You really need to add a disclaimer to a pinned comment that all the new joystick modules use potentiometers, NOT the original optical sensors, so they won't feel the same, not to mention the potential for the infamous joystick drift. Replacing the bowl assembly with new parts and adding lube is a MUCH better idea to preserve the value of your controllers.
@Bold One TBF, not much competition in the analogue controller space back then, so they didn't have the high standards garnered from much more intense competition we have today. Although I do agree the stick could've been better engineered.
Big Baby Blue Eyes same. The same company that made those also did a traditional n64-style stick version too, and I’m curious about how that compares to the original...
@@ninjamaster102 I've used yellowbox repair sticks and honestly those work pretty well. Another great alternative is the retrobit n64 pads you can get off Amazon, they're similar to the horipad
Well done. Great job explaining why they break to those who dont understand. My son recently destroyed his xbox controller trying to fix instead of talking to me first. I have many different controllers for consoles ive fixed since my snes days and ive always been interested in console repair which i used to do for free just charge for parts.
Many of these replacement sticks are pretty bad quality, you can stiffen up the original with some strong durable but thick tape around the base of the joystick taper (inside) and it works quite well if done right
Don't those replacement joysticks have worse deadzones? I saw a video about a replacement joystick where the sensitivity and deadzone on it was not 100%, so there were issues when you needed to walk slow in a game, or if you need to go in a direction.
Alot of them do. The best bet is to order the replacement bowl and gears from kitsch-bent. Super cheap and you can keep things mostly oem by using said parts to rebuild the original stick.
@christophervanzetta Look how long they took to wear out or get as bad as they are to begin with....25+ years? And I'd rather spend the $2.75 it costs for a replacement bowl and gears for a new OEM feel, than spend $10-$15 bucks for an aftermarket replacement that'll last only a year and feels cheap and easy to break.
you can use a heat gun to make the gear channel thingies pliable and carefully pinch the walls closer to make straight, thin channels again for the stick to ride in. you can also buy new gear channel thingies on ebay. with a tiny bit of long lasting grease, you can probably keep it from grinding down more. on the gamecube sticks, they aren't as precise as the original stick. BUT, there do exist mod PCBs so you can install a modern analog stick into an N64 controller and not have any issues with precision. you can use these gamcube mod sticks as the base to install the mod boards without having to modify the housing on the original stick.
I got an N64 for last year's Christmas. I was having issues with both the left shoulder button and the joystick. I diagnosed the problem with the button and added a brace behind it, problem solved. The joystick, however, became practically unusable and I didn't understand why. Thanks for explaining it, I guess I'll replace the joystick if I can't fix it.
So after carefully looking at the joystick assembly, I wonder if you couldn't take an intact one, 3d print it, and continue on with the "plastic on plastic" scheme or if you could possibly put almost like a slick rubber filler or rubber washer in there to be a buffer between the walls and the stick itself?
People complaining about joycon drift don't know the pain of having to just accept drifting controllers, especially when most parents saw secondary controllers as pointless. So if you went asking for another controller, your parents would scoff and say tough, get used to it.
Dam straight. After seeing my son destroy his controllers i stopped buying them. Now hes "borrowing" an old one of mine with drift but its better than the ones he broke. Most kids dont understand what its like to have a console with 2 or 3 games for its lifespan due to parents who think its a waste of time. Get the most out of it.
That’s a really weird problem to have, but you can see in my video how I disassembled the stick. From there you can carefully open it and see if something is stuck in there
My replacements came in today and I swapped them but as soon as I tried plugging it in (the joystick) it didn't fit so I cut off excess plastic on the plug and it didn't damage it. The thing is after I cut it, it did plug in and work for a few seconds and I wasn't able to get it working ever sense.
You shouldn't have needed to cut anything-if the connector didn't fit, it sounds like it might've been the wrong connector or wrong orientation. Cutting the connector to force it to fit may have caused you to short some wires together if the connector was oriented improperly. Is your controller an aftermarket controller?
@@smashingrandomthingzandrev2134 Gotcha. I'm just making sure that it wasn't possible that after cutting the plastic you didn't accidentally plug it in upside down or something. Either way, this is very strange since those connectors are standardized and so I don't see how cutting would've been necessary. Very strange, sorry I can't help more from here.
