How To Check if Your PS4 DualShock 4 is Fake

Whenever a product becomes popular, you’ll see a rise of fake versions of that product, and whilst it is sometimes very easy to tell if a product is fake, there are times when it is a little more difficult. Sony’s DualShock 4 controllers are extremely good quality products, but it looks like fake versions of this controller have started popping up. So how can you tell if your controller is fake?

[NotEvenMyFinalForm]

This has become a problem because at first those fakes look real, both the controller and package. But then you use them and they break easily after using it for 2 -3 times, the plastic and face buttons feel super cheap, the battery only last like 20 minutes and the buttons become more and more unresponsive.

I have bought 2 fakes already from Amazon and it is a pain to exchange them because they controllers look so legit at face value that they thing you're playing them for fool when it was them who did. I have left some nasty review there, so always read the reviews to find out who is selling the fakes. Usually is a store that is just launching and they try selling them way cheaper than anyone else.

[InTheZoneAC]

it's pretty easy not to buy fakes. When a new dualshock 4 isn't on sale and it's priced at $30, it's fake.

[KiwiViper85]

Its a fake if the Thumbsticks are in good condition.

[UltimateMaster]

The first batch of DS4 had issues with the analog stick and wear & tear.
The red Magma DS4 in the US are from the newer version with sturdier analog.
I had to change the analogs on the first one that I had, I changed the Color too it only cost 8$ to get it customized to my liking which was way less expensive that those 150$ Xbox Elite Controllers.
It took about half an hour to get it fixed, but it was worth it. I think anyone who would want to save 150$ AND get the Color scheme they want would do the same.

[TwoForce]

I have both PS4 controllers and they are not fake. But I agree with your opinion.

[TFJWM]

"I have bought 2 fakes already from Amazon" "Usually is a store that is just launching and they try selling them way cheaper than anyone else."

No name store selling stuff cheap is always fake. Controllers are sold at pretty much cost, if everyone has them around the same price anything less than that is prob going to be a fake or an unmarked refurb.

[starchild]

Well, considering mine came in the box with my PS4 I'm pretty sure it's not fake.

[freshslicepizza]

why did one persona disagree with you so far? i really think this site needs to highlight who it is that is continually disagreeing with everything.

i agree, it would be the real deal if it came with your ps4 unless you bought it used then there could be a small chance its not.

[TheColbertinator]

Persona?

Izanagi!

[MagicBeanz]

Xbox fanboys are just pre-wired to down vote on Sony articles, they dont know what they're actually down voting most of the time as reading and comprehension isn't their strong suit.

[XanderZane]

True and the extra one I bought was on launch day and from Gamestop, so I know that one isn't fake. I won't be buying any new ones for awhile. Never buy them on EBay or Craig's list, that's for sure.

[rainslacker]

There are plenty of legit sellers on Ebay, but if you see someone selling a great quantity of controllers for less than $40, and possibly shipping from China or overseas while posting directly on the US site, then chances are, it's a fake. Distribution prices for the controllers range in the $42-47 range depending on model, and you won't see them for less than that even if the seller is buying them in bulk, and there are ebay/paypal/shipping fees that the seller has to consider....so anything less than $45 for bulk sellers is probably going to be a big sign that it's fake.

Due diligence is the key when dealing with sites that allow 3rd party sellers. They're allowed to sell knock offs....assuming they aren't actually breaking laws in their existence....but they aren't allowed to sell them as official products....so should one suspect a seller is doing that, one can have Ebay start an investigation....but practice prudence because sometimes Ebay can be heavy handed and it's not fair to make the legit sellers suffer.

THen of course you just have the people trying to offload a single unit of their own stuff for whatever reason....but more often than that, they will price it at average ebay selling prices....which is usually $45 or more.

[1nsomniac]

The DS4 quality was always poor. The factory production workers even came out publically & stated it before it was even released to the public. Even Sony admitted it by offering free replacements.

I've gone through 4 controllers myself - Luckily all replaced free of charge through Sony so should all be 'authentic'... But again, I've been through 4 of them which should be enough evidence. I've never had to replace a controller in my 25+ years of gaming (apart from the old SNES 360' touchpad which was notoriously bad quality again)

There's always going to be fakes but lets not try to use this excuse to cover up what was factually a massive issue of quality.

[Razuel]

I'm on my sixth, and it is only covered because of the extended warranty purchase. The refurbs they send us are just as bad as the year one crap.

[gaffyh]

i've had two controllers since launch and had absolutely no major issues. The rubber came off slightly with one of them, but peeled it off and the rest of the stick rubber has been fine.

[bloop]

I got 2 with my launch console and both of them are in bits. The R2 button popped out of one after a VERY gentle fall and the rubber came completely off both sticks on the other. On my 3rd now and treating it like a baby!! Great pad, but durability is shocking.

