Controllers that use hall effect sensor sticks last much longer than the conventional potentiometer sticks. The pot sticks are subject to physical wear while the hall effect sticks are not because there is no contact.

There's some guides on aftermarket modifications of controllers to convert them to hall effect sensors, as well as 3rd party controllers made with hall effect sticks. If you want something to use on PC and/or switch the KingKong 2[1] from GuliKit is pretty good.

[1] - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QJN8ZD9

Has there been a console that uses hall effect sensors in first party controllers in the past 15 years?

No. The last "mainstream" console to use hall effect sticks in the first party controller was the Dreamcast, and that was in 1999.

Curious why this is a problem. Switch has the same issue, but none of the more old fashioned controllers I’ve ever owned have had this problem.

ALPS makes the hardware for the joysticks the major console companies use. They are cheap and work great -- except they have a really really short half-life. Even the Xbox Pro Controller (which is like $200) uses them which is crazy.

I'm guessing it makes financial sense to keep using them so nothing changes.

Hall effect joysticks are becoming more popular but they're usually harder to get ahold of and may not actually be that much better in the long run. Time will tell!

I wonder if they make the analog sticks on VR controllers too. Many have similar issues.

Change of dead zone. Modern controllers have smaller dead zones and more accurate sticks. So when they start breaking down they pickup more phantom movements. Switch joycons are more likely because of the size of the stick (need less dead zone because size).

Yeah, a PS2 controller has a graveyard at the center when compared to a PS5 or series controller, just grab a cheap USB controller from Amazon and use some tool to see the precision of modern controllers.

That said, unless conventional sticks get way cheaper I'll stick to hall effect ones.

I can’t speak for controllers, but for wireless mice I’ve read that many issues are due to the very low voltages that they run at to extend battery life - the low voltage means that buttons + etc become much more susceptible to dirt and oxidization.

They all use the same hardware in the joysticks and have been for years (maybe since 90s). there must have been a defective version made along the way, but it's not an easy nor cost effective repair.

I would wager it comes down to more precise readings. You could theoretically use the same hardware for the stick itself but be getting much higher precision readings, which would mean that drift is much more apparent.

Same with Xbox One/Series controllers. Never had issues with Original Xbox controllers (maybe after 2 years) but I've had ~5 Xbox One controllers with stick drift and other issues within a year (first-party and third-party).

Buying a new controller is cheaper than the lawsuit.

Neither of my controllers have had any issues after 582 hours (omg…) of Elden Ring. I had no clue this was a thing!

My Switch on the other hand…

It’s criminal that they haven’t redesigned the sticks

The way it typically works is you go out aiming for a specific lifetime in button presses and study the ones that come back from QA after dying around that mark.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebus_cartel?useskin=vector#...

You need to be studying the button presses on the controllers that don't come back.

I wouldn't mind it so much if the controllers were a third of the price they currently charge, although getting a new controller all the time still means a lot of unnecessary trash and more of my time spent cracking open each replacement to pull out the microphones.

Walmart sells controllers with a $4 3 year warranty that they claim covers everything. I’m going that route this time and will see what happens in 12 months when it breaks.