Fourth or fifth this generation: why PlayStation owners are massively complaining about DualSense

PS5 owners are increasingly facing rapid wear and tear of the DualSense: sticks, buttons, and batteries fail so often that gamepads have to be bought multiple times.

DualSense controllers for PS5 are facing widespread criticism over stick drift, broken buttons, and weak batteries, which are forcing some gamers to purchase their fourth or fifth gamepad this generation.

Although the DualSense was praised at the PS5 launch for its ergonomics and haptics, the enthusiasm has faded over time. On ResetEra and Reddit forums, users complain about the unreliability of controllers that end up having to be thrown away or heavily repaired.

The primary issue is stick drift, which causes characters to move without any player input. Buttons also fail, ceasing to work, sticking, or responding with delays. The problem affects even the expensive DualSense Edge.

There are just as many complaints regarding the battery. With adaptive triggers and the built-in speaker turned on, the gamepad discharges in 3–4 hours. On older units, the battery sometimes lasts for only 15 minutes.

Some owners replace the batteries with higher-capacity ones on their own. Stick drift is trickier: replacing the sticks requires soldering, so gamers turn to repair shops to install magnetic sensors designed to resolve the problem.