By Azhar on 27 Jan, 2014: published about 2 years ago

Representative Gives Official Statement On DualShock 4 Wear And Tear

Last week I wrote an article about the DualShock 4 controllers suffering harsh and premature wear and tear, and included some pictures of my own controllers as evidence of this matter. My fears were regarding how widespread this issue is or could be, considering that it has only been a month after the launch of the PS4 console and we are of course meant to be using these devices for years ahead.

After one of our readers, McClane, contacted me personally and informed me of his issues with his controller and about his subsequent email exchange with Ster Kinekor Entertainment, I got in contact with them myself and was told that they had promptly reached out to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for a position on the matter.

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Name: Azhar Lorgat
Location: Cape Town
Position: Potato

Azhar has published 3571 posts. Read all of Azhar's posts.

wolftrap01
R700 controller, 10 cents rubber.
- DarthDiggler
  Actually this is a non-story. If you have issues with your controller Sony will replace it under warranty. I guess anything will get hits these days. Maybe I should start documenting my bowel movements.
- McClane
  A non-story because you are skeptical? Well, maybe you’re looking at the article in the wrong way. This is to raise awareness for fellow consumers to know that they can get their controllers replaced because there was some confusion initially on whether the warranty covers this or not. Also, Azhar went through all the effort to contact Ster Kinekor to get answers. Be a little appreciative. I’m sure you will be if this happens to your controller as well.
- Nintendosonyfan
  Lol non story? Controllers messing up 2 months or less after release, yeah that’s a non issue. If it was xbox one, all u sheep would be all over it trolling them.
- Jeff Pee
  “If this were the Xbox One” Well, it’s not and no one was talking about the xbox one. what reaction in the comments would have sufficed your appetite for Sony blood?
- Nintendosonyfan
  Why so mad bro? I’m taking it that ur controller fell apart too, relax the ps3.5 is powerful and we can, BE MOVED. that’s right, u have just been faced.
- Jeff Pee
  clearly by your first post about “Sheep” you’re the one that’s MAD! You’re MAD because the commenters aren’t bashing Sony hard enough how sad is that? LOL at your Nintendosonyfan user name… obvious troll is obvious.
  Guys, Guys lets all make Nintendosonyfan feel better today: BASH Sony real hard guys, I’ll start:
  This is outrageous! Sony you shit company!!! Take our money and give us an underpowered PS3.5! Low build quality not to mention PS+ SUCK and isn’t shit compared to LIVE! I’m walking into GameStop tomorrow and trading in my PS3.5 for the one TRUE next gen console! Suck it Sheep!…. oh yea, Nintendo GTFO with your kids games!
  I hope you feel better
- Jessika S.
  Well said…
- kreator
  Yes.
- cozomel
  a non-issue!? this should not be happening after just one week of use (cuz thats what happened to me) and you gotta pay to send it to Sony and until they fix the problem, you can count on it happening to the replacement to and thats gets costly and is a major inconvenience to, plus all the time that you’ll be without the controller
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  I agree with you cozomel, but the statement reads that you can return it to the retail store that you bought it from, and you don’t necessarily need to send it back to Sony :)
  I was unable to go yesterday, but I will be attempting to go today with this statement and see if I can get mine replaced.
- cozomel
  You can return it to the store? Thats news to me. So even though its the one that came with the system, they will return it? cuz if so, then that is much better
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  That’s right cozomel :) The statement in this article (you can read it in block quotes above – it came from our local distributors Ster Kinekor Entertainment who got in contact with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) says that we will be able to return it to retail stores and replace them for free provided they are still under warranty.
  I’ll be returning mine soon to see if they will honour it.
BalramRules
Sony are the king of good PR, and MS is their bitch.
Don’t deny it, you know it’s true. ;)
- DarthDiggler
  I say this as a PS fan….
  RIDDDDDGE RACCCER!!!
  :) Sony has had their moments too. The PS3 certainly didn’t become a success overnight.
