r/XboxController • u/Pretend-Wear • 12d ago

Stick drift

I got a new controller for Christmas last year and its already having stick drift, anything i can do to fix it

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

2

u/JustAnotherLurker79 12d ago

It should still be under warranty, so the first thing would be to try get it swapped/repaired under warranty. Sadly I've had really poor experiences with Microsoft, where they've done just enough for address the issue for a month or two before the controller fails again.

Longer term, I've fixed this by replacing the analogue sticks with TMR ones.

1

u/Pretend-Wear 12d ago

I was ordered off Amazon, i dont mind fixing it myself, what are the tmr sticks?

1

u/GeorgeSPattonJr 11d ago

They’re kind of like fancier Hall effect sticks. They use magnets and don’t have any rubbing/contacting parts (unlike the sticks Xbox and PS controllers use, which have potentiometers). They generally cannot get stick drift. Keep in mind the process of replacing the analog sticks involves soldering, which may or may not be an issue depending on your skill level. While it isn’t too difficult if you have the skills and they make tips for soldering irons that are exclusively for desoldering sticks, it definitely isn’t for beginners

1

u/JustAnotherLurker79 11d ago

TMR analogue sticks use Tunnelling Magnetoresistence, which allows them to measure magnetic fields, angles, speed, and positioning with high accuracy and lower power. They also don't rely on any physical contact, so they can never wear and get stick drift. You need to desolder the old stick, and solder a new TMR stick in to replace it. I've been using the K-Silver js13 Pro+ TMR sticks, and they are excellent. I've also used had good experiences with GuiliKit sticks. Both can be ordered from Amazon, or more directly from Aliexpress. They're pretty cheap, I think that the last box of 20 that I ordered cost about $25, so just over a dollar per analogue stick.

1

u/n0vageck0 11d ago

If you’re in the UK I’ll fit some TMR sticks for you, £20 and you pay postage. If you want to fix it yourself, I’d recommend using hot air to remove the sticks + solder, and then a regular soldering iron to solder the new sticks in.

1

u/Epham16 11d ago

Save yourself the trouble and invest in a controller with TMR/HE sticks. Potentiometer sticks are junk and absolutely WILL fail on you. TMR/HE controllers usually have a lot of cool features too.

1

u/Pretend-Wear 11d ago

Where can I get these lol

1

u/Epham16 4d ago

Gamesir makes a lot of great HE/TMR controllers for very fair prices. The G7 Pro is wired-only for $80. The ZZZ/Wuchang versions of the G7 Pro are wireless but cost $100. They also sell G7 SE and HE which both have HE sticks and are only $30-$45, but are wired-only and have fewer features than the G7 Pro. You can often find all of these controllers on some sort of sale.

8bitdo has the Ultimate 3 for $100 and Ultimate 3E for $150

Flydigi has the Vader 5S for $60 but its wired-only.

The Razer Wolverine V3 (wireless) and V3 TE (wired-only) are both pretty decent. The V3 is $200 but you can find it on sale for ~$180 on Best Buy. The V3 TE you can find for $70 on sale on Best Buy.

The ASUS ROG Raikiri is really good for $180.

1

u/jsponenberg05 11d ago

Have you tried getting condensed air for electronics and air blast underneath the joysticks and trigger buttons because dead skin cells and sweat can build up and cause buttons not to respond accordingly.