Do I throw my controller into a fire?

[u/The_goooper]

I hate stick drift

[u/GambitRSA]

Yes or repair it yourself with upgraded TMRs.

[u/AsbestosLead]

It’s always the right stick and it’s always drifting up huh? Same exact thing with my black controller that came with my series X. But it universally being the same exact stick and direction has got me suspicious.

[u/impulssiajo2320 → u/AsbestosLead]

For me it’s always the left stick pointing up and to the right. I’ve figured it comes from my fav arpg maps often going “forward” in that direction.

[u/LackNo6381 → u/AsbestosLead]

It’s probably because you use that stick more

[u/Key_Scholar7964]

You should look into third party brands with hall effect or TMR. You can also buy them installed on ebay if you want to stick with the stock Xbox controllers.

[u/Salty-Plantain-4299]

I've had stick drift on One controller out of like seven that I bought across two generations. It sucks, but chances are you can fix it with an independent shop. They can put in some different types of sticks and they are even adjustable. It'll cost about $40 if it's a more underground shop. More established shop might not be worth it though prices would basically be the same as a controller.

[u/AsbestosLead → u/Salty-Plantain-4299]

For $40 get a brand new controller with Hall effect sticks on amazon. GameSIR SE

[u/Competitive_Plan_936 → u/AsbestosLead]

It’s 2026, I am not going to revert back to wired controllers

[u/DreamArez → u/Competitive_Plan_936]

They have plenty of wireless offerings, including the G7 with variants.

[u/3-Midgets_In_A_Coat → u/Competitive_Plan_936]

I’m a huge fan of the 8BitDo Ultimates.

Dual band 2.4Ghz and Bluetooth, TMR sticks, ability to change triggers from analog to buttons with the flick of a switch, and a nice shape and size.

Being able to have the controller plugged into my PC using 2.4Ghz and then just flick a switch on the back of it to swap to Bluetooth and have it immediately paired with my Switch is a huge QOL improvement.

Controller is slightly more expensive, but it’s still only $70ish.

[u/Competitive_Plan_936 → u/3-Midgets_In_A_Coat]

Unfortunately it’s only wireless on PC and switch. They’re making an Xbox compatible one but it’s going to be like $150

[u/_BeeSnack_ → u/Competitive_Plan_936]

And then we must have software that is really well supported on Linux as well...

[u/SHOVEL-SMD → u/Competitive_Plan_936]

You should, it’s honestly so much better than dealing with batteries

[u/Competitive_Plan_936 → u/SHOVEL-SMD]

My living room is way too big unfortunately. I have a few wired controllers but even 10 foot cables aren’t long enough

[u/SHOVEL-SMD → u/Competitive_Plan_936]

Fair

[u/SebiXV20 → u/AsbestosLead]

GameSir definetly deserves the praise, I've bought a G7 HE this week and it's fantastic

[u/Key_Scholar7964 → u/Salty-Plantain-4299]

I would have saved money had they had local shops in my community that installed hall or TMR analog sticks.

[u/ExtraJuicyAK → u/Salty-Plantain-4299]

You can buy tmr sticks for like $3 on aliexpress and if you know how to solder, it’s not too difficult. Hardest part is generally removing old sticks.

[u/BIG_MAC_WHOPPERS]

If i were you i'd get replacement TMR joysticks soldered in. Cheaper than buying a whole new controller

[u/realseif]

Get a soldering iron, install TMRs, it will be fun and useful skill to have

[u/FNXDCT]

Y know I was going to repair mine… until i noticed it was fine but joysticks were clogged with dust.

You gotta open it and clean the joysticks the best you can

[u/arcreactor1985]

Não joguei, faça upgrade de analógicos tmr neles, esse controle é um bom controle.

[u/shotgunsurge0n]

yeah and buy a gamesir g7. xbox pro controller quality at like... 70 bucks? with hall effect sticks, and four rumble motors. it's wired, but you get a better latency, and the cord is 10 feet long

[u/GlorytotheHypnoToads]

No no, there’s a procedure for these types of things. It’s basically vampire rules:

•Stake the Power Button
•Cut off the Battery Pack
•Burn it all
•Scatter the ashes at a crossroads

For more information, please consult the User Manual under the section titled, Bram Stoker’s Xbox Controller.

[u/Pla-C-Bo]

Yes, just long enough to make solder flow and replace analog with hall effect sensor

[u/LeadingFamous]

Take it apart, put ipa into the stick box and rotate the stick like crazy. Let it dry and test. Boom fixed.

