Cause: Joystick Intensive Games
Wear and tear are expected over time but the longevity of one’s joysticks depends on exactly what they’re playing. Most games put normal or minimal wear on the thumbsticks but there are some titles that will put a controller through the paces. These games can wear down even the strongest of joysticks through fast-paced gameplay and stick-heavy mechanics.
A good example is the Indie hit Enter the Gungeon. The “twin-stick shooter” puts a lot of emphasis on constant movement and aiming. Players who find themselves loading up these types of games often will likely see drift issues far sooner than someone who is playing traditional titles or different genres.
What Is Stick Drift
Stick drift is simply when the analog stick doesnt return to its original, intended position, causing many unwanted actions.
Thats all. Thats the only reason why you lose all your Dimond armor when your character suddenly decides that jumping into the lave is a good idea. Well, mine does. That was a horrifying tragedy.
Although this might not have happened to you, you have to agree that Stick drift is really irritating, like super irritating. It can totally take the fun out of any game.
Clean It With A Compressor
If all we have to do is remove dust particles, then what better way to do that than with an Air compressor. So, make sure to buy one from Amazon or anywhere you like.
After you get your hands on the Air compressor can, follow these steps:
Step 1: Disconnect your controller from your Xbox.
Step 2: Clean under both Left and Right stick with some rubbing alcohol on a q-tip. This should prevent you from blowing extra gunk deeper into the controller.Alcohol can evaporate so you dont have to worry about damaging anything.Double-check to not miss any spot.
Step 3: Hold your Left stick to one side and blow with your compressor at its base. Hold the controller into your hand and make sure to keep the nozzle at least 3 inches away or else, you will risk blowing moisture into your controller.You can rotate your analog stick to reach harder to reach places.
Step 4: Give the same treatment to your R-stick.
Step 5: Do this 2-3 times to completely remove any dust particles.
This will solve your stick drift.
PRO Tip: Do this every once in a while to make sure any dirt dont slide into your potentiometer.
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Open Up The Xbox One Controller
If cleaning the analog stick pads does not make the controller drift away, you can use T8 and T9 safety Torx to open up the controller by disassembling its parts. The deconstruction of the Xbox One controller aims at checking if the analog sticks are present incorrect position. Moreover, you will also see if the sticks are loose or not.
If the analog stick pads appear loose to you, try to replace them with new ones.
Xbox One Controller Left Stick Drift Fix Without Opening
There are a few reasons why your Xbox One controller might be drifting. Maybe the joystick needs cleaning, or theres something blocking the sensor. But if you dont want to open up your controller and try to fix it yourself, Microsoft has a solution for you. All you need is a rubber band. Just follow these simple steps:
1) Wrap the rubber band tightly around the bottom of the joystick so that its in the center. 2) Make sure the rubber band is snug, but not too tight that it affects game play. 3) Play a game for 5-10 minutes and test out your joystick. If its still drifting, repeat steps 1-3 until it stops. 4) Once.
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What Is The Xbox One Controller Joystick Drift
Controller joystick drift is, basically, when an analog stick moves without any input from the user. You dont have to be a gamer to understand how a lack of accuracy in a controller can sink a players hopes for an engaging round of play.
This problem is something that, in the majority of cases, can only be fixed by physically taking apart the controller no adjusting of the console settings can address the issue. In fact, PC Mag reports that the issue may become worse over time if left unfixed.
According to the lawsuit filed against the company, Microsoft knows about this problem but refuses to pay for the fix.
My Thumbsticks Seem To Be Drifting/moving Without Me Touching Them How Can I Fix This
If you find that the Prismatic XBOX One controller’s thumbsticks are showing movement without being touched, your controller may need to be recalibrated. Please follow the provided instructions below to re-calibrate your controller.
Press down on the directional pad
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How To Fix Xbox One Controller Joystick Drift
Few Joystick analogy Drift Fix suggestions
- Make sure that your controller has fresh batteries and that your controller is updated.
