Remember Nintendo's Switch Joy-Cons? Back in 2019, they were dubbed the "most fragile product" by a French consumer association, and even faced a class-action lawsuit from players. The dreaded "drift" issue with their analog sticks was rampant, often requiring repairs within six months even with normal use. Players even suspected Nintendo's refusal to develop replacement parts was a cynical business strategy.
Now, with the PS5 flying off shelves, a familiar "drift" disaster has struck, with reports surfacing as early as November 2020. Even though many are still under warranty, it's sent alarm bells ringing for players: the DualSense™ wireless controller uses off-the-shelf internal hardware from the *same* manufacturer. This has prompted a U.S. law firm to file a class-action lawsuit on behalf of players, pushing for continued free controller replacements.
According to a teardown video by the tech channel iFixit, the drift problem stems from the thumbstick controller. This component, manufactured by ALPS (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.) under the registered trademark "ThumbPointe," has its advertised operating cycle and durability (2 million presses) called into question. iFixit crunched the numbers using data from "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare," finding that competitive players hit the stick 100 times a minute, while casual players average 80. At two hours of gameplay a day, that component might only last about 209 days. Yikes.
ALPS dominates the console joystick market, supplying roughly 80% of controllers for platforms like PS4, PS5, Switch Pro, and Xbox One. iFixit and players aren't just fixated on the drift itself; their ultimate demand is for these consumable parts to be manufactured independently and made easily replaceable by users. This would effectively tackle the inevitable wear-and-tear costs and hefty repair fees.
via： IFixit