- wayne williams
  How ’bout this from Xbox,….”Ever wonder what that bottom of an avatars shoe looks like?”………..BAM!!! THERE IT IS!!!
  “Ummm,…we have a device for people with no connectivity,..it’s called a 360”
  “Are you on the developing team??I think that’s a little bold to say it’s simple to change polices!!”…….. Policies changes in less than a week.
  ” I don’t know what it means to be on a Nuclear Submarine”
- Nintendosonyfan
  Sony is king, of brushing their faults under the rug. PS3.5, BE MOVED! Glad I rid myself of that BS .
- Alex Carmona
  more like xboxps3.5 lol, the xbone is trash dude, it really is a good thing that ms locked down GoW cause that’ll be its only saving grace!!!!
- cozomel
  “the xbone is trash dude”
  Amen to that brother
- dirkradke
  That is why 2 investment firms have just downgraded Sony stock to JUNK status. Meaning – don’t buy because this company isn’t getting the job done. The only bright spot supposedly is the PS4, but it is NOT expected to make money for Sony for several years.
- cozomel
  You know what else has been evaluated as “junk” status? The Xbox One. Complete and utter junk status.
- dirkradke
  Tell it to Microsoft I’m sure they will believe you.
- Alex Carmona
  no need with their recent new overclock they already know hahahaha
- dirkradke
  Well they certainly screwed up the launch that is for sure. When I see an actual difference in game play or graphics then I might jump on the “PS4 is the greatest” bandwagon, but as it stands being underpowered has meant nothing at this point. They also had the problem with the 360 and it meant nothing then as well.
- Alex Carmona
  Im in no way a bandwagon jumper lol, I thought the original xbox was better than ps2, and 360 would have been awesome if it wasnt for the paywalls everywhere, but ps3 shat on the 360 I have em both as well as a ps4 the x1 sucks balls dude
- dirkradke
  Well, I’m sure we can agree that I disagree with you and your comments certainly make you sound like a bandwagon jumper. We all have to have hobbies.
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  I’m not particularly sure what you’re saying here. Consoles are loss leaders, and do not make manufacturers (either Microsoft or Sony) profits immediately. They rely on software to sell the machines initially, and once enough people have bought into the console they will eventually turn a profit. That’s making it extremely basic, as there are plenty of other factors, such as PSN and Xbox Live subscriptions for instance.
  If anything, Sony has actually done a great deal to re-focus since it recovered from its huge mistakes with the PS3 in the first few years of its life.
- cozomel
  You cant reason with fanboys, so i just stoop to their levels, cuz its the only thing they understand. You cant reason with them
- dirkradke
  BalRamRules wrote: “Sony are the king of good PR, and MS is their bitch. Don’t deny it, you know it’s true. ;)” — My point was that this comment was asinine and stupid. While the PS4 is successful so is the XB1 and Microsoft doesn’t have money trouble or problems with there investors that Sony does. As for Sony I’m glad they have a decent machine and they are stepping up to fix whatever issues arise from this incident.
YOUDIEMOFO
I’m sorry, but I have to say that someone looks as if they had chewed on this controller in the picture given….. Look more so toward the middle of the left thumb stick ant there are some “sharp” looking indentations made there. Just saying.
And I’ve never had an issue with my controllers, so maybe I’m a fortunate one? I think people just a need to be a little more careful with their shite….
- DarthDiggler
  The owner…
  http://xmedia.ex.ac.uk/wp/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/edward-scissorhands.jpg
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  Hahaha DarthDiggler, that’s what I initially thought of those who had the issues as well :)
- YOUDIEMOFO
  NICE!!
- Nintendosonyfan
  Denial sheep, ur in denial
- YOUDIEMOFO
  And so are you along with your (I hope) misspelled and misguided user name.
- Clate
  I will say that my controller has MINOR wear so far but it is noticeable (but unfeelable) I feel this issue is real but at the end of the day I think it is more of people mistreating their controllers as I have played a ton on mine
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  Clate, if your controller has minor wear after such a short period of ownership then surely it’s going to get worse in the future? And surely that shouldn’t be happening, because these controllers are built to last years, be played on constantly and be used by all age groups.
