How do Video Game Controllers Work? || Exploring a PS4 Game Controller

Almost all the console video games you play use this small metal disk. But where is it located and what does it do? In this video, we will open a PlayStation 4 Dualshock video game controller and see how the buttons and analog sticks work! This controller is similar to a PlayStation 5 [PS5], a Nintendo Switch Joy Con, or an Xbox X Series video game controller.
Do you want to support in-depth engineering and technology education? Support us on: / brancheducation
Website: www.branch.education
On Facebook: / brancheducation
On Twitter: / teddytablante
On Insta: / brancheducation
Or Join us on KZbin Memberships: / @brancheducation
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:10 - Parts of a PS4/PS5 Video Game Controller
03:08 - How do Buttons Work?
04:51 - How do Analog Sticks Work?
08:08 - Outro
You can find additional Creator's Comments in the English (Canada) Subtitles
You can find an additional puzzle in the English (Ireland) Subtitles. Prizes will be awarded to those who successfully submit their solution of this additional puzzle to [e-mail]
If you're interested in modeling, making animated videos, or playing around with this PS4 video game controller model, you can purchase the models here: blendermarket.com/products/ps...
To use the models you will also have to install Blender, a free animation software which you can find here:
www.blender.org/ Animation built using Blender 2.82a
Website: www.branch.education
Written, animated, and edited- Teddy Tablante
Twitter: @teddytablante
Voice Over- Phil Lee
Controller Modelling - Victor Duarte www.artstation.com/victorvdr9
/ victormen9
Key Branches from this video are: PCBs, Electronics, Resistors, Potentiometers, Push Buttons
Erratum:
Housing is misspelled as Houseing 5min 10sec in.
Work Cited:
Eleccelerator Wiki. "DualShock4". eleccelerator.com/wiki/index.p...
PS4's DualShock 4 Controller Teardown. imgur.com/a/ytRW5
PSDevWiki. "DualShock 4" www.psdevwiki.com/ps4/DualSho...
Active-High Vs Active-Low Button. Vinctronics vinduino.blogspot.com/2013/07/...
Wikipedia contributors. "Dual Shock." "Potentiometer." "Push Button." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Visited August, 2020
#PlayStation #Controller #Engineering

[@EEVblog]

The video production quality on this channel just blows my mind. If even more amazing when you know how much work is involved in making this.

[@deoxal7947]

Thanks for mentioning it on your podcast, that's how I found it. Another channel with similar animations I like is Learn Engineering. Really helped me understand how engines work. kzbin.info/door/qZQJ4600a9wIfMPbYc60OQ

[@blitz8229]

I would like to know how many hours specifically, do you mind telling us @BranchEducation? )

[@Decco6306]

crikey

[@Life_42]

I love your channel!

[@abdullahcosgun]

This channel is just unbelievable. Such a quality content and visuals.

[@preetham973]

Yes

[@ccoma061876]

I totally agreed with you...

[@enzo4872]

You'll like Jared Owen then

[@blitz8229]

+1

[@PSHomebrewOfficial]

It's a picture but rerenedered in a a 3d software they used.

[@UncarteD]

0:22 if you have ever had issues with the analog stick you'll know exactly what this is for

[@LoxD123]

Apply some wd40 , walla! No more drift

[@emzed33]

Hell yeah lol, managed to accidentally rip one of these suckers into two, thankfully I managed to get a repair kit for £2 and the controller works as good as new

[@johntitor1054]

@@emzed33 lol, i was fixing my drift on my controller and i cleaned both green parts on my drifitng analog, but since i was already there i wanted to clean the other analogs too just in case, since u supposed to bend the legs on the green thing, when i was puching it back in place it wasnt going and somehow i broke it off, i tried sottering it back but it was impossible, also when i tested the controller my dpad was going crazy, it just keeps on going in the down direction. And i cant go forward or backwards in game cause of the missing green part.

