Wednesday, February 17th 2021

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Sony Over Alleged DualShock 5 Drift

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Sony by Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP regarding the alleged drift present on Sony's latest DualShock 5 controller which comes bundled with the PlayStation 5. The lawsuit was filed on February 12th in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and argues that the DualShock 5 controller is defective as it suffers from drift compromising the core functionality of the device. The lawsuit also notes the limited repair options available and Sony's lack of disclosure to customers even after numerous reported cases. Sony joins Nintendo and Microsoft who are both also in multiple court battles regarding drift on their respective controllers.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
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15 Comments on Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Sony Over Alleged DualShock 5 Drift

#1
nguyen
cheap stuff just break easily I guess, or that is how console makers want to earn more money selling controllers.
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#2
Vya Domus
Yep, all of these controllers are pretty badly built. I have had multiple Xbox One controllers and they all developed drift in one of the sticks after just a couple of months.

Interestingly I had a PS3 controller for what, a decade ? Still no drift, even it's battery is working. Quality definitely went downhill.
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#3
Vayra86
Vya DomusYep, all of these controllers are pretty badly built. I have had multiple Xbox One controllers and they all developed drift in one of the sticks after just a couple of months.

Interestingly I had a PS3 controller for what, a decade ? Still no drift, even it's battery is working. Quality definitely went downhill.
I remember the 'drift' happening on PS2 Dualshocks too, I still have 2 of them and two have developed a tiny bit of it. The Sixaxis however, doesn't.

Man, they just keep providing more confirmation that I stepped out of the console arena at just the right moment... PS4, PS5... what a cesspool of overpriced crap.
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#4
EzioAs
Vya DomusYep, all of these controllers are pretty badly built. I have had multiple Xbox One controllers and they all developed drift in one of the sticks after just a couple of months.

Interestingly I had a PS3 controller for what, a decade ? Still no drift, even it's battery is working. Quality definitely went downhill.
It's always YMMV. I've had my X1 controller for years and it still works perfectly, minus the sticks losing bits of the rubber grips.
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#5
spectatorx
nguyencheap stuff just break easily I guess, or that is how console makers want to earn more money selling controllers.
Warranty of a console doesn't cover gamepads?
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#6
Vya Domus
spectatorxWarranty of a console doesn't cover gamepads?
It does but if a controller is really crappy when it goes out of warranty you'll have to keep buying a flawed product.
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#7
Rahnak
Vya DomusYep, all of these controllers are pretty badly built. I have had multiple Xbox One controllers and they all developed drift in one of the sticks after just a couple of months.

Interestingly I had a PS3 controller for what, a decade ? Still no drift, even it's battery is working. Quality definitely went downhill.
Could be a matter of luck? I have a wired 360 and wireless Xbone controllers both with pretty heavy usage and both are fine. Only had to replace the thumb sticks on the 360 because they got pretty worn down. Similarly never had any issues with my PS controllers (2 through 4).
Vayra86Man, they just keep providing more confirmation that I stepped out of the console arena at just the right moment... PS4, PS5... what a cesspool of overpriced crap.
Curious to know what you call PC gaming the last couple of years then. :laugh:
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#8
tvamos
My 2 DS4 v2 controllers are working flawlessly, 3.5 years already. Those 2 we had with first ps4 are also still working. Nobody is throwing these against wall/floor/tv, maybe that helps.
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#9
TheinsanegamerN
RahnakCould be a matter of luck? I have a wired 360 and wireless Xbone controllers both with pretty heavy usage and both are fine. Only had to replace the thumb sticks on the 360 because they got pretty worn down. Similarly never had any issues with my PS controllers (2 through 4).


Curious to know what you call PC gaming the last couple of years then. :laugh:
I cant count how many PS2 controllers I went through over the years, I can count the number of consoles (6) from heavy usage. The PS3 and PS4 controllers have held up very well, the issue with them is the batteries. Something I noticed though, the PS2 made heavy use of R3/L3 (clicking in joysticks) while PS3 and 4 games rarely used this feature.

360, never had an issue with any of the controllers I had. Never moved onto newer models due to unreplaceable HDD.

My first switch joycon has started to drift though.
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#10
Caring1
I wore out PS2 thumbsticks often which resulted in either drift or them totally breaking and me disassembling them and swapping parts around to make a good one again.
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#11
1d10t
Wait, you guys can do this?Filed a lawsuit for a controller?
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#12
skizzo
here's my take like a few others....YMMV!!!

I have 3 xbox 360 controllers. 2 are from ~2006 and 1 would be around 2008. 2 of them were used so much id say 95% of the rubber is worn off and the plastic is exposed underneath. The 3rd has some rubber worn, ie, the "nubs" are worn off but the rubber is still there covering all the joystick. NONE of them have poor stick drift.

Got a xbox one controller, from power A, and 6 months later the left joystick is loose as a goose. still totally usable, but depending on the game and sensitivity settings, do get an occasional stick drift thing going on. i'm going to actually try removing the drifting joystick and solder on a new unit. lot of work to save just a little cash, but these are the things I do for fun.

The idea of me sueing a company over stick drift is insane, unless it is proven to be a known defect they let slide because it only impacts ~X% and that X% ends up being something stupidly high for a failure rate. Anything in manufacturing over like 3% would be bad for consumers.
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#13
80-watt Hamster
TheinsanegamerN360, never had an issue with any of the controllers I had. Never moved onto newer models due to unreplaceable HDD.
skizzohere's my take like a few others....YMMV!!!

I have 3 xbox 360 controllers. 2 are from ~2006 and 1 would be around 2008. 2 of them were used so much id say 95% of the rubber is worn off and the plastic is exposed underneath. The 3rd has some rubber worn, ie, the "nubs" are worn off but the rubber is still there covering all the joystick. NONE of them have poor stick drift.
YMMV, indeed.

By contrast, my 360 controller developed drift in one stick with only moderate use. Kind of shows the limitations of anecdotal evidence. In any case, the incidence rate of drift for PS5 controllers must be relatively high if a firm is willing to take it on, because (correct me if I'm wrong) they earn jack unless a class action case is ruled in favor of the class.
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#14
Ruru
S.T.A.R.S.
What that drift means? It moves automatically even when the sticks aren't used?
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#15
Rahnak
Chloe PriceWhat that drift means? It moves automatically even when the sticks aren't used?
Yup. Seems like a popular class action lawsuit these days. First with the joycons, then the Xbone Elite, now the DS5.
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