Now Xbox faces lawsuit over drifting controllers

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A class-action lawsuit has been filed over ‘drifting’ Xbox controllers.

Drifting issues have been experienced by a large volume of Xbox owners across various controller models, plaintiff Donald McFadden claims in court documents seen by VGC.

The lawsuit was filed by McFadden on April 28 in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington. Customers experiencing problems after their 90-day warranty expires are paying to repair a known fault, it alleges.

Drifting occurs when controller movements are registered even when the analogue sticks are left untouched.

A similar class action was filed against Nintendo last year concerning drifting Switch Joy-Con controllers. Last month a judge approved Nintendo’s move to compel arbitration but denied a request to dismiss.

McFadden claims to have purchased an Xbox Elite controller (RRP $179.99) and that after a short time he noticed the joystick on it had started to drift.

He eventually decided to purchase a second Elite controller only to experience the same problem “three or four months” later, it’s claimed.

The plaintiff claims he then spent “a considerable amount of time” attempting to fix the defect on his own, including manipulating the dead zones via Xbox settings, to no avail.

McFadden alleges that Microsoft is fully aware of the drifting defect after numerous online complaints received from its customers, and yet “failed to disclose the defect and routinely refuses to repair the controllers without charge when the defect manifests.”

The lawsuit claims the potentiometer within the joystick component—the mechanism that translates the physical movement of the thumbstick into movement within a game—contains a design flaw.

It says the wiper component of the potentiometer scrapes resistive material off a curved track, resulting in unwanted electrical contact without input from the user.

The suit claims Mcfadden’s experiences are not isolated and that “a large volume of consumers have been complaining about stick drift on Xbox One controllers since at least 2014.”

It adds: “A simple Google search on this issue reveals multiple forum and message boards dedicated to stick drift; YouTube instructional videos of users attempting to fix the issue on their own; and even replacement joystick components from Amazon and other sellers.”


Shortly after a similar lawsuit was filed against Nintendo, the company stopped charging for repair of drifting Joy-Con controllers and began refunding those who had already paid for a fix, although it doesn’t acknowledge an actual fault with Switch controllers.



Posted:
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/now-xbox-faces-lawsuit-over-drifting-controllers/

Comments

"Now Xbox faces lawsuit over drifting controllers" :: Login/Create an Account :: 13 comments

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AnimePosted:

Int
MoonRock I hate it when my Xbox controller constantly drifts, i hope this lawsuit makes them change the way they make the controllers! Finally!!


Yeah, I mean they should of sorted this issue out a long time ago but let's see if it makes any difference.


I agree , you would have thought they would of fixed it right away then wait.

IntPosted:

MoonRock I hate it when my Xbox controller constantly drifts, i hope this lawsuit makes them change the way they make the controllers! Finally!!


Yeah, I mean they should of sorted this issue out a long time ago but let's see if it makes any difference.

FluffyHamsterPosted:

I hate it when my Xbox controller constantly drifts, i hope this lawsuit makes them change the way they make the controllers! Finally!!

AnhurPosted:

Not even 2 months ago. i went out and bought a new xbox controller, I got home and got on apex and my character is doing spins right off the drop. I took it back and they gave me a replacement. They told me "oh all xbox controllers have some drift" like thats absurd. How is it okay that my cursor is slowly drifting to the side right out the box?

OGTrey079Posted:

I've never had this problem with any controller on any console I play or have played. I do like to keep them in good condition and handle them properly though.

IntPosted:

Ninja So it's not just me!! This has happened to 3 of my controllers in the last 6 months!


This has been happening for years man! I remember all my 360 controllers used to do this!!

GhostPosted:

So it's not just me!! This has happened to 3 of my controllers in the last 6 months!

IntPosted:

I do remember a lot of the Xbox controllers to drift to be honest but it's not worth a lawsuit lol.

GossipPosted:

I've had this happen with every controller I've bought. Even my scuff which annoys me the most. Hope he wins tbh. Xbox fix your s***.

Baz_AccentsPosted:

Feel like theres no need for lawsuits just talk your way to get it replaced for free, Sometimes you just get unlucky i got a controller 2 years ago it was defective so got it replaced, a month or 2 had gone by an my new one started drifting and i wasn't about to deal with it, so took it to argos they looked at the recipt seen it had already been replaced and asked what the problem was when i explained it they looked stunned and confused little bit more talking and the person got a manager explained the problem to him he starred at me for a moment then asked if i have warrenty i told him no and basically said yous have sold me a faulty product that is ment to last years not weeks i want a replacment and he just got me a new one, not sure if he was confused too or just being a homie but none the less thats my new goto place for buying a next gen console now that i know i can get replacements without warrenty xD and the controller that got replaced has been going good ever since been around 2 years and no drifting yet.