[@Terszel]

@@LoxD123 😂 amen to that

[@LoxD123]

Darkwing Dumpling lol. Working perfectly and save my bucks

[@PopeyeSolos]

5:55 - The Wiper. This is the time when its location is revealed. This is also the time when I figured out where it was located haha..

[@roahnosh]

I've opened my DS4 to change analog caps and never once have encountered the wiper so I assumed it's located somewhere in the analog module and I was right.

[@hachiko_6139]

Ik

[@JaredOwen]

Great job Teddy!

[@BranchEducation]

Thank you! Cheers, Also, isn't it like 5AM where you are?

[@skemamuddin2007]

What you know branch education!😱

[@JaideepSingh-oh5el]

One of favorites is Jared Owen . Waiting eagerly for your next video please bring it soon 🤩

[@Romualdomgn84]

Thanks to Jared and his channel KZbin advised me to watch another channel - this one. Now I'm a subscriber of both channels. Thank you both for an amazing work, efforts and dedication.

[@williamjackson8782]

1:20 I knew it was part of the analog stick since I’ve tried repairing my controller in the past.

[@rameshthota99]

Same here even I knew it before.

[@mauriciohernandez1176]

I also knew it because of changing the joysticks in my controller. I shouldnt have done that.

[@Vabloath]

same

[@debug8377]

so am i, but instead of finding it inside the controller, i found it buried in my toolbox

[@BranchEducation]

For details on Joystick Drift- check out the creator's comments. Also in there are details on how the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con is different in design. There is 1 person who solved the 2nd puzzle [Updated 8/12/2020]. I'll add the names of the top 3 people who complete this puzzle. 1st Place: Grzegorz P.

[@syedadnan9142]

Make video on how microcontroller are made

[@himanshumehta2057]

Why u don't make videos regularly......because these are great ..can you make such videos for engineering parts/tools/gadgets

[@BranchEducation]

@@himanshumehta2057 Each video takes me about 4 weeks to write, model, and animate. Quality takes time.

[@barioneaccidioso3804]

Just a feedback on the subtitles: yeah, 3 seconds are definitely better than 2. I'm not an English speaker and I had to stop the video several times in order to read and understand the sentence. Anyway really great video, good job.

[@Suman-nv5hy]

what is the solution to puzzle, I couldn't understand the puzzle by the way

[@arunaideepan293]

This channel cleared most of the doubts in electronics.

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

oh yeah? what's a henry?

[@bimugdhasatyal7626]

Now, this will hit me every time I use the controller

[@georgewelan5062]

5:59 epic melodramatic reaction ever.

[@devendrahyalij5724]

This is my one of the most favourite channel on KZbin.

[@meistermelone7]

I’m always sad when the video is over. I just can’t stop watching these quality animations.

[@BranchEducation]

Thanks for watching!! I wish I could make them faster, but each one takes about a month.

[@meistermelone7]

The long time is worth it!

[@omersengul]

PLEASE Please please do a video on "what happens when you shoot a bullet in call of duty on ps4?" What i mean is the complete electronic journey that takes place in like 0,3 seconds. - physical push to the r2 button - gasket completes the circuit - bluetooth communication to the console about said action - console registers the input - game engine executes the command - the sound bit is sent to the speakers - necessry graphics are sent to the display for the whole action and reaction. - the force feedback command is sent to the controller for vibration - game calculates the results of this action and appropriate outcome (e.g. successful hit for 57 health points) is executed within game engine - if all this is during an online match then many things are also sent and received to the main server and other clients - etc. etc. etc. You guys can do a much better analysis and explanation than me, but you get the idea. The game can be any game, i just chose cod because it is widely known. Subbed to the channel!

[@felushblanco9240]

Wow, never actually thought of all those processes, it’s amazing

[@gurjindersingh3843]

All that in a fraction of a second

[@wakeupnow2224]

Yeah i was thinking that as well the whole prosed is interesting and i was thinking about sony psn how it works with so many people

[@hamza-trabelsi]

As a game developer I can tell about the game engine part , after the console receive the signal.

