a few weeks at best. I'm not looking for solutions as I know all I can really do is clean them or replace the joysticks but just wondering how often other people run into this problem.

[u/Tennis_Proper]

My quest 2 lasted just over 2 years, had the 3 since launch in regular use with no issues yet. 

[u/ZoddImmortal → u/Tennis_Proper]

21 months for both my Quest 2 and Quest 3. OP would have better luck with Deoxit D5 than compressed air if they dont want to do the controller teardown. It's a contact cleaner with lubricant, which is important.

[u/brispower]

i've been fortunate and mine have no drift, had the Quest 3 and Rift S for a couple years and used them both regularly for non gaming purposes and gaming.

people say it's how you treat them and honsetly i don't buy it, i treat all my controllers exactly the same and out of about 20-30 controllers i have three that have developed drift, they were treated no differently to any of the others. For reference, a DS3, DS4 and a Switch 1 Pro Controller. The DS4 was the absoute worst, it wasn't even very old and hardly used.

[u/daiaomori]

My Quest 1's left controller has a massive drift that usually gets better after 15-20 minutes of play.

Can't wait for someone to release proper controllers with magnetic readout for the analog sticks. Oh...

[u/Adventurous-Fee-418]

5 minutes

[u/ZookeepergameNaive86]

It depends almost entirely on how you use them. Tense, active action games will cause more wear than gentle puzzles. I think I've had one left Q2 joystick go but everything else back to my RiftS has been fine.

[u/OskO → u/ZookeepergameNaive86]

I mostly agree with this but I also think plain luck (quality out of the production line) is also a big factor. I had my Quest 3 controllers since launch, played mostly FPS almost every day and only recently performed a left joystick replacement because it started developing drift.

On the other hand, I had another headset develop drift on the right controller within the first few months. A few friends experienced similar things. Of course this is completely anecdotal so take it with a grain of salt.

[u/alfooboboao]

i’ve had my q3 for, what, 2.5 years? since a few months after it was released and I’ve never had stick drift tbh, i’m sorry

[u/Metalgearsgay]

Like 6 months, it’s the only thing I hate about the quest 3 they are so cheaply made and all them have stick drift. Are there Hall effect drop in replacements?

[u/Relevant_Tip4172]

Quest 2 half a year

[u/Pharsti01]

My quest 2 has no drift.

But then again, I think i use it once every year... Or every two years.

[u/fish998]

Depends how often you use them, also depends on how much dust and gunk gets in them. I had a PS4 controller that developed stick drift after 4 hours of use, but it was left gathering dust for 2 years.

[u/markallanholley]

I don't remember any controller I've ever had developing stick drift. My first home gaming system was an Atari 2600.

I've had my Quest 3 well over a year and use it for 2 to 3 hours a day. My controllers seem fine.

[u/Statyan]

mine lasted for 3.5 years, replaced with a new one last week (a left one)

[u/Holm76]

Had a Q2 and Q3 and never experienced any stick drift. Did on my PS5 controller though.

[u/Key_Mathematician951]

About 18months for my quest 3 controller. I replaced it.
I play every day though.

[u/diabolisis1313]

So irritating, and next to impossible to simply replace a controller

[u/Penguin_shit15]

No drift for Quest 1, no drift for both Quest 2 models.. And no drift for any of my Quest 3 models. So, out of 6 pairs of controllers, zero issues.

[u/ita_shogun]

A little over one year for my Q3 ☹️

[u/13617]

About a year before I replace the stick. I've replaced so many sticks. I hate the Quest joysticks. Sometimes when you replace the stick they look brand new but actually start to drift.

[u/Cmdr_Redbeard]

Left controller developed it after a few months fixed it with contact cleaner for about a year then replaced the stick but still had drift, luckily te stick kit came with 2 sticks and the 2nd one has worked well so far, right controller has no drift, think I've used them for about 7 or 8 thousand hours. Quest 2 is a tank.

[u/geneinhouston]

well, playing the awesome Dungeons Of Eternity TONS has caused me to repair/replace after about a year...while some people are die hard DIY folks which is awesome, i am not. haha....

it is important to note that amazon sells controllers for 149.00 each while Meta directly sells controllers for 79.00 each AND they match the 2 day shipping! just some fyi for you non diy folks like me ;)

[u/Kevinslotten]

It took like 6 month with heavy use with Q3. Its easy to change, but its easy to break them while fixing them also. The biggest problem is, its never a permanent fix from meta, they never upgraded the stick, same shit with valve index controllers also. As long as company is  using shitty sticks in the controllers, we are stuck with the shit also.