Last week, there was a huge Kotaku report on DualSense drift, which occurs when a pad detects movement on an analogue stick that’s not being touched. This can be hugely problematic in titles that require precise movements, like racing games or first-person shooters, and has been a massive issue with Nintendo Switch hardware.
We polled you on the matter, and about 21 per cent of you said that you had experienced drift on your PlayStation 5 pad, which is a relatively high number from an admittedly small, non-scientific sample size. All of this, naturally, has culminated in a US law firm launching a class action lawsuit against Sony.
The complaint, as seen and reported on by GamesRadar, claims that “the DualSense controller is defective” because drift “significantly interferes with gameplay and thus compromises the DualSense controller’s core functionality”. It adds that the platform holder is “aware” of the issue due to “online consumer complaints […] and through its own pre-release testing”.
While the core defect is problematic in itself, the bigger issue seems to stem from Sony’s response. Some consumers have pointed out that their problems have been outright dismissed, while others have mentioned that the manufacturer demands the customer cover postal costs when sending a controller in for repair.
All in all, the law firm is requesting compensation for its clients, as it claims that the drift issues would have dissuaded its plaintiffs from paying full-price for the next-gen console to begin with. Sony, unsurprisingly, is yet to comment on the lawsuit or the DualSense drift issues – it’ll be interesting to see if this story gathers steam like it did with the Nintendo Switch.
[source gamesradar.com]
Comments 56
about once a week, i'm reminded why i haven't sprung for a PS5 yet.
i'll be thanking my old-as-dirt dualshock controller today for its years of service 💕✨
I love how they are acting like ALL PS5 controllers are defective. This is situational and NOT universal. My controller works perfectly fine. This lawsuit will go nowhere.
That's now all remotes with drifting issues. But these law suits are pointless if Nintendo and Xbox went to court and nothing happened. It will be the same for Sony as well. These take so many years to even make it to court. I had terrible drift with the Switch none so far with the Xbox or playstation controller.
@LochNass To be fair its still an issue with the Switch many years after lol. Haven't personally had any issues with my controller yet.
I already had my launch PS5 in for warranty repair due to faulty GPU and associated misbehave in certain games, but otherwise all is well! Always had everything Day 1, never had a problem till now.
This “Never buy Day 1” ruckus is unnecessary really, all ware is bound to have some damage rate. It’s all about who’s the unlucky one to deal with it.
Don’t worry, hopefully soon there’ll be more consoles for everyone! ✌🏻
Why didn't I think of that when my Dualshock 4(s) went bust? Just get a replacement or get them fixed.
day 1 buyer no issues. Im reminded daily how great of a purchase I made with a ps5. Best controller ever. If 1 stops working correctly I'll drive to target and buy a replacement, easy fix.
Guessing if they did win, Sony would just pass the costs onto consumers in some form.
Finally got to play a PS5 last week and tried out Astro's Playroom.
The controller capabilities are pretty neat. The haptic feedback is a nice improvement over HD Rumble of the Switch - though similar in overall approach.
The adaptive trigger was tighter than I imagined it would be - but one thing I do like is that it feels better when applying light pressure since the finger now has the ability to "rest" on the button without fear of doing a "full press" of the trigger since there is actual resistance - will be cool for racing games for times when not going full throttle. Not sure how I would feel about a shooting game with semi-automatic weapons as that trigger resistance might tire out my aging joints.
On topic - there was no drift on my cousin's controller.
My Nephews are having issues installing PS4 games on their PS5 from disc. Keep getting ‘can’t install’ error. I helped them set up their PS4 again this morning over the phone.
I've had two DS controllers since launch and they've both been fine. I've only had two crashes total, as well. My PS4PRO crashed fairly often and one of my controllers had a serous drift problem, rendering it unusable. PS5? Everything's been great. Guess I'm lucky.
@LochNass yeah I brought a PS3 60gb day one and got the ylod also brought the ps4 at launch and eventually got the disc eject error, PS2 same thing...
Moral of the story is to never rush in and buy at launch, I'm not even bothered to buy a ps5 right now, PS4 games are still at plentiful 👍👍
Switch owners: "First time?"
@Jimmy_VNC82 Exactly!!
