So I like to use Xbox controllers (doesn’t matter if it’s first- or third-party) because I like the layout, it’s just comfortable to me. However I’ve noticed that on all my controllers in the past few years, the left thumb stick will start to “give out” over the course of a couple months. For instance I’ll be pushing it forward all the way, but it won’t register for some reason and my character will only move a little bit. Sometimes wiggling it a bit will fix it, sometimes it doesn’t. And it’s not like I’m squeezing the hell out of the controller or mashing the stick constantly; in fact it’s made me try to be more delicate with my controllers, even though I’m just playing the games normally.
Is it just how controllers are, or am I just getting the shit end of the stick?
Switch controllers are notorious for wearing out quickly, but I haven’t heard anything about Xbox controllers.
The first thing to do would be to just take them apart and clean them. If you’re really wearing them out, see if you can find a controller with hall effect sensors instead of potentiometers.
Or replace your potentiometers with hall effect sensors. At least on the Switch it was a 15m fix.