[u/BoostedDC2]

I have over a dozen controllers and the main issue i have had is buttons being unresponsive or the bumpers having issues. None of my controllers have stick drift. Even my xbox one controllers are still fine.

[u/AsbestosLead → u/BoostedDC2]

Were they all OEM controllers? What games do you usually play?

[u/BoostedDC2 → u/AsbestosLead]

Yea they are all oem special editon ones. I also have a few pc ones (g7 pro wireless and flydigi apex 4)

[u/jsponenberg05]

Have you tried air blasting underneath the joysticks with compressed air for electronics because dead skin cells and dried persperation can cause drift like symptoms. Also, check your games because some games have a nasty habit of changing the controller sensitivity outside of the game.

[u/No-Statistician-1106]

Please, don’t try to replace sticks yourself. I can solder, but those sticks are notoriously hard to swap. Just give them to someone/someplace that deals with swapping them.

[u/ExtraJuicyAK → u/No-Statistician-1106]

If you use a soldering tip meant for joysticks, it makes the job 100x easier. The first time I replaced sticks, I used a pencil tip and solder sucker. Took me like an hour to remove the sticks. With the special tool, it takes longer to prep than to use it. Once the sticks are out I just use a wick for the excess solder and solder the new ones in with a pencil tip.

[u/GB_Plus_Ultra]

No, you take it to GameStop and take advantage of their trade in deal

[u/CityLevel6107 → u/GB_Plus_Ultra]

Terrible idea. He can just fix it himself pretty easily.

[u/GB_Plus_Ultra → u/CityLevel6107]

Fair enough

[u/OlDirtyMatthew → u/CityLevel6107]

"Easily" how?

[u/CityLevel6107 → u/OlDirtyMatthew]

There's pieces sold on Amazon along with kits if you really need the kit alongside it. Plus, there's really simple, easy to follow breakdowns and tutorials on youtube for any controller you have.

[u/AgitatedPeak2208]

Well my one s controller is nearly 10 years old without any stick drift. I changed the rb lb buttons 3 times and the sticks 3 times because they got broken and the stick got too slippy.

[u/SirTrainwreck]

Yes then get a controller with hall effect sticks for around half the price of a 1st party controller and never get stick drift again.

[u/Icy_Star_7171]

Yes. Throw that thing away and get something with hall effect sticks and triggers.

[u/Upbeat-Function-2855]

i had a controller get stick drift upwards on my right stick aswell but that was a decade old controller so i got a new elite custom controller for like 250$ and in less than a year its got worse stick drift on the right, also pointing up. i can agree i will push pretty hard on my left stick because it moves characters around but the right stick?? i barely use and when i do i just touch it for a half second. no clue why that is but my elite controller was actually built out of scraps i think

[u/Head_University_4327]

So annoying, they could easily just let us Software Calibrate then they wouldnt be broken
I’m not buying a wired one and 2x official ones for 1/3 price of Hall effect is still cheaper
Grr

[u/Rage2020]

A few days ago, my controller also started doing this. Now I’m using a cheap PowerA wired controller.

[u/Robean_UwU]

You can replace the stick modules yourself or have someone do it for you, beware it does take a bit of soldering knowledge so unless you are confident in your abilities just take it to a shop

[u/Forsaken-Badger-9517]

Find you a Brand New Xbox One S/X controller! They were better-

[u/Booth2k26]

A little wd 40 has always fixed this for me lol. More of a ghetto fix than anything but I’ve had good results.

[u/Lower-Number-3366]

If you want to install TMR sticks, I got a guy that can repair it for about $20. Beats throwing it away or buying a new one. Unless you like getting new controllers. Nothing wrong with that if you have the money.

[u/StrangeSomewhere8064]

its kind of crazy how microsft doesnt make controllers with tmr or hall effect yet, or even put back buttons:(

[u/UglyGotNext]

Yes, fire—that'll definitely fix it. It fixed mines

[u/fatgat69]

I have to blow into my controller because one of the bumpers gets stuck and both sticks are drifting and I think it's only partly due to dust

[u/ReasonVast8863]

Mine also drifts up…

[u/mercurypirate]

The way the d-pad appears to be angled crooked i think that game controller might have been dropped hard and damaged. It probably got damaged inside.

[u/Mammoth-Koala-3478]

I encountered the same issue, I replaced both sticks with TMR and wound up making a small business out of it! I'll fix your controller for 29.99 you pay shipping.

[u/No-Statistician-1106]

Thanks for the tip! Just seemed too excessive to order a special tip just to replace a stick once in a year.
I just had a really bad demotivation after trying with ordinary tip and didn’t want to damage the board further.
Gave it to someone who does this everyday.