PS3 Game Controller Durability - Your experience?

jaybee

jaybee

jaybee

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10 Jul 2008
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How long do you find they last? Personally although I have always been a playstation fan, I find the controllers - despite being great for control - really bad for durability. I have had one controller die already and my current two have issues. One keeps turning off and not syncing plus the R1 button keeps failing. The other one has a sticky X button. Both of the left analogue sticks on these controllers the top pad has come loose and on one of them has come off. I don't play games that abuse the controllers either nor chuck em about.

@ £35 a pop it gets annoying replacing them. I gather taking them apart to fix yourself is a nightmare judging from a quick search online of people that have tried to do it.
 
I have never once had a failed PS controller in 10 years of use!
I love the design and find they're really durable. With multipul drops etc (hey, it happens!) they all still work - PS3, PS2 and even my original PS1 non-analogue!
 
Hmm...i forgot to mention I have kids. Perhaps this is the problem. In fact...it's usually why most things in the house break.
 
although my Phat's laser died, the controllers still work fine (they're the ones without vibration) the one from the slim (which has vibration) is fine also
 
I look after my controller, it's a Dual Shock 3 and I haven't had any problems with it. It gets a lot of use, weekly I'd say around 10-15 hours and sometimes even more, I've owned it just over a year.
 
Just replaced a blue DS3 that I'd been using for GT5, started creaking and groaning as I was cornering. Still worked fine, but the noise irritated me, so I got a new one today.

Saying that, my original one is still fine and quiet, after seeing far more use over the years than my blue one ever did. Must have just been unlucky with it.
 
Both xbox and playstation pads get absolutely hammered at work and in a couple of years I've only seen one dualshock 3 failure. The spring in L2 broke and that trigger became spongey. They're surprisingly resilient if treated well IMO
 
sean said:
Both xbox and playstation pads get absolutely hammered at work and in a couple of years I've only seen one dualshock 3 failure. The spring in L2 broke and that trigger became spongey. They're surprisingly resilient if treated well IMO
Click to expand...

I had the spring go in my ps3 controller its easy to get replacement springs for a few ponds and replacing them in the controller only takes a couple of minutes.

You can also try bending a staple in to the shape of the spring and putting that in the controller but you may find as the staple is a slightly stronger metal it grinds away at the plastic but this is an easy fix if you buy actual replacement springs.

As for having a controller fail not happened to me so far just a spring int he R2 trigger breaking is about as exciting as it gets.
 
When mine dies I'll get something else. Having had the XBox for the last 4 years, RIP old friend, I find the PS3 controller too small. I have quite big hands and the PS£ controller feels far too small,
 
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I have 2, one was bought with the system over 2years ago and other was bought about 1.5years ago.
Both are working fine, never had any problems with them and have them on rotation so when I'm using one the other is on charge.

Also use them for multiplayer but mostly play online :D

I use them every night aswell, as if I'm not gaming on the PS3 I'm watching freeview and use them instead of a remote :D

Both of mine are dualshock3 sixaxis
 
Had my PS3 almost two years now and both the controllers are just as new. And they get used a lot (that's an understatement :))

I guess dirty hands and kids thinking that smashing the buttons will make a difference is not a good combo.
 
Ordered the DS3 from Japan on launch and they are perfectly fine, even the sixaxis from my 60GB console is fine. Just need to look after them a little.
 
My original sixaxis feels very work out, buttons have lost feel and analogue sticks are sticking. I bought a DS3, it got used about 3 times before L1 and R1 stopped working, and it now only works when plugged in :( I do look after them, I don't lob them about.
 
i have never had a controller break on the ps1, ps2 or ps3.

the only issue i had was that when sony made the silver (special limited edition) ps2's, their silver controllers were of an inferior quality, after a while of playing socom the r1 (shoot) button would start to jam due to something inside of it breaking easily. the controller still worked fine though but that button would jam sometimes.

every other controller has had zero problems, and i had over 4 controllers on ps1 (multi tap) over 4 controllers on ps2 (multi tap) and 3 controllers on ps3.
 
My first DS3 (that came with the console so not fake) cracked on the bottom for some reason after hardly any use and made the D-Pad spongy, but other than that I don't think I've ever had a genuine PlayStation pad break since the PS originally came out.

Saying that I use a 3rd party PowerA one now :o
 
Never had a problem with any of mine. Unless you count being horrible compared to the 360 controller as a problem.

I find the PS2 pads feel sturdier though.
 
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