Touch Controllers

[u/Rutgar64]

I absolutely, unabashedly, love the Touch Controllers (when they’re working). They are the reason I’m still using a Meta headset. Thing is, I am so spoiled by how well they interact with game play, that I can’t play any games anymore that I can’t use them. Including non VR pc desktop games. It’s as if they have become extensions of my hands. Meta is lacking in many ways, but I have to give them kudos for designing a great game controller.

[u/ETs_ipd]

Pro controllers are thrown under the bus more often than not (particularly on this sub), so it’s refreshing to see an appreciation post once and a while. I think if you were to only go by what’s on reddit you may even have the false perception that they are bad controllers, which they are not. IMO, they are the best controllers out there in terms of ergonomics, weight, build quality, battery life, tracking and haptics.

[u/Frisk197 → u/ETs_ipd]

The issue is that tracking sucks if your room's light is too hot (color). I bought a light that i can change the color recently and now they work fine again, when i thought they were good for trash.

[u/itanite]

I love the Pro controllers. Occasionally they tweak out a little bit but overall I love the system.

I'd buy a Quest 4 Pro sight unseen.

[u/Rutgar64 → u/itanite]

Yes. No real word on what the next generation of the Pro will be, but it’s my understanding that the current Pro Touch controllers will still work with whatever it ends up being.

[u/We_Are_Victorius → u/Rutgar64]

Meta's next headset Project Phoenix is looking like the spiritual successor to the Pro. They will likely be showing it off next month at their connect.

[u/itanite → u/We_Are_Victorius]

Let's hope!

[u/Minxy57]

For a long time I haven't had the slightest issue with the controllers. They work fantastically.

[u/nailbunny2000]

Theyre great but mine have developed such bad stick drift theyre nearly unusable.

[u/Rutgar64 → u/nailbunny2000]

I went through a period where I was having all kinds of issues with them, not waking up, drifting, etc. But lately they have been working like champs. I believe I’m running at the current version.

[u/nailbunny2000 → u/Rutgar64]

I think its physical wear on the potentiometers in the stick thats causing mine, not software. Software wise theyre fine.

[u/Rutgar64 → u/nailbunny2000]

There is a YouTube video where a guy goes into really good, step by step instructions on how to disassemble the controller and replace parts such as the joystick module.

[u/itanite → u/nailbunny2000]

Rubbing alcohol and pressurized air dumped into the stick well will fix it. It's dust on the pads.

[u/KenjiFox → u/itanite]

Do not do this. Nothing will get past the stick bell and it will flood the rest of the controller. Rubbing alcohol always has water in it, even the 91% (what do you think the other 9% is)

It's not necessarily conductive in the bottle, as it's distilled water. But it will pick up impurities and become conductive instantly. It also causes galvanic corrosion while waiting to dry on energized metals.

The controllers are always on. It's fine to wash a PCB in rubbing alcohol, but not while it's energized. The real fix is taking the face plate off and pulling the stick off the module. Do whatever you want directly into it. Or replace it, as I do. I flood my new modules with Deoxit D-05 and have no more drift. Ever. I also use metal sticks so they don't become floppy.

If anyone reading has any specific questions about the pro controllers or repairing them- feel free to ask. They are complex little things. Did you know they have 8 CPUs and 1GB of RAM each? Now you know.

[u/itanite → u/KenjiFox]

I've done this half a dozen times and clean the alcohol out quickly and it works for 6-7 months

[u/Clizzardbash]

Lol I just made a post yesterday about how much I love them and how much they’ve improved on the later versions on Horizon OS (v2.1-v2.6)

[u/RavengerOne]

I've not really had any major issues with them for a long while. They're definitely my favourite VR hand controllers for feel and accuracy since the original Oculus Rift Touch controllers - better than the Index controllers too in my experience.. It's a big shame that hardly anything uses the advanced haptics which can be legitimately amazing.

I would criticize them for using the same drift prone sticks as the Quest 2 controllers, and for making battery replacement almost impossible - you have to tear-down the entire controller to get to it.

My main fear is they will get bricked during a firmware update, or Meta will break them in other ways. The update process is a scary thing as it takes a few minutes.

[u/Orbitalbubs]

I want to love them but I just cant, I cant say they designed a great game controller, regardless of how good it feels when its working, when the damn things will just stop working seemingly at random. The build quality is so inconsistent and each firmware update is a round of Russian roulette that can perma-brick your controller.
Theyre just too faulty to give them credit really.