I’ve been suspicious that newer production lines for joysticks have been cutting costs in cheaper materials for a while now. I usually replace the joysticks when they drift, but I’m also quite comfortable to taking things apart and fixing them.
I remember my old PS2 controllers never drifted and that was back when I played hard on them every day after school. These days I hardly have time to play during the week, and they regularly go bad within a year or two.
I’ve been replaying Dragon Quest 8 (PS2) on my Steam Deck, and it just fills me with joy. Except for the absolutely bonkers choices they hardcoded for buttons and camera movement. Ah, good times.