Really well actually! Not all replacement are created equally of course, but I did a lot of research into these specific ones before I ordered them. It's paid off -- they still work great.
The problem is with the sensitivity and the deadzone, i have one of those gamecube style sticks in one of my controllers and playing a first person shooter like goldeneye or any part in a game where you need to aim, like with the slingshot in zelda, is a nightmare.
was teying to play Smash with some controllers id gotten from amazon and the characters would keep moving to the right whenever i tried to move at all. really frustrating. would this help with that too?
The Amazon link is dead. But after some searching Repair kits aren't too uncommon. I found a Company who ships through Wal-mart for $10 so I will try this myself to relive some legendary games.
The product link is broken. Can you advise where to get a good replacement? I found a bunch of N64 analog sticks for sale but they all appear to be of dubious quality and I want to make sure I replace mine with something that works well.
Silicone oil or grease, unless the parts have worn down too far, in which case I would recommend rebuilding the stick with new parts, as the aftermarket assemblies can be hit-or-miss.
What about restoring the bowl of the joystick with a layer of resin? I saw someone else do it with epoxy glue and grease to keep it wearing again, it’s more time consuming but it preserves the original parts.
If your worried about original parts then I wouldnt add to it with glue and grease. It will wear down more eventually anyways. If u want original parts then just dont play on it. If u want to use it then the precision will be better with new parts. And besides, u can keep original parts still and swap back in if that matters to u.
With mine i have use all my tumb strength to make Link jog forward. I also bought a replica controller and the joystick broke after maybe 6-7 hours of playing. The controller keep s moving either left or right
It is not. The newer ones use a different design that reduces plastic-on-plastic friction. If you’re using an “old style” one or rebuilding an existing one, you could add a bit of graphite.
I had all 3 mario party games, and I definitely was hard on the sticks, but somehow mine are in the best shape out of any i've found in the wild. really weird.
And I just cleaned my controller recently. Took the analog stick apart to clean and fix it and the Y-axis is done for. Either that or the gear isn't aligned properly. Might as well replace it with a new and higher quality one.
Nice. I was wondering what had ground down when I opened it to take a look. Thought maybe a piece of rubber like a washer. So I added a little piece of card like a washer and now it's really sturdy. Problem is that I think there's an issue with the circuit board so the character keeps running in circles. I'll probably replace the part like you've suggested.
Hello, i am from the futur, 2021. How do you deal with the problem of thoses sticks? The well know "character is walking alone, i am not even touching the controller" I bought two of this on the amazon, and have the same problem for both. Work great, then after 10 minutes, the controller became possess from a ghost.
Excellent tutorial. I really appreciate taking the time to SHOW why these controllers break so often. I got an alternate joystick that still looked like the original style and it works identical to the original. But these instructions worked perfect for that, as well.
I think it depends on the aftermarket joystick you use; some are more sensitive than others. This one is fine, but it takes some getting used to after using "broken" sticks for a decade.
@@Howchoo I have ONE good controller after nearly 25 years (the grey one because the fun colors were used more often) You say yours are fine after all these months. I see some people complaining but I can't imagine it'd be worse than my see-through blue and red controller that have been decimated by Mario Party, right?
I apologize I dont completely remember what I did, I was probably 10 when I did this, I'm 23 now, I had this problem, used to run my thumb raw forcing the joystick to work, one day I took it apart and figured out what the problem was, the little plastic "tracks" where grinded into dust, just barely hanging on for dear life. I melted the shit, grabbed a hair thingy from my sister, one of those clips that was literally just a peice of spring steel, and formed my own "tracks" I remember hot glue didn't work but I also remember getting in trouble for using a lighter to melt my work into place, i remember borrowing my dads grease gun and filling it up, for months excess grease would get everywhere, I still use it today
I just got an original N64 controller that looks all original but the joystick is super sensitive in games . Does anyone know if overtime these joysticks Become less sensitive due to wear ?
eBay sent me a n64 controller saying that it was new! Turns out that eBay calls “new” fake and I got a drifting controller for 20 dollars! I had to buy another one and it comes today, but this time I bought it used and not on eBay for 50 dollars! What a great story, isn’t it?
