Just bought a Microsoft official Series X controller so I could enjoy cloud gaming and use it to play stardew valley on my pc. I can already feel the Joystick on this thing slightly falling a part. Like, i think in a few months i might have some real problems with this thing.
Kind of bullshit considering it was damn near 70 dollars. 360 controllers did not feel cheap like this.
Yes. Everything. The tendency of the rate of profit to fall means the capitalists constantly are looking for ways to cut costs just to maintain profits. Cheaping out on quality is one way to accomplish this, but even that will just be a temporary solution, as are all capitalist methods of maintaining profit.
how long can this go on for before the rate of profit is low enough that the system itself cannot go on? it seems like we're approaching some kind of asymptote in terms of the severity of the crisis, things are just getting exponentially worse at a faster rate and the proportion of profit meted out to the labour aristocracy is getting smaller and smaller.
It's fundamentally a question of the extent to which the US can maintain its bullshit financial system, as the structural underpinnings of it (namely imperialism and ever-increasing home values) are the primary drivers of profit. The 2008 financial crisis was never actually resolved, interest rates are zilch and quantitative easing is in overdrive. They're out of their usual mask-on tools.
That probably means that they'll be left with mask-off tools: austerity for all, targeting nations outside the US-associated financial system for death even more than usual, and all kinds of disgusting shenanigans to keep exploiter + exploited states in line. India, Vietnam, Indonesia... it will be absolutely essential to the system that they do not become in any way independent: food security, multipolar financial partnerships, improved living standards and fewer work hours will all be high-priority targets of sabotage.
Not much lower: https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2022/01/22/a-world-rate-of-profit-important-new-evidence/
I think it just depends, either way. This is long past the days where shit would last years. I think they're definitely starting to cheap out on parts like you suggested. This controller is about a month old if that.
Parts were overbuilt before modern mechanical design software could simulate how long they would last. Part of it though is that modern devices are thinner and use less robust switches as a result though.
You can look at old pictures of joystick switches on Ebay and see the progression to ever thinner switches .
N64 sticks (first modern joystick) actually used Hall effect switches. They basically could not drift as the sensor had no moving parts.
The springs would lose tension and the stick would become loose, but the sensor readings would remain accurate.
Yeah, I should have put a finer point on the thinner switches part.
Ounce for ounce the best switches are made today, but they can also make thinner switches and thinner controllers than before.
A USB joystick with the thinnest membrane switch of today is not going to last as long as some of the old overbuilt mechanical switches.
Logitech has had a rough few years with double clicking and sensitivity problems. Some of the high end Logitech mice in 2020/2021 were so sensitive that moving them normally could result in a right click just by squeezing the sides. I guess they fixed that mostly at the driver level which results in some right clicks not registering now.
Somehow my fat 80gb PS3 from like 2008 is still going perfectly fine and the sixaxis controller is no worse for wear either
Daulshock 3 joysticks wouldn't drift, but they'd get stuck all the time, that's how'd they'd break. Also went though multiple. Also a very tiny controller for most people, my hands aren't particularly big but I can cover the entire controller with my hand. My friend with small hands loves them though and still uses them to this day as they're the only controllers she can use comfortably.
I believe Nintendo has changed the design of the joycon controllers. I had to constantly replace the joystick on my launch switch because of drift issues. I finally got a new pair a year ago after breaking the ribbon cable on my old pair and I haven't experienced any drifting issues since. IIRC they changed the design of the metal casing on the joystick.
I never had a playstation growing up but my N64 and PC controllers were quite bad (especially the joystick on the N64). I don't doubt that companies cheap out on components but my DS4 and XB1 controllers feel so much better quality than all the crap I had as a kid.
My old N64's joystick would lean almost entirely to one side or the other when not in use. There's also a ton of sugar from a powdered donut still stuck in there, to be fair...
Funny thing is, even if you're joking, this is probably true.
I've been using my 30 dollar PS3 controller for 16 years.
My SNES controllers are still functional, but they haven't been used regularly since I can't hook them up to my PC
Yeah I can relate, it is a mixed bag at best I used the same ATH headphone for over 5 years now. This whole talk about consoles just reminded me of things like the 360 ring of death fucking 15 years ago at this point.
