I always purchase 2 new spare controllers at the beginning of a console launch for backups in case the one that comes with the system fails. Lately I've mainly been gaming on the Series X. The controller that came with with didn't last a year. I always had one sticky button that I could never get to work properly and then it developed stick drift and I had a lot of play in the left joystick.
I retired that controller and kept it stored in case I needed spare parts. The second controller I unboxed was a blue one that I purchased a silicone wrap for to help provide comfort for my hands. I've been using it for 3 1/2 years till this morning. I woke up and looked across my room and noticed I still have 4 brand new, still boxed, Series X controllers. I opened up the 20th Anniversary edition and noticed how springy and clicky the joysticks and buttons were. I compared it to the one I've been using for the last 3 1/2 years and realized how much wear the one I've been using had.
Started the day's gaming session with Borderlands 3 and can instantly tell the difference. How long have I been gaming at a disadvantage? How could I go so long without realizing it was time for a new controller? I even had the A button needing to be pressed harder or sometimes twice to get it to respond, and I guess I had just adapted without even noticing.
I also didn't see the point in storing in the old controllers anymore for parts, when I have plenty of new controllers still boxed, so I chunked them (it was still hard to let go).
