Hello all.
I want to make the community aware of an issue I've come across and discovered with the DS4 controller. I recently began noticing that during gameplay, the mode for sprinting (pushing down L3 joystick and forward) began to intermittently cut out out causing me to constantly push down repeatedly on the L3 joystick to sprint again. This is not a new issue. A quick browse on Google will show that many others are experiencing the same thing under the topic Jittery dualshock 4 joystick, or the subject of sprinting dualshock 4 fix.
Now, some feel that blowing into the left joystick solves their issue. Others feel that pushing down repeatedly on the joystick (clicking it) on the outer periphery of the joysticks boundaries will also solve their issue however this was not the case for me. After trying these quick fixes, I decided to open the controller and investigate further, checking for obvious signs of debris or manufacture defects. I came across something interesting after removing the plastic joystick components that are contacted by the fingers and exposing the shaft that comes from the actual joystick sensor electronics. I noticed that at some point the plastic shaft had made contact with the outer metal ring of the joystick sensor frame. This metal frame (ring) that limits the joystick's movements is thin and if the joystick were to make contact with it, it would cut into the softer plastic which seems to be the case for my DS4.
It is my belief that this is causing some of my issues when the joystick is fully extended forward. I believe that the cuts into the joystick shaft act as a lip and make it difficult to press downward preventing sprinting motion during gameplay. (see pictures) I hope that at some point Sony may be able to round off this metal edge, preventing the soft plastic joystick from being so susceptible to damage and ultimately gameplay issues.
That being said, I'm not sure if this issue can be completely explained by this faulty design. I am also having some issue with dead spots in the left joystick's sensing abilities when not fully exteded forward. Menu selection during gameplay reveals this as my cursor tends to have dead spots about halfway extended forward and some jitteriness when moving side to side lighty.
Either way, frustrating. This does not seem to be an isolated issue. I hope there are possible solutions to this issue or at the very least, a change in the DS4's internal design.