Not gonna lie, I have respect for those lawyers making a quick buck of those lawsuits that they know won't go anywhere
This lawsuit is opportunistic rubbish. The claim that Sony are using the same components as in the DS4 which have “proven” failure issues is just a flat out lie.
I have two controllers, one of which has developed a face button that sometimes won’t depress properly as if there is something under it (blowing sometimes helps) so I’m not saying there aren’t issues, but stick drift has never been an issue with any PS controller I’ve had since the PS1 launch console.
Our Switch however, constant disconnects and issues to the extent we can only play in handheld mode or using a third party controller.
LMAO of all the people trying to make themselves feel better about not being able to get a PS5 by pretending this is a thing at all.
Well here we go..i am surprised there was no class action law suit filed about the coil whine which i still have yet to experience..maybe i should file a complaint about being made to feel singled out by sony because i have no coil whine or controller drift..maybe my ps5 is defective and i should have stuck with my ps4 which is still working like it should after 6 years of abuse..what is the world coming to?
Day one ps5 owner here and have had no issues with anything to do with the console or the controller only annoying thing with it, is the app tiles not being deleted when you delete then but there's a easy work around for that.... So completely happy with my purchase
Lesson learned: should've been a lawyer.
One real complaint about the 5; no NBA app yet, using my macbook through hdmi/lightning adapter to watch league pass. Let me contact my lawyer LOL
@Jimmy_VNC82 Same here! The absence of the NBA app is the one thing that doesn't make this machine perfect .
Ive only had my PS5 for a month but it is a flawless working system that is whisper quiet and both my Dualsense controllers work perfectly. I will keep an eye out for this drifting thats being claimed, but so far so good.
I will say that ergonomically, the Dualsense is the best feeling controller I’ve ever had in my hands. I still think the Dualshock 3 has better battery life though.
Never had those issues especially on ps4 or ps3.😒.word up son
My ps5 controllers are both working 100% The same as my partners. Even my switch works fine. But my xbox controller has drifting issues. No wonder ms are trying to settle their drifting sticks problem out of court.
Lol look at Nintendo, 4 years after launched and they still haven't fixed their drift issues
Day 1.
No drift on 2 controllers.
No whine, (apart from the usual Non PS5 owners).
Happy gamer.
it wouldn't surprise me if it's crap, I just hope that this generator they bother to make a proper 'pro' controller like Xbox do, a larger battery and better materials, I'm not that fussed about additional triggers and such, maybe throw in a turbo button for fun
Wish lawyers would stay the F out of gaming.
The warranty should covers the drift problem, I hope the drift problem isn't as serious as nintendo joy-con problems.
Well 20% defective rate is clearly higher than the standard 2-4% hardware manufacturers expect. They could have a case on their hands.
I just hope they rectify the problem instead of bury their head in the sand like Nintendo seemed to have...
@SilenceCZ I hear you on the day one nonsense. I've bought my systems on launch day since the SNES days, and the only one failing on me ever was a PS3 after 7 years...
In my twenties I've worked at a major games retail chain here in Belgium quite a few years during the PS2 and PS3 era, and we never noticed such phenomenon. Also, in my experience Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft always were very helpful and professional about replacing or repairing hardware. These lawsuits are just ridiculous and unnecessary.
@jmac1686 that's not how it works. even if it affects just 20% of users, that can easily mount to millions of people before we know it. sony will need to acknowledge the problem and provide an extended warranty to those affacted... or... they will be sued due to a faulty/defective product. if they are smart about this, they will fix the problem as soon as possible and not pull a nintendo and fail to even acknowledge of its existence.
Only issues I can recall ever having with any system controllers is when I break them.
I'm really glad this is getting much needed attention. It's like the achilles heel of PS controllers. Do you know how many people have their controllers working fine but JUST the sticks drifting is rendering them absolutely useless?! And then you have to fork out cash for new ones JUST cause of drift... It's worst than any game-breaking bug out there.
@jmac1686 I don't think anybody is acting like 100% of the controllers are defective. A class-action lawsuit only qualifies you for compensation if you actually have had a defect. The whole point of these lawsuits is to light a fire under Sony's ass to fix the problem in their manufacturing or controller design, so that there is less chance of defects in the future. Have you ever participated in a class-action lawsuit? They kinda suck. If millions of people participate and the court rules in your favor, Sony pays millions of dollars but the court divides it among the people impacted so you get probably only a few dollars. Again, it's to try to persuade companies to do better diligence when it comes to hardware/software testing and manufacturing, it's not necessarily about the small amount of money that the defendants would get.