'Now while it's open let's go ahead and clean it because... I don't know who owned this before me or what they did.' Rumble pack, the final scene of Zelda Ocarina of Time and the controller is oddly shaped like other vibrating objects we know. Yes definitely clean it.
I got 3 controllers and they were all used but I played Mario party 2... 3 times and I didnt even know the controllers shed the plastic on the inside wtf! Thank you for this! Now if someone can tell me why my n64 keeps shutting off randomly after about 30 min to an hour lmk how to fix it
Might be your expansion pack. You can try cleaning it or you might just need to replace it. My N64 got so bad that it didn’t even last 5 minutes...once I replaced it worked like new.
It old game Nintendo 64 it been round 23 year and had my games 18 years seen 2002 glad my sister brought back baseball game it late kobe Bryant great bulls team that win 6 title and sammy soda on it
Nice video, but sorry to say that, you have not fixed anything. You have replaced OEM stick with third party one, which has different ranges. That's it. No fix, just replacement.
HOWCHOO! you did not beat me, I am the friend he references at the end. He lost, I will now have to beat him with a new joystick.
LIES AND SLANDER NATE
lol
@Howchoo I DISAGREE.
It's actually libel if it's a written statement.
That’s what that white powder is
I thought the controllers were used to smuggle cocaine
I recommend not snorting the controller powder ;)
I do
@@theratsgarbage7081 Me too, its delicious!
You really need to add a disclaimer to a pinned comment that all the new joystick modules use potentiometers, NOT the original optical sensors, so they won't feel the same, not to mention the potential for the infamous joystick drift.
Replacing the bowl assembly with new parts and adding lube is a MUCH better idea to preserve the value of your controllers.
Always wondered what that white powder was on my analog stick
cocaine
The cop always wondered what that white powder on my nose was.
@Bold One TBF, not much competition in the analogue controller space back then, so they didn't have the high standards garnered from much more intense competition we have today. Although I do agree the stick could've been better engineered.
I've heard nothing but bad things about those GC styled replacement sticks
Big Baby Blue Eyes agreed
Big Baby Blue Eyes same. The same company that made those also did a traditional n64-style stick version too, and I’m curious about how that compares to the original...
Bought 3 of them they are useless now it work for a month or two
Mine came faulty. The diagnal joysticking doesnt work untill u all the way in the corner. Joystick feels great but seems like shit
@@ninjamaster102 I've used yellowbox repair sticks and honestly those work pretty well.
Another great alternative is the retrobit n64 pads you can get off Amazon, they're similar to the horipad
This is good to keep in mind. Just got myself an N64 so I wanted to make sure the analog wasn’t loose. It all checked out good so thank you.
Well done. Great job explaining why they break to those who dont understand. My son recently destroyed his xbox controller trying to fix instead of talking to me first. I have many different controllers for consoles ive fixed since my snes days and ive always been interested in console repair which i used to do for free just charge for parts.
Many of these replacement sticks are pretty bad quality, you can stiffen up the original with some strong durable but thick tape around the base of the joystick taper (inside) and it works quite well if done right
Don't those replacement joysticks have worse deadzones? I saw a video about a replacement joystick where the sensitivity and deadzone on it was not 100%, so there were issues when you needed to walk slow in a game, or if you need to go in a direction.
Alot of them do. The best bet is to order the replacement bowl and gears from kitsch-bent. Super cheap and you can keep things mostly oem by using said parts to rebuild the original stick.
@@jakemartin2356And then it wears down again? Seems silly
@christophervanzetta Look how long they took to wear out or get as bad as they are to begin with....25+ years? And I'd rather spend the $2.75 it costs for a replacement bowl and gears for a new OEM feel, than spend $10-$15 bucks for an aftermarket replacement that'll last only a year and feels cheap and easy to break.
you can use a heat gun to make the gear channel thingies pliable and carefully pinch the walls closer to make straight, thin channels again for the stick to ride in. you can also buy new gear channel thingies on ebay. with a tiny bit of long lasting grease, you can probably keep it from grinding down more.
on the gamecube sticks, they aren't as precise as the original stick. BUT, there do exist mod PCBs so you can install a modern analog stick into an N64 controller and not have any issues with precision. you can use these gamcube mod sticks as the base to install the mod boards without having to modify the housing on the original stick.