[OB1Biker]

I've had my two controllers for 2+ years. First one started peeling a bit on a stick. I put thumb grips on it and a new one I got a few months later I put grips on it brand new to be safe. Also I find it a lot more comfortable with thumb grips anyway since the sticks were feeling uncomfortable on my thumbs. Apart from that they are great had no problem.

[raptorjacob]

I went through two right after ps4 launch. One has something wrong with the battery and the other has a broken thumbs stick. They were built like crap but I think they addressed the quality since.

[dannyolfc]

Same issue but my 3rd has been much better alonalog sticks stick and rubber ripped on both my first 2

[dannyolfc]

On my 3rd but 4th needed soon but the 3rd one lasted a lot longer than the 1st two and felt better day one ps4 owner that controller by far was the worst.

[gaffyh]

Mine is still ok. Maybe it's just bad batches

[Dragonking007]

Dam im on my second controller but i know this one i got is better quality id very much like an elite controller for ps4

[Condemnedman]

I said this before about the ds4 and was marked as trolling 😕

N4G

[cash_longfellow]

I play 4-6 hours a day and still have my launch controller...then again, I always take care of my things though.

[dannyolfc]

I'm not gonna lie my dog always kicks em on 2.the floor but still I'm sure my 3rd one is better quality feels a lot better so at least they changed some thing. When working I think it's a excellent controller so comfy to hold

[Vipre77]

4-6 hrs/day? Damn, son.... Are you disabled or are you a developer or something? That's a LOT of video game time.

[rainslacker]

Both my launch day controllers(one w/ system and one extra purchased) had the rubber come off one of the sticks soon after the warranty wore off trying to get through the DOA5:LR training sessions. Outside that, they work great with no other issue to speak of.

The red one I brought late last year is solid as a rock though, and I use it quite often. I put on some aftermarket covers on the thumb sticks for the launch day ones, and may try to replace them one day if I ever feel the need. Never tried to see if Sony would replace it out of warranty. I actually do find the covers better than the original thumbsticks as I have oily skin.

[cash_longfellow]

@vipre77...that's probably a stretch at 4-6..more like 2-3. I work part time and I am a full time student, but I don't party or anything like that (these days, lol). So when I'm not working or writing papers, I game. :)

[MagicBeanz]

Just use it for gaming and stop using it to nail in nails or whatever it is you're doing. The quality isn't "poor" that's an overstatement.

[cash_longfellow]

I don't know why I lol'ed so hard when I read this...it reminds me of a night about 10 years ago on mushrooms.

[DafunkyRebel]

I have been using the same DS4 I got from the 2013 game console bundle and it still hasn't failed me, so either you're a troll lying pos or you need to take care of your own things

[Perjoss]

Interesting, I'm still on my first one and don't even have any dead zone issues or eroded thumb sticks with 500+ hours of use, it feels almost like new.

[shabz666]

my current d4 is just a pain to use. for starters the light bar doesnt work, and everytime i charge it, i get a question mark on the battery indicator on screen. and the controller gets super hot super quickly after a few mins on "charge".

X1 controller isnt great either. the left stick drifts to the right and the left bumper doesn't always work.

Bad luck with controllers :(

[InTheZoneAC]

is that an original controller because that sounds like a fake controller

[rainslacker]

If the battery is getting hot while charging, you may not want to use the controller anymore. That is a sign that something is wrong, and there are reports that fires can start from that problem. It's been attributed to using those faster higher powered charging cables/wall outlet things.....particularly if you charge while playing.

As far as the light bar, sounds like you just solved the biggest complaint people seem to have about the controller. However, I was under the impression the controller wouldn't connect if the light bar registered faulty, as Sony considers it to be tampered with.

If you're using the original that came with the system, then I'd suggest calling up Sony for a replacement. If it's not under warranty, then yeah, you have bad luck with controllers.

[shabz666]

yeah i spoke to an electric engineer friend of mine, he said the battery is resisting the charge thus producing the heat, its the original controller i got from the system. its still working so i'm using a low powered usb cable to charge. and it does the trick. but the light bar is just gone. i'll have to replace these things if they decide to use the morpheus for it someday.

I checked it online it seems to be an actual fault with the controller, i was watching the giant bomb guys stream the other day and noticed the same issue with one of their ps controllers.

Bad luck with controllers indeed

[Razuel]

this just described their refurb. warranty service.

[oof46]

Hey, guys...is it supposed to say SNOY at the top of the controller?

[tanukisuit]

*Ahem*

https://s-media-cache-ak0.p...

[rainslacker]

Think it's Phony.

...I'm desperately seeking the anime that had that for some clock radio.

[EazyC]

The battery life of the real thing is still just godawful, even with the lightbar set down to minimum. I just use a metre USB now

[CaptainCamper]

"Sony’s DualShock 4 controllers are extremely good quality products"

Really? Really? This generations PlayStation pads are easily the worst quality of all of them/

[akurtz]

i havent had any issues, other than me breaking my trigger cuz of my fault lol you need to take care of them more

[Jon_Targaryen]

Still waiting for a 3rd party ps4 remote with no battery draining LED.

