Joy-cons, gamepads, controllers—they're known by many names and come in many forms. However, they all eventually run into the same problem: joystick drift.

In most cases, the problem gets so bad that you eventually have to scrap the controller and get a new one. But what exactly is joystick drift? And if the problem is so prominent, why hasn't it been fixed yet?

What Is Joystick Drift?

Game controllers have a variety of parts and components, but the ones we usually interact with the most are the joysticks. Everything you do, from moving around in the menus to controlling your character in-game, can be achieved using the joysticks.

These joysticks themselves are made up of certain components, but the main attraction here is the potentiometer, otherwise called the pot. The pot is a variable resistor that outputs a different voltage based on its position. Joysticks have two pots, one for the X-axis (left and right) and another for the Y-axis (up and down).

The pot is a mechanical device that changes the voltage that passes through it by making contact with a resistive strip. Over time, this strip wears out, causing the pot to fluctuate its voltage output, even when it's centered.

If this value is different every time, your controller registers that as an input, and that's what joystick drift looks like at its most basic level. Of course, other components in the pot, like railings and centering springs, can also fail over time and introduce drift in your controller.

Remember that these voltages must be very precise to detect accurate movement. Therefore, pots produce an analog signal that's converted to a digital signal and sent to your console or PC for further processing. Anything that messes with your pot's precision can introduce joystick drift.

The worst part about this problem is that, in most cases, the potentiometer is the only point of failure. This means that you have a controller that works in every other aspect. But if the pot is busted, joystick drift will make the entire controller unusable.

What Problems Can Joystick Drift Cause?

For starters, joystick drift introduces random input and jitteriness in your controller. This means that menus can operate on their own, and so does your game character. If you're playing a particularly input-sensitive game like a first-person shooter, joystick drift can make it nearly impossible to aim.

Even in casual games where you don't need spot-on joystick accuracy, drift can throw your inputs off by a lot, causing you to hold the joystick in a particular place off-center to cancel those inputs. Even then, since the output voltage from your pot is fluctuating courtesy of deteriorating contact patches, random spikes in movement or general unpredictability can cause a lot of in-game headaches.

What's worse is that it's difficult to fix this problem unless you're handy enough with electronics to take apart your controller and physically inspect the pots. While this operation doesn't require an electronics engineering degree, it's still a relatively complicated process for the average gamer who just wants to pick up their controller and play their favorite game.

According to iFixit, joysticks used in the PS5 controller are rated for around two million cycles. While that might sound like a lot, it's only equivalent to about four months of use based on two hours of gameplay per day. This brings us to our next problem—e-waste.

Most controllers out there don't have swappable components. So, unless you're willing to desolder and replace your joysticks, you will have to scrap an otherwise perfectly functional controller. Considering the number of gamers worldwide that'll be dumping controllers, you'll have an enormous pile of totally avoidable e-waste on your hands in no time.

What Can You Do to Fix Your Controllers Without Getting a New One?

You can do a few things to fix the stick drift issue without getting a new controller. Keeping your controllers clean is the first thing you should do. Other than the resistive contacts in the pots fading away, dust or debris that can get inside your controller can also cause an improper connection leading to joystick drift.

A can of compressed air and some carefully positioned spraying should solve the problem, provided the cause of drift in your controller isn't pot failure. Using DIY cleaning slime or putty is also a viable option here.

Another solution is software calibration. Windows and consoles alike offer in-built calibration tools that recalibrate the pot input to eliminate drift. However, this is only a workaround instead of a fix, as eventually, the fluctuations causing the drift will become too big for the software to cancel out.

Increasing your joystick dead zones can come in handy when used alongside calibration. However, this will make your joysticks far less sensitive, adversely affecting your gaming experience. We also have several detailed guides for specific consoles:

• How to Fix PS5 Controller Drift
• How to Fix Xbox One Controller Drift
• Ways to Fix Joy-Con Drift on Your Nintendo Switch

The best way to ensure you never experience joystick drift again is to scrap your existing controller and get one with hall effect joysticks. You might spend more on it than your average controller, but you'll get much nicer, more accurate joysticks that'll last you much longer.

How Can Manufacturers Fix Joystick Drift?

There are two potential solutions for manufacturers to eliminate joystick drift for good—switch to hall effect joysticks or provide swappable joystick modules for controllers.

We've seen both solutions implemented in products you can buy today. While first-party manufacturers, including Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, continue to stick with potentiometer joysticks for cost-cutting measures, several third-party vendors make hall effect controllers. The GuliKit KingKong 2 Pro and 8BitDo Ultimate are a couple of good hall effect joystick controllers you can buy immediately without breaking the bank.

As for swappable joysticks, Sony admirably launched the DualSense Edge controller that comes with swappable joysticks. While they still use pot-based joysticks, it's nice to have the option to swap only the joysticks, which are sold separately for $20 each. However, the controller's massive $200 price tag will keep most gamers at bay.

Other significant players in the controller space, especially Microsoft and Nintendo, continue using pot-based joysticks with no easy way to replace them. Even Microsoft's $179 Xbox Elite Series 2 controller still uses pot-based joysticks.

Hall Effect Joysticks for the Win

A single component failing inside your controller can introduce drift, making the controller unusable and eventually ending up in the trash. While there are ways to fix the issue, it won't be completely eliminated until manufacturers take action and either switch to hall effect joysticks or provide affordable and easy repair options.