Can Stick Drift Be Fixed Permanently?
By the OG Repairs workshop team, LondonPublished 3 min read
Can stick drift be fixed permanently?
For the wear that causes it, yes: replace the worn sticks with TMR or Hall effect sticks. Standard sticks drift because a carbon track inside them wears, and a new standard stick wears the same way. Magnetic sticks have no track to wear. At OG Repairs a PS5 DualSense TMR upgrade is £34.99, with a 12-month warranty.
Key facts
- Stick drift on a standard controller is wear: a small wiper rubs on a carbon track every time the stick moves.
- Cleaning and calibration can hide drift for a while, but they don't repair a worn track.
- TMR and Hall effect sticks read the stick with a magnet, so there's nothing rubbing to wear out.
- Springs, the gimbal and the caps are still mechanical in every stick, and a hard knock can still damage one.
- A TMR upgrade is £34.99 on a PS5 DualSense and £29.99 on an Xbox Series X|S controller at OG Repairs.
Why stick drift keeps coming back
Because the part that causes it keeps wearing. A standard stick is a potentiometer: a small wiper rubs across a carbon track every time you move it. The track wears, the reading at rest drifts off centre, and the controller sees movement nobody made. Fit another standard stick and the same wear starts again.
Every stick drift fix, compared
| Clean or recalibrate | New standard sticks | Hall effect sticks | TMR sticks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How the stick is read | No change | Carbon track | Magnet | Magnet |
| Wear-related drift comes back? | Usually, on a worn stick | Yes, as the new track wears | No | No |
| Still mechanical | Everything | Springs, gimbal and caps | Springs, gimbal and caps | Springs, gimbal and caps |
| PS5 DualSense | Free to try yourself | £24.99 | Not offered | £34.99 |
| Xbox Series X|S controller | Free to try yourself | £19.99 | £24.99 | £29.99 |
Does cleaning or calibration fix stick drift?
Sometimes, for a while. Dust and grime under the stick can cause drift, and a clean shifts it. Calibration re-centres a stick that reads slightly off. Neither repairs a worn carbon track, so on a worn stick the drift returns. Check it with our free Gamepad Tester before and after, so you can see whether it's really gone.
TMR or Hall effect?
Both are magnetic, so neither has the track that wears. Hall effect came first. TMR is the newer sensor: it picks up smaller movements, so it's more precise, and it draws less power than Hall effect, which helps battery life on a wireless controller.
We fit TMR as standard. Our TMR stick upgrade page has the full comparison and the price for every controller we work on.
What new sticks can't prevent
A magnetic stick removes wear from the reading, not from everything around it. The springs that centre the stick, the gimbal it pivots in and the caps you push on are mechanical in every stick. A drop that bends a stick is a different fault, and worn caps are a cheap swap.
What a lasting fix costs by controller
- PS5 DualSense: £34.99 with TMR sticks, or £59.99 with GuliKit 720 TMR sticks you can adjust the tension on.
- PS5 DualSense Edge: £64.99 to fit TMR inside both stick modules.
- PS4 DualShock 4: £29.99 with TMR sticks.
- Xbox Series X|S: £29.99 with TMR sticks.
- Xbox Elite Series 2: £58.99 with TMR sticks.
Bench time is about 2-3 hours. Post it in from anywhere in the world, or drop it at our London workshop by appointment. If you need it back the same day, get in touch with the team about a priority slot before you book.
Drifting again? Fix the cause
TMR sticks fitted, calibrated and tested in London. No fix, no fee, 12-month warranty, and mail-in from anywhere in the world.