Controller drift is a major issue in gaming. We have the Nintendo Switch that suffers from some major drift issues on the Joy-Cons and now with the PS5, Sony’s DualSense controller is also going through a rough time. So much so that both companies are currently facing a class-action lawsuit to try and get to the bottom of the cause of this controller drift issue. Thankfully, there is some light at the end of the tunnel and this is thanks to a new technology developed by Guli Tech called the GuliKit.
According to the company, controller drift is caused by frequent gameplay loops that causes the metal inside of the controller analogue mechanism to wear. There are multiple factors involved in controller drift of which GuilKit says some of these are dust, metal wear and even grime that is built up by either grease or sweat. Gamers get sweaty, it is what it is.
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However, the biggest contributing factor when it comes to the cause of controller drift is the wear of the carbon film potentiometer inside the analogue stick itself. This is something we have recently covered when the Sony DualSense controller drift issues started to rise. iFixit actually did a teardown where they discovered that the DualSense, among other controllers, still make use of the same dated carbon film potentiometer that we saw back in the PS2 controller.
Carbon film potentiometer is the common used part on stick for many controller. It has many advantages, but its structure determines its natural defects. After some time use,it can be worn out and cause unknown liquids, dust, or residues inside which result in connection failure, performance degradation, and drifting is the common phenomenon.
To tackle this controller drift issue, GuliKit has developed a new stick mechanism that makes use of Electromagnetic technology instead of carbon film material. According to GuliKit, this new technology will allow the analogue stick to use a permanent magnet system and Hall technology to achieve precise positioning operation. The company’s anlogue mechanism is suspended in the air thanks to the magnet array instead of it constantly making contact with the carbon film potentiometer.
The magnetic rotating shaft completely eliminated the problem caused by the carbon film wearing on the current sticks. The GuliKit Electromagnetic stick solves drifting while also providing high-end precision, long life and a smooth gameplay experience.
While we don’t know when the GuliKit will start rolling out to modern-day controllers, the company says that they plan on making the technology available as soon as possible. These new sticks will also cost the same as the current ones so don’t expect to pay more.
Whether or not Sony and Nintendo will adopt the new analogue sticks remains unclear. However, we can only hope that this technology is tested in the DualSense and Joy-Con sticks so we can live a life without controller drift. For the time being, GuliKit is working on adding this new analogue stick into its own range of controllers and accessories. So if Sony and Nintendo won’t play ball, perhaps GuliKit can offer a better experience soon.
You can find out more about the tech over on the site here.
