this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2025
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Linux Gaming
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Is there a company outside of China making controllers with Hall effect sticks yet? I'm not aware of any, which means what you are asking for will severely limit your options.
FWIW, my six-year-old DualShock 4 has almost no stick drift; so little that I never notice it in practice and haven't bothered to calibrate it. Perhaps that's because I keep it in a drawer, where dust can't settle on it and then work its way into the potentiometers inside.
You know you can calibrate these things in Linux, right?
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gamepad#Setting_up_deadzones_and_calibration
I've also traveled across Europe with it a few times. I bought my DS4 for use with my laptop (years before I built my own PC) shortly after the PS4 came out. I've had that controller for a very long time.
I considered perhaps replacing the sticks with hall effect ones myself, but I don't have a soldering kit, and I can't justify buying a whole soldering kit when I don't have place for one and intend to only use it once.
This may not be all that helpful, but if your willing to learn (and possibly fry your controller) you may have a makerspace near where you live. If so, they would most likely have a soldering setup that you could use for a small fee.
Or heck, my local Library has a tool checkout system. Check with your local library (the bigger the better) as there's a non-zero chance that they could loan you one.
Do you know where to get drop-in replacement Hall effect sticks for a DualShock 4 or DualSense? (Maybe they're easy to find now; I haven't looked in a while.) I have a soldering iron and would probably buy a set.
Edit:
I just learned that TMR (tunneling magnetoresistance) sticks now exist, and are easier to retrofit in Sony controllers, apparently because they use less power and therefore don't need an additional circuit board. Thanks for renewing my interest.