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@LittleToyTitan As a matter of fact I have worked several years for a major game retail as well, in Czech Rep. and can totally agree with you. Of course, Nintendo Switch drift is a major problem, but there weren’t any problems with replacements. All major companies were helpful regarding HW issues.
Interesting fact for Pure Xbox readers here: Microsoft’s customer service is by far the best for the end consumers, at least in my country.
The DualSense lawsuit probably won’t make any meaningful difference.. Sony will eliminate the problem, Nintendo unfortunately didn’t till now and that’s why there’s this DualSense lawsuit copycat.
@SilenceCZ Ah, nice! Yeah, Microsoft really upped their game since Xbox 360. Their procedure used to be somewhat of a hassle with the OG Xbox, but they got their act together and now have the fastest repair / replacement service of the Big Three here in Belgium as well.
Yeah day one purchase of ps5 here zero problems,
This is not a consistent thing I guess
Irritating people just want to cash in on sony knowing they are in a hard place right so, it would be easy money. My dualsense doesn't work I have a slight drift wah wah and I waited and extra 2 months for it,
So em are these lawsuits been brought from where against Sony?
Meritless especially when playstation offers a 1 year warranty, just a quick attempt to get settlement money
Does it count as stick drift if my character is walking even though I'm pushing the left stick forward entirely?
Another day, another lawsuit in the US by parasitical lawyers. Line half the lawyers in the country against a wall and the world would be a better place.
I have had stick drift on a couple of ds4 controllers, but then again I dropped the controller so I expected it. I wonder how many of those who complain actually just broke the sensors by dropping/throwing the controller?
I haven’t had stick drift , but I’ve noticed that the dual sense when it vibrates it makes a loud noise, like a high pitched buzzing sound. Has anyone here experience that?
I get a little bit of drift on all stars seems the car veers to the rigjt a little but if I play anything else it's fine so I can't say I have stick drift as its on one game.
We have had 4 dualsense controllers since december (family of 4, unsurprising our library has many 4 player coop games!), not one of ours has any drift issues. Only ever experienced this once with a dualshock 4 pad which I fixed myself by taking apart the controller and replacing the sensors on the stick (the little spring thingys)
only in the US eh.... americans.
those kids hammering on their sticks while playing fortnite XD
I would love to see statistics on what games are played the most by people with drifting analog sticks.
Have two controllers that are used constantly for hours a day and have had zero issues, I wish the battery lasted a little longer but that aside they are perfect.
I hope Sony does the right thing and sends the lawyers packing: maintain their warranty agreement by bolstering support staff and repairmen to efficiently field demand and fix the problem. Make the necessary changes in production. Go above the call of duty and cover shipping costs. Goodbye parasites.
@Arugula i have a 3rd party ds4 that i use for pga2k21 as the sticks are springier and that works perfectly fine (nacon wired)..
I have experienced stick drift on 3 0f the 6 DS4's i have had. That to me indicates a problem with design. IF the DualSense uses the same stick design as the DS4 then i am not surprised by reports of DS stick drift.
Sh*tty, scumbag lawyers looking for any chance to make a few bucks.
As with any tech, a certain volume has some issues. Not everything requires a fecking lawsuit. The console's been out 3 months... if you've got an issue, it's still covered by warranty.
Once upon a time, I'd have said "only in America", but we all know this kind of crap has spread almost global now.
I literally only get this on Warzone which led me to believe this was a software issue, playing a PS4 game on a PS5. I haven't seen it on any other game at all.
[Copenhagen, Denmark]
After 1 week with my PS5, my DualSense controller's R2-trigger stopped working properly, meaning it would make me/it shoot/drive on its own. Got it replaced instantly (when I found a store where they had stock), but I had no contact with Sony. This was a Danish store's handling of it.
@NoCode23 I've had DS4's come out of the box with drift, my DS5 is already drifting on left stick, seems like a flawed design.
But why wasn't there one for DS4? All but 1 of my 5 controllers that I purchased eventually got the drift. Even with the DS3, every controller would get drift. My DualSense seems more robust and yet that's the one that is getting a lawsuit? Although, yes, they should be fixing these controllers as part of the warranty.
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