- Press and hold the power button on your Xbox One console for 10 seconds.
- Once your console is powered off, unplug the power cord.
- Wait 5 minutes and then plug in your console.
- Power on your console and try resyncing the controller to your console again.
Follow these steps to update your controller wirelessly and to support the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter:
How To Dix Drift By Using Compressed Air
Oftentimes, when your controller begins to drift in a certain direction, the cause may not be due to a mechanical fault. It could just be a build-up of dirt and dust. Even if you try to keep things tidy as you game, some particles are bound to build up over time, and if your controller is not brand-new, it could be that it just needs a bit of TLC in order to work well again. If that is the case for you, the fix is simple enough and won’t require disassembling the controller.
You just need to pick up a can of compressed air with a straw. This is sometimes also referred to as “compressed gas” or “pressurized air.” In any case, it’s a can of air that will loosen the dust stuck inside various electronics.
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Simple Methods To Restore Worn Out Thumbstick Pads
Once you happen to search out that your Xbox One controller is affected by thumbstick drift, youll need to begin with the one fixes and proceed from there. Whereas soiled or worn out thumbstick pads dont signify the most typical present of this draw again, that is the proper place to start out because of its the one and quickest situation to try.
To carry out this restore, youll want:
- Isopropyl alcohol
Reassemble the controller and check out operation.
What Causes Stick Drift On Your Xbox Controller
Now that you know what stick drift is. Im sure you might be wondering what is causing it?
The most common cause of Stick Drift on the Xbox controller is Dust, dirt, and grime making their way into the controller and prevents the analog stick to go back to its original position. These things can add up over time, causing even severe stick drift issues.
Another common thing that can cause Stick drift is Moisture and this can mess up with the electrical connection and can even damage the potentiometer permanently.
Another common reason is physical damage. If you somehow damage any sensor or the potentiometer, then it can also lead to stick drift.
Now, that we know what is stick drift and what is causing it. Its time to fix the stick drift of your Xbox controller.
Most of the time, stick drift on the Xbox controller can be solved without opening it. But in some cases, where the stick drift is severe, we have to open the controller. Dont worry we will guide you through both cases.
And if the damage is physical then we have to change the potentiometer. Dont worry we got that covered too.
First, we are going to walk you through the method where there is no need to open your controller, and if none of this works.
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How To Fix Drift On Your Xbox One And Series X
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Sometimes, when playing games on your Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S, you may run into a supremely annoying problem: Controller drifting. What does that mean, exactly? Imagine that you’re mid-fight against an enemy, your character randomly starts wandering off to the left or right, and it won’t stop. Also known as analog drift, this phenomenon can cause gamers a lot of frustration. Due to its unpredictable nature, it can easily ruin a game if it happens at the wrong time. Rehardless of when it happens, it’s no fun.
Drift happens to many different controllers spread across all kinds of consoles. It’s typically just a result of wear. Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons are notorious for it, but even PlayStation 5 players are not safe. Simply put, the more you game, the more likely it is that eventually, your controller will start to drift, and you’ll find yourself searching for quick and easy ways to fix it. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to address controller drift on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
Replace The Entire Analog Stick
Replacing the analog sticks on the controller is one of the most complicated tasks. You should take care while executing the operation. Here is the step-by-step guide on how to fix controller drift.
Step 1: Disassemble your Xbox One controller with T8 and T9 Torx. To pull apart the circuit board, you need T7.
Step 2: As the analog stick has a soldered connection with the circuit board, you need to get de-soldering equipment to pull apart the analog stick from the board.
Step 3: Take the new analog stick assembly, put it on the circuit board, and solder it properly.
Step 4: Put every part of the controller back into its place and check if the Xbox controller drift issue is solved.
How to fix Xbox controller drift? If you are still bothered by it, this post can help you. It offers you 5 methods to fix the issue.