I´d like to know more about that. So there is a way to recalibrate the game cube style stick in the n64 controller so it´s actually enjoyable?
Before replacing the new joystick assembly... Take it apart and pack the cup with dialectical grease. It will feel , work and last 100% better..
Awesome video. Short and sweet with no nonsense :)
How did the stick hold up after use?
Really good actually! Still using it and it’s tight.
howchoo oh ok thank you!
I got an N64 for last year's Christmas. I was having issues with both the left shoulder button and the joystick. I diagnosed the problem with the button and added a brace behind it, problem solved. The joystick, however, became practically unusable and I didn't understand why. Thanks for explaining it, I guess I'll replace the joystick if I can't fix it.
So does would a steel bowl paired with an OEM stick theoretically cancel out loosening of the joystick? Thanks for the video!
Indeed
Dude, you are a game and controller saver. Thank you! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
No problem!
So after carefully looking at the joystick assembly, I wonder if you couldn't take an intact one, 3d print it, and continue on with the "plastic on plastic" scheme or if you could possibly put almost like a slick rubber filler or rubber washer in there to be a buffer between the walls and the stick itself?
I heard these replacements experience lag and are not as good as the original. Did you experience any of the sort. Great video btw!
I haven’t experienced that at all with mine but it really depends on the replacement joystick you buy; be sure to read the reviews!
Thank you very much for this, I believe my two original one-owner controllers are damaged due to Mario Party. I'll try this.
If you own an N64 get a brawler 64 controller, once you start using it you won’t want to go back
Link?
Are they going to come back in stock?
People complaining about joycon drift don't know the pain of having to just accept drifting controllers, especially when most parents saw secondary controllers as pointless. So if you went asking for another controller, your parents would scoff and say tough, get used to it.
Dam straight. After seeing my son destroy his controllers i stopped buying them. Now hes "borrowing" an old one of mine with drift but its better than the ones he broke. Most kids dont understand what its like to have a console with 2 or 3 games for its lifespan due to parents who think its a waste of time. Get the most out of it.
@@couchguy427 god forbid your kids have better
Is there still a place where you can buy this part?The website link is no longer working
Dude i got like 4 bad controllers i might be able to revive them now. Thank you for posting this and keeping it up.
I got an n64 controller and the stick is tight but the stick isn't centered how do I fix it help please
That’s a really weird problem to have, but you can see in my video how I disassembled the stick. From there you can carefully open it and see if something is stuck in there
My replacements came in today and I swapped them but as soon as I tried plugging it in (the joystick) it didn't fit so I cut off excess plastic on the plug and it didn't damage it. The thing is after I cut it, it did plug in and work for a few seconds and I wasn't able to get it working ever sense.
Damn mate :(
You shouldn't have needed to cut anything-if the connector didn't fit, it sounds like it might've been the wrong connector or wrong orientation. Cutting the connector to force it to fit may have caused you to short some wires together if the connector was oriented improperly.
Is your controller an aftermarket controller?
howchoo no it is not aftermarket. The connector had all the pins so if would work so I just cut the plastic part of it down and after that worked fine
@@smashingrandomthingzandrev2134 Gotcha. I'm just making sure that it wasn't possible that after cutting the plastic you didn't accidentally plug it in upside down or something. Either way, this is very strange since those connectors are standardized and so I don't see how cutting would've been necessary. Very strange, sorry I can't help more from here.
howchoo oh it's fine
Some of the comment say that some joystick replacements are poor quality. How has yours fared after all this time?
Really well actually! Not all replacement are created equally of course, but I did a lot of research into these specific ones before I ordered them. It's paid off -- they still work great.
The problem is with the sensitivity and the deadzone, i have one of those gamecube style sticks in one of my controllers and playing a first person shooter like goldeneye or any part in a game where you need to aim, like with the slingshot in zelda, is a nightmare.
Spinning the stick so much you get blisters on your palm lol
Yo these aren't available from your link anymore :(
since that link for the replacement doesnt work anymore what brand would you suggest getting for the replacement part?
Can you link the replacement joystick or which one would you prefer? Don't want one with low or too high of sensitivity.
