Topic: Dualshock 4 - wear & tear

I got a launch day console last year in the UK and after a few weeks my Dualshock 4 left analogue stick's rubber coating started falling apart, it's now split and my thumb often slips, it's also not very comfortable at all. I've emailed Sony and awaiting a response which I'll update here as and when. I will probably end up just buying new thumb grips to avoid any hassle. Has anyone else had problems and can you reccomend any brand of thumb grips that work well?

This seems to be a rather common problem -- I've seen it being complained about quite a lot across the web. I've had no issues, but it's starting to look like Sony didn't stress test the materials enough on the analog sticks.

Yeah, I hadn't even used it significantly before it started to breakdown. I doubt there would have been the same problem if they had kept the dualshock 3 analogue stick design, for me it was far superior and more comfortable.

my left stick is showing wear on the actual stick part, below the thumb placement. My PS3 controller is like that too but much worse. Kinda wished they took the Vita route and had a metal ring to enforce it

A friend of mine has the exact same problem, I have none. We both got our PS4 on Nov. 29th. As ShogunRok said, this seems to be a rather common problem, but not with every controller. So since some have some wear already showing on their sticks and some don't have to seem none at all, I assume it's different batches of controllers, with a different material used for the sticks rubber coating.

Nonetheless, the wear so shortly after launch should easily be covered by the warranty.

I have two controllers, and I haven't had this problem yet thankfully. Sad to hear this is a common problem though.

My controler is also wearing on the left thumb stick, the rubber is peeling off its not so much a problem that I cba'd using the warranty or sending it off, I don't even notice it when playing. However if the next controller I buy does the same I will be annoyed, it should be fixed by then.

Noticed that Magma Red DS4 are down to just under £42 at amazon.co.uk so i've made use of a £25 gift card. Hopefully they'll be in stock sooner rather than later.

I can see from your e-mail that you're having some problems with your controller. Unfortunately I'll need more details on the problem you're having before I'm able to help you.

Therefore I'd be grateful if you'd call PlayStation Support on 0844 736 0595 as we'll need to talk you through some steps to troubleshoot the problem that you're having. We may also need to take some details from the console, so it'd be useful if you could have it with you when you call. You'll find our opening times below, however you might find it easier to speak to our team during our quieter period between 11:00 and 15:00. Calls to PlayStation Support cost 4p per minute from a BT land line however calls from other providers and mobile operators may vary.

I've already ordered a new controller and I'll buy some new thumb grips. Its not worth the hassle.

I just bought a pack of 9 pairs of generic caps for £3.99, hopefully they'll work decent enough.

Bought mine at launch too, no issues with the DS4 as of yet. I got 2 with the pack though, one of which I've only used to mess around with on my computer, do that'll be back up if need be.

Tried out the generic thumb grip caps and although they are a fair amount more chunky than the ds4 rubber lining its not so bad, I played an hour of cod ghosts to test it out and its not really noticeable after you get going, no slip issues at all

Okay, so I've had a problem with my Dualshock 4s. The left trigger's spring starts to fail and doesn't reset, meaning you keep shooting in a shooter after releasing. I've sent one in with no problem, got a new one. So fixing it isn't my worry. Now that it's happened to the other launch DS4, I'm starting to worry it's design flaw in the DS4. Has anyone else had this problem?

Playing still launch here, no issues.

I just have the one DS4 that came with my launch-PS4. Still no problems or noticeable wear'n tear yet.

Maybe buy a scuf 4ps, supposedly launching tomorrow. I will probably pick one up and keep my battered ds4s as backup.

@SimonAdebisi: Should you do that, I'd really appreciate some feedback as to how it compares to the original controller.

Nope no problems with mine and I have a launch DS 4.  Might be how hard you press on it or how much you play it.

Had mine since launch. Got two with the Killzone Camera pack. Haven't really used the second one, no issues with the daily driver.

I got the gamer bundle too with the camera and Killzone, and I haven't had the same luck KAL :/

My first controller "broke" after a month or so, the L1 button became stuck down. I decided to try and fix it myself and managed to do so - after about another month the left stick rubber started to peel away (not as bad as some I've seen). I contacted Amazon as Sony wanted me to pay for postage to return it to be "investigated" (really poor customer service... I just paid out £429 for this product which is clearly defective...), and whilst they couldn't replace the item due to stock they very kindly gave me a percentage off the bundle price as a whole which worked out at about £64 or so meaning I could buy a new one if I wanted when available.

I decided to start using the second controller, which has also now broke after a few months of very little use - the rubber/L buttons are fine, this was a different issue. The left stick calibration totally broke. By that I mean you'd press to go right on Resogun for example, and the ship would suddenly start rubber banding up and down at funny angles. I thought at first it was a calibration/software issue (remember the old controllers where if you held a direction when switching on the console it'd calibrate that as the central point) - but after resetting/repairing the controller it was obviously a hardware issue.

So, I contacted Amazon again - who refunded me another £50 which is fantastic customer service.

I ended up taking the original controller apart and replaced the worn thumb-sticks with the ones from the other controller - then stuck on some thumb stick protectors (and a Kontrol Freek on the right stick which makes the world of difference to me in FPS games). So far so good. I'll probably pick up a second controller at some point, though I'm going to wait and probably pick up a blue/red one when available in the UK - hopefully by that point Sony will have revised the materials on the thumb sticks a bit etc (could have just been a dodgy batch maybe, who knows).

Whilst I really like the DualShock 4, the early build quality is terrible from my experience. I've got an XBOX One as well as the PS4 and the controller on that is vastly superior build quality in my personal opinion. I'm not a particularly heavy handed gamer I don't think (had zero problems in the past with controllers... my XBOX 360 one has last me since 2005 and is still going strong...), and the PS4 gets moderate use as I split my time between consoles. I know not everyone has had problems, but there are a lot of people that have. The fun of being an early adopter eh?

Finally @ Jaz007, it sounds like the spring on the trigger has moved off its locator or the little bar is broke, its actually a really simple thing to fix - lots of opening guides on YouTube, you just need a small screwdriver. Here's one here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIYWv0ijcdo