[nitus10]

Repeat after me "The LED only puts a tiny drain on the battery of about 1 ~ 2 minutes". Don't believe me well how about doing a Basic Electronic course or better yet do an Electrical Engineering Degree.

The main drain on the battery is the haptic feedback or "rumble", touchpad, inbuilt speaker and Bluetooth, plus the battery is only 1000mAh. You should easily get about 6 ~ 8 hours out of one charge.

For more info on how to extend the life of your DS4 controller I refer you to the following URL: http://www.trustedreviews.c...

Unfortunately even they don't get that the LED does not place much of a drain on the battery, although I do agree that light can be annoying if your TV or monitor has a highly reflective surface. Fortunately for me, that is not a problem.

One of the best ways of battery saving on your DS4 (also works with the PS3's DS3) is to go into your settings and set your controller to automatically turn off after 10 minutes.

[Jon_Targaryen]

... Your comment just gave me cancer...

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Where are you buying your controller from if this even comes into question? Somebody selling them on the street?

[rainslacker]

Some Amazon 3rd party sellers(although they don't officially allow this), Some Ebay sellers(mostly from Asia), maybe Craigslist(although seems highly inefficient, and I've seen knock offs at a local flea market. I'd imagine seeing them at some indie game stores may also happen, but will depend on the store, and they may not realize they are fake....although one should be able to tell based on the quality of the other products they sell. I suppose it's possible in bigger cities that you could see someone selling them on the street. Then there are random websites which sell stuff really cheap....where most of their products are knock offs.

If you buy from a reputable company you should be alright.

[Artemidorus]

Buy cheap, pay twice.

[TheColbertinator]

Sony makes the fake comtrollers and distributes them to counterfeit channels all over the world. Apparently its to make people buy controllers from them and retailers directly.

From what I read on IGN Sony uses the materials that came directly from their other electronic refurbished products.

[yomfweeee]

Maybe the dumbest comment I've ever read.

[rainslacker]

Why on earth would they do that? It doesn't help their brand, because the average person doesn't really differentiate between a "quality" fake and an official brand. They see the Sony name on the controller, and they assume it's from Sony. These fakes look like the real thing in both design, aesthetics, and even packaging. It's the quality that sucks ass.

[trooper_]

...What?

[MagicBeanz]

Maybe buy your controller from a reputable location inside legit packaging and not from fat Tony's Gaming Stuff and Supply store he runs out of his '83 Chevy econo van.

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHA]

Build quality.... pitty we couldnt say that for the ps3 controller that was the worse for the casings cheap ass plastic. Was almost better just buying a aftermarket controller. And i hope noone gets stung by buying a fake one. Would suck not getting genuine controller

[rainslacker]

All four of my PS3 controllers still work to this day. 1 came with the system, a 2nd brought at launch(sixaxis models), and then brought one of the DS3's when they released, and brought my fourth(DS3) about 2 years later. Every single one works great. Only flaw on one of the sixaxis' is where my ex-gf's dog decided to chew off the rubber to one of the thumbsticks. Even my fifth DS3 which came with my PSTV and sees plenty of play time, works great and the plastic on all of them feels about as much quality as any other official controller out there.

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHA]

you don't need to defend it i also own 4 controllers 3 ds3 and 1 sixaxis from my 60gig ps3 and all work A1. just the shell itself isn't that great it does the whole plastic rubbing and due to that makes it seems cheap as, sounds like someones scratching a chalkboard with fingernails if your old enough to know what that sounded like

[rainslacker]

I am old enough to remember that, and I can say that I've never heard any kind of sound coming from my controller. If it's really quiet, sometimes I can hear the clicking sound if I press one of the shoulder buttons hard and fast enough, but that's about it.

So not sure what you have done to make it do otherwise. Even the controllers I've used at other people's houses, and one's I've played at demo stations in stores I've never noticed any problems with.

[blackout]

If It came in the box. Enjoy

[opinionated]

I have a legit camo ds4 that had shitty charging out of the box but the build is still good quality. It pulses but it still charges weird and never fully. My good controllers aren't much better though. A couple days tops and it's gone. I don't have to worry about the X1 controller for months. Still prefer the ds4 over the new Xbox controller though, the battery is just utter garbage.

[sullynathan]

shit, I think I did buy a fake bontroller

[TeamLeaptrade]

This happens a lot it seems. This is why I try to buy controllers on well established sites like Amazon, or any store like wal-mart, target etc. But it's a risk when you start buying through the likes of Ebay as there's a chance that what you're buying isn't the real deal.

[ziggurcat]

how do you tell? don't buy it off of ebay or get suckered into a really cheap price on amazon.