PS5 joystick drift may be unavoidable due to foreseeable flaws in joystick hardware design. A fascinating teardown from iFixit took a closer look at the components found in the PS5 DualSense controller, Nintendo Switch Pro controller, and Xbox Series X controller, and concluded that all gamepads use old joystick modules that have a known lifespan. If something goes wrong with any of the controllers, it's extremely difficult to repair joysticks without soldering equipment, meaning quick fixes are out of the question for the average consumer. A product sheet from the manufacturer Alps indicates that the life of the potentiometers used by the PS5 DualSense controllers is two million cycles. That may sound like a lot, but iFixit teardown engines have discovered that it's actually extremely low. While playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), which requires a lot of analog input and interaction, the tester discovered that, hypothetically, his controller's joystick could fail after four to seven months of use, if he limited his play time to two. hours a day. There is no guarantee that you will experience stick drift at this point (you may get lucky or discover a fault sooner), but the sensors and parts used in a controller are used as a "deliberate cost reduction calculation by of console makers," according to iFixit.
The frustrating four
If that wasn't enough, iFixit determined that there are four main causes of stick travel: sensor wear, spring fatigue, material stretch and dirt, dust, moisture, and other debris. Sensor wear is the hardest to avoid, as it will occur naturally over time, and spring fatigue is also susceptible to the rigors of gaming. The stretch of the material is also a factor. This can make the joystick feel loose, but not necessarily drifty, when pressing the joysticks hard for a continuous period of time: like when playing a driving game. Finally, there's one area where we could have a little more fun battling it: dirt, dust, moisture, and other grime. Many users have successfully eliminated stick drift by cleaning accumulated gunk from a driver using compressed air, contact cleaner, and/or isopropyl alcohol. However, it is not a sure solution and can often only move things around or delay the inevitable. Do what you can to keep the controllers clean, like washing Cheetos dust off your fingers and not allowing the electrodes to sit and collect dust.
Vagabundo
Of course, as iFixit rightly points out, the real solution adrift for the PS5 DualSense or Xbox One stick is for console manufacturers to use better, more durable components. It would probably work out cheaper in the long run, especially if Nintendo lost some of the lawsuits that have been filed against it for Joy-Con drift, including that of a child. Today's best controller deals