  I’m simply pointing out that, as the statement itself says, this is a manufacturing defect. People shouldn’t be made to feel bad about it. I treat my tech with care, and even at the end of my PS3’s lifespan I could still use my Sixaxis controllers just fine.
  I am happy to know that I am able to return one of my controllers that is showing signs of this.
- Clate
  Controllers are not meant to last “years” are you crazy?
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  The first two Dualshock 3s I bought when they released lasted me the rest of the PS3’s lifespan, but I definitely take your point though, that there will be wear and tear or it will feel a bit weird eventually after a year or so even if the controller is still perfectly usable, which mine were.
  Nevertheless, even minor wear and tear after 1-2 months of ownership is ridiculously early for me, and in the absence of extreme circumstances I can only see this as a manufacturing defect since not everyone is suffering from it, despite massing dozens upon dozens of playing hours. It’s really varied.
  Either way, I’m just happy that Sony is willing to replace them, as I love my DS4 to bits :)
- Clate
  I think we have reached an agreement lol.
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  Indeed ;D
- cozomel
  “Controllers are not meant to last “years””
  Yes they are, my Sixaxis is still fine as are my 2 DS3’s from 2007, not a single problem with any of them.
- Clate
  You do not have 2 DS3s from 2007 that you have used continuously (and not played 5 minutes a week) that feel like a new controller as that is impossible without reconstructing them like I do
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  @youdiemofo:disqus
  You’re welcome to view the original article here: http://egamer.co.za/2014/01/ps4-controllers-facing-potentially-big-problem/
  It’s linked in the first line of this one. In it I have pictures of both of my controllers, one of which was used by a bunch of kids under 10 (the one pictured above) and the other which was used only be me and shows minor signs of wear and tear.
  Either way, in both cases, this should not be happening after just over 1 month of ownership (South Africa received its PS4s on December 13).
- Alex Carmona
  for real, it would have been more believable putting baby powder around the analog stick and saying that its grinding and becoming lose lol, thats what happened to my ps3 controller
- YOUDIEMOFO
  I hear you on that.
Sloat
This has happened to me and three of my friends . I’m pretty sure this is a widespread problem with most ds4’s, the only reason it hasn’t happened to that many people is probably because they haven’t played long enough in a game that requires you to hold down on the l3 constantly like most fps’s do.
- josh
  It’s happened to my friend and me as well. I play fps’s mostly. I’m sure this is a widespread issue. Sony should be working to improve their controller rather than replacing the faulty ones. Seams like a bit of a cop out to me.
- DarthDiggler
  @sloat @josh
  You guys don’t read much. :) Article says not widespread and Sony will replace any of the controllers under warranty.
- Sloat
  Eh no, you need to read my post again.
  I’m arguing that is is a widespread problem with DS4’s and I think that it is just a matter of time before the issue affects more people.
- cozomel
  Im with you, i believe its a widespread problem to and Sony is just trying to down play it. And to say that the rubber meets their quality assurance is not a good thing, as its obvious to anyone that has had this happen to them that the rubber is cheap
- plcn
  resogun did the trick for me. mine isn’t nearly as crumbly, but there is a hint of it. guess i’ll contact sony if it gets any worse and simply get a fresh one.
Nintendosonyfan
Very small number of users have this problem?! My ass, a ton of people do, I did, my friends did, a cheap article isn’t going to change that fact but leave it to so y to try to brush all their faults and mess ups under the rug. ,My sony ps4 error codes? Under the rug, disc drive problems? Yup under the rug. My ps4 bricked? Under the rug. Sony is a joke, so glad I got rid of my ps4.
I don’t reply to trolls or fanboys but feel free to post ur pent up rage arguing how great sony is, lol sheep.
Adam Meikle
And so this slowly becomes an N4G comments thread.
- lawgone
  No, then it would say this is MS fault.
