Are official 360 controllers just poor quality?

[smithy_2045]

I have 2 360 controllers, had them both for 5 years, never had any problem with either of them.

 

[Yopaz]

I've had mine for a long time and never had any issues.

Seeing how many actually have issues I want to try to make a conclusion here. Xbox 360 controllers are made with poor quality control. Good and bad are shipped out in large quantities and lots of people end up with good ones and lots end up with bad controllers.

This isn't unheard of... also considering this is the same company that sold a console where 30-50% of the consoles died due to unspecified hardware problems (commonly referred to as red ring of death) so it won't surprise me.

 

[RicoADF]

I haven't had a lot of experience with Sony's controllers, as my PS2 died on me and I never owned a PS3, but they might just be of higher quality. Nintendo's controllers, from my experience, only have about a two year lifespan at most before things such as loose analog sticks begin to harm your experience, and that sounds about as long as your 360 controllers are lasting. Ultimately, it might not be so much that official 360 controllers are of low quality, as they seem pretty standard when compared to Nintendo. It might just be that the PS3 controllers are just unusually high quality, or you just got a very good one.

Again, I can't really comment on how good the PS3 controllers are from experience, just on what you've said.

I have never needed to replace a playstation controller due to usage. Only ever had to replace one PS3 controller and it was due to my dog (puppy at the time) somehow getting his teeth into it and using it as a chew toy (he was in a lot of trouble that night). I can't comment on the xbox as I haven't used mine enough to compare, same with the Wii.

 

[SweetWarmIce]

I have two controllers from 2006 and both still work fine. Except the dog chewed a portion off one's left stick so it's awkward to play with. I have a controller that came with the S from 2010 and it's still fine as well.

 

[FFP2]

And see, that second part's true for me as well. It's part of why I have 360 controllers for my PC. The other part is the whole standardisation thing where a lot of games recognise them. That definitely helps. I really like the 360 controller, and I've never liked Dualshock controllers. Which makes this all the more annoying to me.

Maybe it's the type of games you play?

Same here. Perfectly designed and probably the only controller out there that doesn't make my hands feel smushed together.

Yup. I really like the stick layout.

The 360 controller is one of the main reasons I chose the 360 over the PS3. The DS3 feels so cheap to me and the triggers are like marshmallows.

 

[Snotnarok]

360 controllers are alright, the problem is the sticks springs seem to wear out unusually fast, PS2, PS3, PSOne, all them still work fine, the damned 360 controllers seem to lose their springy-ness and often I find a character drifting to the left or something, needing the stick to be tapped and then they stop.
Oddly, all the dpads seem to be broken with my 360 controllers, they never seem to be accurate! .....Wait they're just like that? ...Ooooh dear. D:

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I don't know about the controllers, as none of mine have died on me, but the official rechargeable battery packs are terrible. They frequently die and outright refuse to charge. I've tried all the paperclip tricks described online in years past but to little avail. It's like a £10/£20 annual tax in many ways.

see, that one I've never heard of. I've got battery packs that have worked for years. I've had to replace a charge station, though.

I think it's likely an element of luck. In my experience, I would say that the quality is not very high and that as many (or more) battery packs develop faults early in their lives than don't. The three I currently have have been going for a while now however so I hope they stay that way. It's luck of the draw and if you get good ones, you're fine. There are thousands of forum threads, YT videos and blog posts about the issue.

I'd be interested to know if anyone bought a third-party controller, like the Razer one. How do they hold up with your typical usage? Did anyone buy that one with the built-in fans? I had third-party controllers back in the Nintendo days, with Turbo/autofire and the rest...good memories.

 

[Saulkar]

I have a 360 controller at my feet that has felt the full force of my rage and then some, is three years old, corded, has had its flying lessons, and been the comfy bed of 2 cats. I cannot say that they are poorly made because I still use it frequently and it is still satisfying to abuse the shit out of.

*SHUDDER*

 

[Zeckt]

4 wireless controllers, all failed including the 2 gears of war limited edition ones that came with my limited edition 360 and the limited edition halo odst one and the original one that came with my first xbox.

Total = 3 360 failures and 4 wireless controller failures.

I am NOT buying a microsoft product ever again and am using a pirated windows on my computer while I prepare to move to linux completely. I hate microsoft for costing me so much money meanwhile they get so rich off of poor hardware. I don't simply dislike them , I freaking LOATHE them.

 

[Pebblig]

My 360 controllers aren't too bad, they have wear on them. Mainly the analog sticks get worn down a bit, the buttons get kinda sticky or the triggers go squeaky.

What I've done is I just took the controller apart and got replacement analog sticks off of eBay for £1.50ish, you can pop the buttons out and give them a clean and do the same for the mechanisms on the triggers.

I think (other than the wear on the sticks) the buttons and stuff go because of the grime that comes off your hands over time when you sweat. It's kinda nasty, but I know it's not just my controllers because I've noticed the same on ones I've bought used, so you just have to take them apart and use a wet wipe to get rid of all the gunk from the hundreds of hours of sweaty play haha.

Edit: Although I only used a wireless one for the first 3-4 years of owning an xbox, since then I just use my all black wired (swapped the buttons for pure black ones) controller on PC or xbox, I think unless controllers come with a built-in battery pack like the PS3, it's just better to use wired.

 

[bug_of_war]

I have 3, 2 wireless, one for a computer. The first one died about 2-3 years after I got it, and the second one had a similar life span. The reason was not poor quality, it was me accidentally dropping it frequently that's fucked em up. The wired one works awesome though (possibly due to being kept in good condition as I'm starting to grow wary of surfaces that are unstable).

 

[laggyteabag]

I have 2 wireless controllers (since 2007) and 1 wired (since 2010), all are working admirably, just a little dirty but that doesn't bother me at all, i'd say that they're pretty sturdy.

 

[WhyWasThat]

From my experience I'd say the build quality on both controllers is fine.

I've had a PS3 since 2007 and the four controllers I've gotten for it still work fine to this day.

I've had my 360 about 2.5 years and the one controller I've had for it since then still functions perfectly.

One thing I will say though is that the Dualshock 3 controller is FAR sturdier and more long-lasting than the original Sixaxis.