Astro Bot Exposes Stick Drift for Some Gamers – Destructoid

Everyone seems to be having a lot of fun playing Astro bot. However, if your DualSense controller is broken, it can put a damper on things. One of the biggest features of the Astro bot games is finding unique ways to emphasize that controller. Critics find it one of the most charming aspects of the game. Astro bot offers a twist on motion controls and player interaction that other games on the PS5 simply haven’t implemented. For the simplest sequences, the controller and all inputs are fully displayed. Entering and exiting a level on the DualSense Glider shows everything the controller is doing.

For those who have played a lot of games with their controllers, the sense of wonder this can evoke may be lost on them. Some gamers have cited @CoreyHikari’s post discussing the severity of their own stick drift. Others have cited it alongside Nintendo’s Joy-Con drift issue. Some feel like they’ve never noticed drift this bad until this generation (Anyone who still uses a GameCube controller for Smash Bros gameplay can demonstrate that this is not a new problem).

Will drift ever be solved?

Perhaps part of the reason gamers are being so caught off guard is the money and presentation that goes into these controllers. As of September 2024, a new pair of Joy-Cons or a brand-new DualSense will cost you around $70 most places. Both Nintendo and PlayStation heavily advertised the cutting-edge nature of these products when their respective consoles launched. It feels a bit like a slap in the face that something so premium could be so flawed. Sony doesn’t seem to have it quite as bad as Nintendo. Nintendo has taken it to court over the issue, and the problem has gotten so bad that the company is offering free JoyCon repairs. Whether Sony gets to that point depends on how quickly the problem is fixed.

For some, the DualSense Edge is the answer, allowing for swappable stick modules. For other systems, companies like 8BitDo offer hall effect controllers. Hall effect uses magnets in front of stick sensors with the aim of eliminating drift. This could be the standard in the future, but for now, hall effect joysticks only seem to make things more expensive. Whether Sony and Nintendo address their growing drift problem is up to them, but it could help endear themselves to gamers who realize how much more expensive it can make the hobby.