AchtungBaby_
Lovely comments…
daboosa
This happened to my controller i rang sony direct and all i need to give is my model batch number and they replaced it. I had only a little tear in the side of the left analog stick
matt p
I’ve owned FOUR ds4s so far and ALL FOUR of them have had issues. I love the new form and design of the ds4s but their quality is disappointing.
CovertRain
I am calling B.S. on this. The controllers have a “cheap” feel even though the design is great. Pick up an Xbox One Controller and you will see what I mean. The rubber on mine are starting to wear easily as well. I think Sony has a great design but took some short cuts on build quality IMO. I have friends with the PS4 saying the same thing. That doesn’t sound isolated to me.
- lawgone
  Actually, my PS4 controller feels more solid than my Xbox One controller. Maybe I got a bad one though.
Brian Murphy
Do yourselves a favor and ignore everything ‘Nintendosonyfan’ says, then click on his username and check his posting history. Clearly, he’s a troll, and worth less than a bag of fertilizer (after all, fertilizer has a purpose).
As far as the VALID issues of controller degradation (which the above picture is most certainly not), obviously Sony is looking into it and honoring warranties where applicable. Clearly, the above picture is more than just ‘wear and tear’. The complete randomness of the wear, coupled with the very deep pitting, as well as what appears to be ‘gouges’ don’t signify normal use.
Yes, if I took steel wool to a games controller, I’m sure it would look much the same, it’s sad though because there are some people who are having issues, and pictures like this only lend skepticism to the whole issue.
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  If you viewed the original article that is linked in the first line of this one, you would see that I had multiple pictures. The controller above was used by a bunch of kids for a few nights. My second controller, which was not used by kids, started showing minor signs of wear and tear already as well.
  Here is the original article: http://egamer.co.za/2014/01/ps4-controllers-facing-potentially-big-problem/
  I’m sure you can google to find a lot more images of this as well :)
  I originally chalked the first controller up to being my fault for letting kids under 10 use it, that is, until a YouTuber I know (GamingAnarchist) caught sight of my original article and made a valid point, that these controllers are meant to be used by kids. It’s not like kids don’t play PlayStation. Short of taking a knife to a controller, they should be able to withstand all manners of play for surely more than a mere month or two.
  You’re welcome to view the images in the original article. You’ll see that one controller has been handled by many hands, while the other was just me.
  Both cases should be very telling of the lack of durability in the controllers that are suffering from manufacturing defects.
  There are plenty of screens around the web that show off issues like this with varying degrees of severity.
  I understand that the image above is a severe case, but there cannot be skepticism on the issue when an official statement has been made by the correct authorities confirming that it is a fault and that controllers experiencing these issues may be returned.
- Brian Murphy
  As I stated in my post above, I do believe that there is some wear issues with the DS4 (which Sony has now addressed), and I’ve seen many pictures on it, but the pictures I’ve seen that I _believe_ show wear consistent with _normal_ use (which IS an issue, don’t get me wrong). Not from people intentionally trying to screw with it, which is what your picture looks very like, sorry if that’s harsh, but quite honestly, journalists these days warrant zero credibility.
  If you wish to be taken at face value, it’s up to you and all other journalists to snuff out the folks giving you a bad name. Until then, I stand by my original statement.
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  If that’s what the picture looks like and you believe that, which is fine, then as I said you’re welcome to visit the original article (which again was linked in the first line) where there is a picture of my other DualShock 4 that is not nearly as bad as this, but has some minor signs of wear and tear as well. Which, again, is unacceptable.
- Jonathan D.
  6 months later, but lol @ you just the same
morpheousx
The only wearing and tearing i have noticed,very very quickly on my PS4’s Dual shock 4 controller, is the serial number on the back is almost completely rubbed off! I can’t read the whole serial number.
I take it, i can’t get a replacement with this wear and tear issue? is this isolated or is everyone else having the same issue? I mean its just a sticker, so i assume its wide spread and not just me.
I don’t even play my PS4, every day and the stick whore off in this short time as i got a launch PS4, shipped direct from Sony as my amazon PS4 arrived DOA.
can someone take a peek at the back of their DS4 and tell me if the writting on the sticker is almost or partially, rubbing off?
