PS5 DualSense controller has ‘417 hour’ lifespan according to new tests

The causes have been identified, but the fix is a little harder to find

Sony’s PS5 DualSense controller issues have been outlined in a new video in which the working lifetime of the hardware is estimated.

In the teardown video by iFixit that was posted recently on YouTube, the DualSense controller is taken apart and its internal workings are exposed in an attempt to apply a fix to worsening drift issues.

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The joystick modules used in the construction of the DualSense controller are described as “off the shelf”. This is the same hardware as used by the Xbox Elite controller, which has been known to have similar issues.

Affected users hoping for a quick fix had their hopes dashed by the video, which showed the PS5 controller to have 14 separate solder points that require melting off before the joystick module can be tampered with. There are also haptic motor wires that require a similar process to release.

Although this can be done, and a replacement joystick may temporarily solve the issue, the iFixit team confirmed that the issues don’t seem to be connected to them at all.

Digging deeper into the hardware, the team found a couple of potentiometers connected to each joystick, which can be worn down over a period of continual usage. A few other potential causes were listed as the DualSense was disassembled, including the over-stretching of a spring that was unable to return to its default position, which realigns the ‘centre’ point of your character.

Using a standard game of Call of Duty: Warzone to estimate the potential lifespan of the £59.99 controller, iFixit estimated the average PS5 DualSense would have around 417 hours of full performance. After this, the hardware would start to degrade, meaning the average player may see issues arising after just a few months.

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A US law firm has recently hit Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) with a class-action lawsuit, alleging that the PS5 DualSense controllers are defective due to drift.

It also claims that Sony was reportedly aware of the situation “through online consumer complaints, complaints made by consumers directly to it, and through its own pre-release testing”.

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