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PSA: Aluminum thumbsticks exist and are a great replacement of old ones.

Deleted member 8118

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Oct 26, 2017
3,639
Not only are they indestructible, they have a great amount of grip and look great. I did worry about them gouging into my thumb, but I came across no issues when using

I put them in my PC Xbox One controller, as well as aluminum bumpers and it feels amazing.

I bought mine on eBay, but I'm sure you can find different places that have them. There's also different colors.

Here's a picture of mine:

12469a74-a8f8-4bca-8baf-e5f35c10e0ba-jpeg.1009405
 
Soulflarz

Soulflarz

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,816
Would debate doing this for my dualshock 4, I hate having to move my worn in sticks because I hate the feeling of new sticks (for the one I use for rocket league, nothing else)
 
jwk94

jwk94

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,434
Won't your thumbs slide easily since they're not rubber or whatever the current non-xbox sticks are made out of?
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 8118

User requested account closure
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Oct 26, 2017
3,639
jwk94 said:
Won't your thumbs slide easily since they're not rubber or whatever the current non-xbox sticks are made out of?
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I haven't experienced that issue because the inner edges are enough to let your thumbs sink in and maintain grip.

Even if you have greasy fingers, you should do just fine. The outer edges are scored and are just as good as the rubber grips.
 
Zelda

Zelda

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,079
Metal thumbsticks are extremely loud though, they bang against the plastic rim. It's why the xbox one elite controllers have a rubber o-ring in their analog stick socket for dampening.
 
Ramathevoice

Ramathevoice

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,934
Paris, France
How hard is it to actually install them? I imagine you have to take the controller apart? I ask because my left thumbstick grip on my only working Xbox One controller is starting to break, so I'm intrigued.
 
Lowrys

Lowrys

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,481
London
The bottom edge would press into my thumb too much when pushing forward, which you obviously do all the time. I already find that uncomfortable on the standard rubber sticks. I don't know why they don't make the bottom edge softer.
 

Deleted member 46489

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Aug 7, 2018
1,979


Here's the Xbox 360 gamepad I use with my laptop. It's old and worn, but serves well enough. Can't buy a new one cause prices in India are ridiculous. (80+ dollars for an original Xbox One gamepad, and that's without factoring in the gap in purchasing power between US and India).

I don't miss the rubber coating as much as I'd thought I would, so maybe aluminium thumbsticks aren't a terrible idea.
 
Hoa

Hoa

Member
Jun 6, 2018
4,335
Would be nice if the joycons had these. Really need some non drift alternatives.
 
DrainedSpirit

DrainedSpirit

Member
Mar 25, 2019
320
I now regret buying my off-white rubber replacement sticks for my Xbone controller :/ Any seller that sells packs including d-pad? The new robot white Xbone controller would look awesome with aluminium sticks and d-pad.
 
PlayBee

PlayBee

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 8, 2017
5,545
I put some on my launch DS4 after the rubber started to wear off. Really happy with them.
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 8118

User requested account closure
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Oct 26, 2017
3,639
Zelda said:
Metal thumbsticks are extremely loud though, they bang against the plastic rim. It's why the xbox one elite controllers have a rubber o-ring in their analog stick socket for dampening.
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I'm sure you could get a rubber band or gasket and slide it over. I might give that a try, but I don't find the noise all that bad.
 
Barrel Cannon

Barrel Cannon

It's Pronounced "Aerith"
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
9,321
These seem great but they won't fix stick drift which is still my only real concern with my controllers
 
Ada

Ada

Member
Nov 28, 2017
3,740
I replaced both of my DS4 sticks and whenever I use the console in the winter months the sticks are freezing cold. Way too uncomfortable.
 
BennyWhatever

BennyWhatever

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,818
US
Hoa said:
Would be nice if the joycons had these. Really need some non drift alternatives.
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Unfortunately, this wouldn't fix any drift issues. The drift is caused by the contacts between the joystick and the directional sensors. A different type of stick wouldn't fix that since it's the contacts that go bad.

These are really sharp though. I wonder if they'll discolor at all over time though due to the oils in our hands?
 
endlessflood

endlessflood

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
8,693
Australia (GMT+10)
Ada said:
I replaced both of my DS4 sticks and whenever I use the console in the winter months the sticks are freezing cold. Way too uncomfortable.
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This one might be a legitimate concern for some regions I guess. I live in Australia so it's not an issue for me.

BennyWhatever said:
I wonder if they'll discolor at all over time though due to the oils in our hands?
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I've had mine since 2014 I think, and no discolouration here.
 
jwk94

jwk94

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,434
M52B28 said:
I haven't experienced that issue because the inner edges are enough to let your thumbs sink in and maintain grip.

Even if you have greasy fingers, you should do just fine. The outer edges are scored and are just as good as the rubber grips.
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toastybanana said:
I had this exact issue with these replacements on a Dualshock 4. Even with squeaky clean thumbs, you can tell the grip is just not as good as standard rubber coated sticks.
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Huh, guesss it depends? Thanks yall!
 
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