Sure thing, this is the one I used -- seems to be just the right amount of sensitivity: howchoo.com/resource/material/ngziotljmtv/ytzkzwzjytj
@@Howchoo Thanks! That was the exact one I ordered.
Cheers mate, need more videos like this
Excellent video, thanks!
was teying to play Smash with some controllers id gotten from amazon and the characters would keep moving to the right whenever i tried to move at all. really frustrating. would this help with that too?
Yep
Where do I go to get a replacement stick?? Great video !
Lol. I had a Cheetos ad before this.
What's that screwdriver called. If possible Amazon link thanks. I need to open my Nintendo 64 controller and change my Joystick.
Smooth video, well done, thanks a lot mate!
The Amazon link is dead. But after some searching Repair kits aren't too uncommon. I found a Company who ships through Wal-mart for $10 so I will try this myself to relive some legendary games.
The product link is broken. Can you advise where to get a good replacement? I found a bunch of N64 analog sticks for sale but they all appear to be of dubious quality and I want to make sure I replace mine with something that works well.
Hi! The link to replacement assembly is broken. Can you detail which is the correcto/most recommended replacement? There are so many over Amazon!
What is the piece on the back of the joystick housing? This piece has two tabs on either side to hold the Z button in place and one of mine is broken.
Since you said the controller has gradual wear and tear for the thumbstick, is there a mod that can fix that?
Silicone oil or grease, unless the parts have worn down too far, in which case I would recommend rebuilding the stick with new parts, as the aftermarket assemblies can be hit-or-miss.
What about restoring the bowl of the joystick with a layer of resin? I saw someone else do it with epoxy glue and grease to keep it wearing again, it’s more time consuming but it preserves the original parts.
If your worried about original parts then I wouldnt add to it with glue and grease. It will wear down more eventually anyways. If u want original parts then just dont play on it. If u want to use it then the precision will be better with new parts. And besides, u can keep original parts still and swap back in if that matters to u.
With mine i have use all my tumb strength to make Link jog forward.
I also bought a replica controller and the joystick broke after maybe 6-7 hours of playing. The controller keep s moving either left or right
I've fixed my joystick thanks to this video... !!!!
Great to hear!
Is it necessary to apply grease to the new stick for a longer useful life?
It is not. The newer ones use a different design that reduces plastic-on-plastic friction. If you’re using an “old style” one or rebuilding an existing one, you could add a bit of graphite.
What about if it’s just got drift ?
Necroing a post here but the link doesnt work any more whats the best replacement these days
I had all 3 mario party games, and I definitely was hard on the sticks, but somehow mine are in the best shape out of any i've found in the wild. really weird.
They say that if you snort that analog stick dust, you go to 64-bit land 🤪
I KNEW I SAW YOU THERE!
And I just cleaned my controller recently. Took the analog stick apart to clean and fix it and the Y-axis is done for. Either that or the gear isn't aligned properly. Might as well replace it with a new and higher quality one.
Nice. I was wondering what had ground down when I opened it to take a look. Thought maybe a piece of rubber like a washer. So I added a little piece of card like a washer and now it's really sturdy. Problem is that I think there's an issue with the circuit board so the character keeps running in circles. I'll probably replace the part like you've suggested.
Is sm64 a controller killer too?
not really. the stick was designed to be used with mario 64 in mind. so it doesn't really do much unless you turn around a lot like in mario party.
Hello, i am from the futur, 2021. How do you deal with the problem of thoses sticks? The well know "character is walking alone, i am not even touching the controller" I bought two of this on the amazon, and have the same problem for both. Work great, then after 10 minutes, the controller became possess from a ghost.
Very useful thank you
What size screwdriver do I need for the controller pak screws
Excellent tutorial. I really appreciate taking the time to SHOW why these controllers break so often.
I got an alternate joystick that still looked like the original style and it works identical to the original. But these instructions worked perfect for that, as well.
Glad you enjoyed it! :)
How much for a gram?
What were they thinking when they made a plastic-on-plastic joystick? Thankfully GC style replacements are easy to get
I heard the sensitivity is bad, not recommanded for shooters
I think it depends on the aftermarket joystick you use; some are more sensitive than others. This one is fine, but it takes some getting used to after using "broken" sticks for a decade.
