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YouTuber Major_Trenton officially lost his faith in Sony after trying to fix the joystick in his $200 PlayStation controller. After trying to fix a seemingly insignificant problem with his gaming controller, he was forced to trudge through hours of customer service calls and buggy websites, all to get Sony to honor their warranty and replace a $20 part.
If you aren’t familiar with the scourge that is “stick drift,” it’s when your gaming controller moves without you unintentionally because it’s been bent into a direction. It’s fairly infuriating—and a big problem with a lot of current-gen consoles, with potentiometer-based joystick designs. The Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons are infamous for this issue, and Nintendo has had to apologize and introduce repair programs. Entrepreneurs have stepped up to help out: Gulikit makes a replacement Switch joystick with hall-effect sensor technology, which is far more durable and less prone to drift.
But Sony has been much less responsive, and there are far fewer options for PlayStation controllers with drifting sticks. Within months of the PS5’s launch, there was already a class-action lawsuit against them for joystick drift on the DualSense controllers.
Major_Trenton wanted to fix his drifting joysticks but didn’t want to cough up another $200 for a new controller. Swapping out the defective part was the best solution. The good news: Sony finally carries and sells replacement stick modules. The bad news? Good luck getting your hands on the part—it’s always sold out.
And even if you are lucky enough to procure a replacement stick module, Sony’s controllers are designed in such a way that you risk breaking other parts of the device to fix the most commonly broken component of the controller. Not to mention, if you choose to fix a controller which is under warranty, Sony claims that you void the agreement and won’t be able to access Sony’s repair services (even though this is an illegal practice in the US).
A bug on the Sony website meant that even after spending hours on the customer service line and doing black magic to make the serial number visible, he couldn’t get the form submitted. This sent them back to the customer service line where he was eventually able to get the form submitted and send the controller in for a repair.
So a victory for repair, yes? Actually, no. The hours of time Major_Trenton spent on support calls, combined with the procedural and technical hurdles to getting the device cleared for repair should be looked at as a feature and not a bug in Sony’s repair process. They’re impediments to getting repairs done. If you think that’s a stretch, maybe walk through the process of buying a new Sony controller versus getting one fixed. My prediction: that process will run as smooth as glass with no glitches that keep you from spending your money.
Sony’s says their controller “invites you to craft your own unique gaming experience so you can play your way.” But Major_Trenton wasn’t expecting a gaming experience where the two options were “let Sony fix the controller in the most frustrating way possible” or “just buy a new controller and move on.”
More News
- Motorola partners with 3D printing firm to speed repairs: A big impediment to repairing personal electronics is finding the customized tools needed to repair broken devices. Historically, these had to either be purchased new from the manufacturer or—in the case of parts—salvaged from a broken device. But Motorola has a new option for independent repairers: printing your own tools. Motorola Mobility recently announced a partnership with Red Wolf Technology to empower repair shops with 3D printing of genuine Motorola OEM tools Utah-based Red Wolf Technology is a pioneer in 3D printing phone accessories with its Primo Print3D platform. The collaboration aims to revolutionize phone repairs by enabling shops to 3D print essential tools on-site, reducing costs and enhancing precision. Using Primo Print3D, essential tools like jigs and molds can be 3D printed on-demand, ensuring high-quality repairs with reduced turnaround times. On-site 3D printing is transforming the phone repair industry, reducing dependency on supply chains, and lowering operational costs, VoxelMatters reports.
- Apple has retreated on repair opposition, but don’t get too hopeful: Right to Repair advocates have celebrated Apple’s concessions in recent years on the matter of repairability and self-repair of its popular personal electronics like iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. But they shouldn’t take too much comfort in the company’s back-pedaling, David Price writes over at Macworld. Instead, the company’s concessions on repair are “just one example of a strategy Apple has used to good effect across its business” and are often followed by further restraints just beyond their line of retreat. Price cites Apple’s retreats in opposition to things like the standard USB-C interface, sideloading, and environmental protections as other issues. Worst of all, Price notes: “Apple will take credit for the concession as if it was being altruistic, rather than yielding to insurmountable pressure at the most convenient moment.”
- Framework 13 could be your forever laptop: Framework has been making headlines for years with its vision of an open laptop hardware and software platform that encourages repair, reuse and modification – a marked alternative to the “walled garden” approach of manufacturers like Apple. Why choose one over the other? That’s what Jason Evangelho takes on in this Forbes article. “What is Framework selling, exactly? In essence, a solution — instead of merely a band-aid — for the escalating problem of e-waste,” Evangelho writes. “Framework laptops are designed around consumer-friendly principles like repairability and upgradeability. Refreshingly, the company is striding in exactly the opposite direction of the rest of the laptop industry. While the eternal pursuit of thinness and portability now means removing a headphone jack, or soldering memory and storage drives right onto the motherboard, Framework is doubling down on a modular approach that gives consumers freedom of choice instead of locking them into forced obsolescence.”
PlayStation repair toolkit
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2条评论
One other place to look for replacements that are always available...
AMAZON =)
You can also find them at temu and a few other places. They aren't to expensive and work AWESOME. I have fixed 20+ Dual Shock PS4 controllers.
d0gg - 回复
You'd trust buying something (or anything) from Temu? I'd trust them even less than Ali Express.
SenileOtaku - 回复