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How To Configure Xbox One Controller Spring
If you still experience disorientation after trying to adjust the finger pads or find that they are not slippery or open, another easy solution is to replace the finger pads. If only one finger stick bothers you, return the finger spring.
To perform this repair, you will need:
- Prying tool
- Analog Steak Springs
- tweezers
Most consoles, including the Xbox 360 console, use the same analog stick components as the Xbox One console so that you can skip the older console. You can also buy an optional analog stick and buy glasses from it.
Heres how to spring into the Xbox One analog joystick:
1. Unlock your console using the pre-tools and T-8 or T-9 security torque.
2. Remove the green plastic cap from the bottom and right side of the finger stick assembly. If you break any plastic covers, youll have to replace the entire analog stick model, which requires soldering.
3. Remove the glass. If youre having trouble extracting the spring, use the teaser.
4. Replace with a new spring or spring taken from another console.
5. Replace the green plastic cover.
Reconnect console and experimental operation. Do not attempt this repair if you have no experience removing components from circuit boards. Any mistake in your soldering iron can easily ruin your console.
If you want to try this fix, you will need:
- Prying tool
- Replace analog stick assembly.
Heres how to set up an Xbox One analog joystick:
2. Use solder to remove the old analog stick assembly from the circuit board.
Try Cleaning Up The Analog Sticks
Cleaning the analog stick of your Xbox One controller is the easiest solution, to begin with. Maybe, your controllers analog stick pad has not worn out. Therefore, a simple cleaning will surely help in such a case.
Please follow the steps given below to clean up the analog stick pads properly
- Take a cotton bud, and dip one of its sides in isopropyl alcohol.
- Using the soaked cotton bud, carefully clean the analog stick pad with a rounded surface.
- Please make sure that you clean the pad entirely by rotating the stick to and fro and side to side.
- If you believe that you have cleaned the pad correctly, you can test the controller. However, if the controller still drifts, you can open the controller, which is a complex procedure.
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How To Fix Stick Drift On Xbox One And Series X/s Controller With Pressurised Air
This is the first port of call when combatting that pesky stick drift, which is likely to be caused by a build-up of dust, grease and dead skin cells after many hours of playtime. Step one is to buy some pressurised air.
Once youve got your hands on that, you can start the process of fixing your Xbox One controller. Turn it off first, of course, then use the air tube to blow at the bottom of your analog sticks. Move them around a bit as you do so, but make sure to not do it constantly as it can damage the controller if used too much. Short, sharp bursts should do the trick.
After this is done, carefully wipe away any excess dirt and wiggle your sticks around the full range of motion for a couple of minutes. Hopefully, this will have fixed your issue.
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Prevention: Keep Your Controller In Pristine Condition
It almost goes without saying, but the best way to prevent drift is to treat your controller like a brand new car, every time you play with it. You don’t need to wash or put wax on it, you simply have to pay attention to what you do when you use your cool new DualSense.
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Don’t toss the controller on your bed when you finish playing, don’t mash the buttons if you lose a tournament in Rocket League, and handle the sticks with extreme care. Treating your controller this way can prevent drift from showing up altogether, in some cases.
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How To Fix Xbox Stick Drift By Taking Your Controller Apart
The more extreme way of fixing stick drift on your Xbox One or Series X controller is to take it apart.
However, we dont recommend this course of action, especially if your controller is still under warranty. Opening up your controller will void its warranty, and you could end up having no controller at all if you mess up.
If none of that deters you, then we recommend you watch and follow along with this video:
Again, this method is not advised. If youre really worried about stick drift on your controller, its probably worth taking it to a Microsoft-approved repair specialist. However, this will cost you if its out of warranty.
That being said, if your controller is out of warranty, this method could cure the issue youre having meaning you can go back to being in complete control while gaming.
Take The Xbox Controller Apart
To take apart an Xbox controller, you want a pry tool and a Torx tool. Some Xbox models use Torx 8, and others use Torx 9. Check the screw size on your controller model before purchasing one.
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