The first problems related to the controller sticks of PlayStation 5, Dualense, have recently surfaced within a brand new technical website teardown video iFixIt, revealing that Sony's next-generation pad has a service life of approx 417 hours and that the figure should deteriorate over time. The subject of a legal action in recent days, many users have reported a lack of precision to the Japanese company (phenomenon called drifting) regarding the analog sticks on the DualSense controller and now it seems we know why.
Taking advantage of the same bill of materials that was previously seen in the DualShock 4, it is evident that for DualSense in this respect essentially older components and parts have been used that do not fully align with the vision of Sony of extremely cutting-edge technology, which - among other things - the rest of the console design would seem to reflect. Testing this in a real scenario iFixIt used Call of Duty: Warzone, a game with a high degree of constant stress on the sticks, to argue that this would translate into just 417 hours of play before the stress thresholds set by ALPS - the company that makes these components - were exceeded: of course, this will vary depending on the type of titles being played!
On average, iFixIt believes that using the PS5 DualSense controller for two hours a day will see the analog stick components exceed their expected lifespan after just seven months (since the console was released last November, the identification of these problems by users is expected to increase around May). According to the site, the root cause of the problem is essentially the result of wear on the potentiometer, but invasive dust also contributes to worsening the situation. In addition to that, the DualSense has recently shown itself in action on Nintendo Switch, did you know?
