\n<\/p>\n
With stick drift plaguing so many controllers these days, it\u2019s nice to see Sony making faulty thumbsticks a bit easier to repair on the PlayStation Portal. In a teardown video posted by iFixit<\/a>, the team finds that only a little tinkering is required to access and remove the joysticks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The iFixit team first removes the device\u2019s plastic frame and pries off its backing. It then takes off the panel containing the Portal\u2019s D-pad and button controls, allowing iFixit to disassemble the thumbsticks in about three steps using just a screwdriver. The only downside is that if you need to replace the Portal\u2019s rumble packs, you\u2019ll need to take out your soldering iron because they\u2019re attached to the motherboard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But still, that\u2019s already more repairable than other first-party controllers out there, including Sony\u2019s own DualSense controllers. As pointed out by iFixit, the thumbsticks on the DualSense controller are soldered to the device\u2019s motherboard, making them far harder to replace. The thumbstick repair process also looks less involved than what\u2019s required for the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con<\/a> and the Steam Deck<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n