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  Hey morpheousx
  I checked both of my controllers and neither showed signs of this.
  Is there any chance that you perhaps scratch the back of your controller with your fingernails while playing?
  I am not at all trying to discredit your claims as they could very well be an issue. I’m simply wondering how this could have happened, as it is a sticker after all.
- morpheousx
  well..it is possible that my finger nails or just fingers in general, rub on the sticker and may cause the quick wear and tear. I think you may be right. The oil in my skin, rubs on the sticker and may cause the writing to rub off. I only have one controller, so i can’t attempt to compare.
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  I will be on the lookout for this with my own controllers, and ask around if anyone I know has experienced anything similar. Thank you for bringing it to my attention :)
  Also, do you perhaps eat while playing? Maybe it was something from a food or snack?
- morpheousx
  Yes, i almost always eat food while handling the DS4 controller. Greasy foods at that. @ : o O ) >
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  Hehehe that could possibly be it also xD I will ask around!
- morpheousx
  Cool, thanks ^_^
Jan Compaf
they should have used same rubber as for DS3 , have no problem with it on DS3 , DS4 rubber feels …sandy , ofc it wears off , hope they make new models from better rubber for future DS4
cozomel
I’ve definitely had this happen to my controller too and it happened in only 6-7 days, the replacement they sent me started to wear off too after just 1-2 days of use so i put a cap over it, But seriously this problem needs to be fix asap by Sony
Eagles83
To this I would say that Sony’s QA process needs some serious improvement. I don’t remember any issues like this being reported for any previous PS controller and now we have a sub-par product being placed on the sticks. This should have been discovered long before the product was released. Luckily I haven’t had any issue on either of my controllers so far but in all honestly I haven’t played the PS4 much. I’ve spent more time on the One (mainly because I was more interested in its launch lineup but can’t wait for Infamous) and haven’t had any issues but of course they had a very rigorous QA testing process.
Not the biggest issue since they will replace them but it would have been better if we didn’t have to go through that process at all.
- cozomel
  “To this I would say that Sony’s QA process needs some serious improvement.”
  Amen to that, but Xbox One!? Eeeuuuwwww!!!!
dill
Yeah if you let your dog chew on it or bang it around when you throw a fit.
Dennis Crosby
I don’t own a PS4 so I can’t really speak on how the rubber feels but it seem like the gamers who are having this problem are everyday gamer who play at least 4-8 hours daily and really give the controller a work out
- http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien
  There are plenty of people who log far, far more hours than I do and face no issues. It is unpredictable because it’s a manufacturing defect, and I do not believe it relates to time played as there are some who started to experience issues after barely a week or two :)
- Dennis Crosby
  I hear what your saying but some people are rough on controller so 4-8 hours a day abuse that sucker will kill it
wayne williams
This is a very soft material on the thumb controllers.
Mine is just starting to have cut marks just inside of the ridge closer to the center than the cuts in the picture.
I think I know the culprit………..Fingernails.
I do not chew my fingernails like a lot of people do, I clip them with clippers but I did notice that when playing frenzied play my nail digs into the thumb stick and cuts it.
I think Sony should look into a harder material on the thumb sticks.
I have also noticed that there are times when playing games like AC Black Flag I will let go of the thumb stick but the cursor keeps moving. Both my controllers do this and I have friends that are seeing the same thing.
kreator
XBO FTW!
- You are flat out wrong
  Said no one ever.
- kreator
  Your mother never say’s no either :)
Zachary Carter
does free include shipping?
http://www.twitter.com/wheres_my_phone zzzzz
Mine is starting to peel too. The material is too soft. You can tell just by picking at it a little
Jonathan D.
Old article, but same issue. I haven’t used the system much at all since buying it but the left stick rubber cover is shredded. The PS3 sticks were far better and I never had an issue with them. Sony wants me to ship back the controller on my time which isn’t a big deal but kind of tacky.