
What’s the difference between a standard and a TMR stick?
The mechanisms of the standard controller are so‑called “built to fail” – stick drift is guaranteed with them; it’s only a matter of time before it appears. This happens as the physical mechanism wears out. That’s exactly why every professional controller relies on high‑quality TMR sticks (not Hall Effect, but more on that later).
The stock sticks on the original PS5 controller work on the principle of a potentiometer that registers movement. Inside each stick there are two small plates with a conductive coating and one metal plate that rubs against them as we move the stick. The more we move it to the left, the further the plate travels along one of the small plates – and the controller simply reads how far it has gone.
This design does its job well, but over time and with the friction between the plates, the appearance of deviations is guaranteed. The average time varies between different games, but it is generally accepted to be between 250 and 500 hours of play.
TMR actually stands for Tunnel Magnetoresistance. Instead of relying on physical friction to detect position, TMR controllers have a magnet on the stick and a sensor that “feels” it. When we tilt the stick, the magnet rotates relative to the sensor, and the sensor reads the angle to understand which direction the stick is pointing.
The difference is fundamental: nothing touches, nothing rubs, nothing wears out. The magnet and the sensor never come into contact with each other. No matter how many times you use it – ten times or ten million times – the result is absolutely the same, because physically nothing is wearing out. Drift on regular sticks comes from wear, and here there’s simply nothing to wear out.
The extra peace of mind with TMR sticks is that even if a tiny bit of stick drift appears over time, it’s solved with a simple, quick calibration instead of needing another replacement like with standard mechanisms.
Why are we so sure?
Our experience doesn’t come from YouTube videos, but from the fact that we’re gamers ourselves. We know what you’re looking for and what you need – and we know what actually works. Over 900 hours of Warzone on Steam and at least as many on PS5 – both with a regular controller and with TMR sticks.
Not all of us play only shooters – we’ve tested the controllers with hundreds of hours in games like Gran Turismo, FIFA, Assassin’s Creed, NBA2K, Overwatch, GTA V, Red Dead Redemption, F1, Ghost of Tsushima, Cyberpunk 2077, Diablo III, Civilization VI, Hitman, The Last of Us, God of War and many more.
Compare the 3 Types
Frequently Asked Questions
Stick replacement usually takes up to 3 hours with a booked appointment, up to 1 day without an appointment, and as little as 1 hour with express service payment.
Absolutely – we even have people on our team who play Call Of Duty Warzone Ranked and have tested them for hundreds of hours.
Shooters only have issues with Hall Effect sticks, which we do not use.
TMR sticks are practically lifetime – there is no internal physical wear and in practice they don’t develop stick drift.
Factory sticks start to show the first signs of stick drift at around 300 hours of gameplay, with some lasting up to 500. This can vary depending on the type of games, as well as how intensively and how often you play.
Of course you can – at almost double the price of repairing your current one.
And if we compare the price of a brand new PS5 controller to installing TMR sticks, things go even higher – around 200 to 250 euros. That’s because these sticks are mainly installed in professional controllers. For example, the Expel Pro Plus.
There’s also a third option – get a new controller and repair the old one so you can play with friends at home.
Nothing changes – you use your controller completely normally, just like in every game so far.
At Zeero you get a full 2‑month warranty for all repairs and parts used on your DualSense controller. You also have the option to purchase a Lifetime Warranty for batteries – just ask a consultant.