I never had problems with mine, that's just my anecdote though. If those were considered bad by the majority, then I can't imagine how people feel about the Xbox One controllers and this new Series X/S controller. The thing feels light as air and like it could fall apart at any moment.
my ~1 year after launch one feels considerably lighter than my 360 pads, and if i run my fingernail over the plasic it sounds "more hollow" if that makes sense
the plastic also feels noticably shittier
i got it brand new with a consoleI got it directly from gamestop brand new. IDK, this is just my experience. It feels light to me compared to other controllers but that's relative.
If it does break on me, ill just call customer support and see what I can work out with them.
Could be they started cheaping out after the console launches since those launch controller units are the ones reviewers were going to be looking hard at. Yeah, i definitely meant more durability wise when i was referencing the 360 controller.
Glad you've had a better experience than me though.
How bad is it with the PS5 controller, is it as bad as the Joy Cons crapping out?
Also horrid for a lot of left handed people with the asymmetrical analogue stick layout.
As a left handed person it's why I probably leaned to PlayStation as a kid
I'm left handed and vastly prefer asymmetrical sticks when I have to use both sticks
The 360 d-pad remains my least favorite d-pad ever. One big, shitty face-button to command every direction, oof.
360 controllers did not feel cheap like this
Not sure what you mean, my official 360 controllers broke all the fucking time
Xbox controllers have always felt pretty horrible to me as a left handed person who has trouble with fine motor skills. The d pad, asymmetrical joysticks were all bad. The only thing I liked were the triggers, and the size, but ever since the PS4 the daulshock controllers are adult size, and the triggers have vastly improved. Still miss pressure sensitive face buttons though.
Yes and no. Maybe shitty quality control at the specific manufacturing plant. Maybe planned obsolescence. It sucks shit either way
Hori makes good gamepads. I have a fighting game 360/xbone pad I use on my pc and the d-pad is stellar along with the buttons. Not sure if they've got controllers with analog sticks though.
Maybe? I don't remember controllers being reliable as a general rule, more like a few controllers were odd exceptions, like the GC controller. I remember burning through DS2 controllers, and my DS3 controllers spontaneously started acting up years ago. Also Xbox controllers are infamously bad. I've had two Xbox One controllers both with worn out bumpers, and it's known that even the elite controllers use cheapo offbrand microswitches.
Kinda ironic that despite my history with Sony controllers, the DS4 was the most reliable gamepad last gen, I've had that thing fall into the floor countless times, a real champ that one. I use it for everything with a magic-ns adapter. It's a shame that they command such a high price now because Sony just stops making these things as soon as the next gen hits.
This is exactly it. There's way more self reporting now, which I think gives the idea that the situation has gotten worse. I burned through a bunch of 360 controllers in my time. All the controllers seem to use the same analog stick technology, which is why they're all facing the same issues. I bought a DS5 to check out for my PC, and that piece of shit didn't last 3 weeks without drifting.
The Elite controller is probably the worst offender from what I've read, especially version 2. Stick drift out the box, back bumper buttons not registering, face buttons not registering, etc etc
All the controllers seem to use the same analog stick technology
yep, it seems that everyone is using the same cheap potentiometers. the only solace I can find is that there is a robust aftermarket for these things and you can find plenty of people that will help you solder a brand new alps piece on an xbox controller and fix drifting
not really, i meant "people with soldering savvy will pry open the controller for you and install a new potentiometer for relatively cheap" but if you're looking for the easiest semipermanent DIY fix available, the helder's drift fix mod may strike your fancy which is a tiny board that compensates for worn out potentiometers
Oh I'm not scared of soldering at all, my first job out of high school was assembling PCBs, just asking where I can find the parts
Lmao he said " that peice of shit didn't last 3 weeks without drifting'
that was funny my man.
I enjoyed the 360 controller immensely. It seems as soon as the Xbox One hit, Microsoft started cheaping out on the parts for the controllers. This is like the third time now i've started having problems with the left Joystick on a microsoft controller two Xbox One controllers and now this Series X controller. Hence why i made this topic.
I mean you're still correct on the price, controllers are more expensive now than they're ever been, without losing their disposable nature. At least back in the day you could get a new DS2 for like 10-20 bucks. Having an Xbox controller fall apart in your hands after spending somewhere between 50 to 100 smackaroonies stings.
Definitely stings. Will agree with you on the DS4 though, i dropped that thing plenty of times and it didn't break. MS controllers nowadays literally fall apart as you use them within the first year.
The original controller was the best controller
Sure, it was big enough to play DDR on the damned buttons, but by god after a thousand hours of playing through endless purple corridors full of exploding fungus these things still work to this very day.