@@Howchoo I have ONE good controller after nearly 25 years (the grey one because the fun colors were used more often) You say yours are fine after all these months. I see some people complaining but I can't imagine it'd be worse than my see-through blue and red controller that have been decimated by Mario Party, right?
@@oliviakuchik6196 Exactly-mind is still going strong
I dont recommend the GameCube joystick. Its not as sensitive and the range isn't as accurate for the n64. Replace it with an OEM stick.
I apologize I dont completely remember what I did, I was probably 10 when I did this, I'm 23 now, I had this problem, used to run my thumb raw forcing the joystick to work, one day I took it apart and figured out what the problem was, the little plastic "tracks" where grinded into dust, just barely hanging on for dear life. I melted the shit, grabbed a hair thingy from my sister, one of those clips that was literally just a peice of spring steel, and formed my own "tracks" I remember hot glue didn't work but I also remember getting in trouble for using a lighter to melt my work into place, i remember borrowing my dads grease gun and filling it up, for months excess grease would get everywhere, I still use it today
Thankyou for the information very helpful thanks..... .....
One of my friends told me the powder was sweat and I believed it for decades!
The game that ruined the most joysticks for me was 1080 snowboarding. "Ricky Winterborn wins again!!!!" Lol
controller for n64 wears so quick playing smash bros for a few days mines already worn lol, shams they don’t sell greased up controllers on ebay
I just got an original N64 controller that looks all original but the joystick is super sensitive in games . Does anyone know if overtime these joysticks Become less sensitive due to wear ?
There is supposed to be absolutely no deadzone! So yes…that’s how they are supposed to be, sensitive.
eBay sent me a n64 controller saying that it was new! Turns out that eBay calls “new” fake and I got a drifting controller for 20 dollars!
I had to buy another one and it comes today, but this time I bought it used and not on eBay for 50 dollars! What a great story, isn’t it?
Awesome!
The replacement joystick is unavailable...
You can just use epoxy and sand it down to add the missing material
'Now while it's open let's go ahead and clean it because... I don't know who owned this before me or what they did.' Rumble pack, the final scene of Zelda Ocarina of Time and the controller is oddly shaped like other vibrating objects we know. Yes definitely clean it.
The GC style stick is SO much better.
Both links are dead now :(
Thank you Mario Party 1 Tug O War mini game. Now to replace the analog stick.
Yo instale ese tipo gamecube pero presenta problemas de drift
Great, ty!!
well, it's a replacement video, but not a repair video.
Cool!
Glad I wasn't the only one who destroyed my hands from Mario party
20 years later and my hands will never be the same.
Its unavailable dude... need help plz
Add epoxy resin to the plastic bowl to build it back up and fill the grooves. There it can be fixed
I have an original 1997 nintendo 64 from my uncle ,imagine how many powder there is inside it
A lot ;)
no stock available!!!!!!!
Super Mario 64 is the killer wdym
We all know Mario 64 broke it
Oem controllers arent 50$
I got 3 controllers and they were all used but I played Mario party 2... 3 times and I didnt even know the controllers shed the plastic on the inside wtf! Thank you for this! Now if someone can tell me why my n64 keeps shutting off randomly after about 30 min to an hour lmk how to fix it
Might be your expansion pack. You can try cleaning it or you might just need to replace it. My N64 got so bad that it didn’t even last 5 minutes...once I replaced it worked like new.
Awesome
I used soapy wooder.
Broken joystick, anytime, anywhere.
How do these joysticks hold up to Mario Party? lol
It old game Nintendo 64 it been round 23 year and had my games 18 years seen 2002 glad my sister brought back baseball game it late kobe Bryant great bulls team that win 6 title and sammy soda on it
Fix idea: add plastic to the ground down parts with a 3d pen and sand away extra to spec!
Your not fixing it, you are replacing it.....
Nice video, but sorry to say that, you have not fixed anything. You have replaced OEM stick with third party one, which has different ranges. That's it. No fix, just replacement.
Lol you mean it's a terrible design those joysticks are too sensitive with n64s deadzones
This video is how to replace ist. Not fix.
Or you could just buy a new channel and load it up with grease? I fix these all the time and that seems to make it go back to factory functionality
Have a link for these? Is it just the plastic channel that the joystick to ride in?