[@slept-on_SP]

This channel is amazing. Thank you for teaching us how things work in an extremely user-friendly way, while also giving us thorough explanations to any of the noteworthy details.

[@mattk859]

When I graduate college ~20yrs ago, making these kinds of 3d models was an entire career. Visualizing component layout was quintessential for designing the housing, peripherals, etc. Now, a full 3d model can be made in a free tool from the internet, along with hundreds of tutorials on how to build such things. And the end result can be sold online, license-free, for only 25 bucks. It's a humbling reminder of how fast technology changes, and how channels like this are paramount for us aging nerds that are just trying to keep up =]

[@jasonfrost5025]

Has nothing to do with "aging" tbh. Even brand-new graduates are left in the dust if they step away for 6-12 months. It's just one of those things you have to constantly pay attention to and be immersed in (kinda like most things, really). Technology is our current society's bread and butter, so everyone is constantly trying to make money off of it every single day. It's not like knives and forks--those don't ever change.

[@rickymohar5016]

This was insanely educational. Loved the description of how the circuit board uses resistance calculation for the analog sticks ' acceleration

[@AjinkyaMahajan]

4:20 Pressure sensor was a new thing I had never expected prior. Great find. ✨✨✌

[@bepinnandan5285]

Yes. I was thinking the same at that part of time.

[@secondrevenge7126]

Same with DS3

[@jazmihamizan4987]

I honestly expected it to be a potentiometer setup like the stick because i know that DS4 and XB triggers are axial

[@Joshplv]

Fun fact Xbox uses a hall effect sensor for its triggers instead of a pressure sensor

[@izpcshop7326]

@@Joshplv it measures the magnetic field of the triggers, the triggers on the Xbox controllers have a magnet and a sensor called 'hall effect sensor' that measures how far the magnet is by measuring the magnetic field.

[@saanumathew3399]

More than 2 decades into gaming and we still considered these gamesticks as mysterious black boxes, thank you so much for such creative content and showing the simplicity of day today object.

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

*day to day You never took one apart?

[@bambiesmamma]

As a nursing student I spent countless hours, days, weeks, months even, studying human anatomy in books. The digitalized drawings were always easier to understand than the real world examples, yet at the same time led to a better, more comprehensive understanding of the real-world occurrences... any time I had to think through my anatomy in real life, my mind reverted to the digitalized drawings to clarify the ideal functions of a system. These videos are analogous to those anatomy drawings... they provide a clear and unambiguous description of the deep intricacies of the electronic world, and allow me to abstract those principles to fully understand what is happening on a macro scale... I friggin love ‘em... keep ‘em coming!

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

Why do you suppose more women don't find this interesting?

[@UberMicroRepairs]

This video is 100% spot on (almost spot on @3:03 the plunger doesn't bend). I have found out all this info through the years of repairs and it's nice to see somone out there who has explained it better than I ever could! I have to share this on my community page.

[@imteesh93]

yeah it never bend. you are right

[@PCBWay]

Really enjoy watching it! Just so detailed and clear analysis❤

[@imransheikh5505]

I love the way you teach with animation I really appreciate it.

[@jonathanflores3748]

The quality of your videos is amazing!! The details and the specs of the hardware are unparalleled. Thank you!

[@8792389557]

You guys take a great deal of effort to explain the concepts in most interesting and engaging way. This is one of the few channels that I always wait for the next video. By the way great visuals....❤️

[@pravinnichal8147]

2:59 when you say 4 i realized x and y axis of left joystick and x and y axis of right joystick

[@ellayted9522]

God, I love this channel. Such beautiful explanations and easy to follow animations. I honestly hope you guys get more subs.

[@JoshuaCelisMedia]

If these were the recommended videos in school, id definitely enjoy them. So intricate yet so concise.

[@hectorluis756]

Ah finally. In-depth understanding and internal mechanics. Just the right video to fix whatever problems my PS4 controller has. (Yes, I open and fix these things but now I feel more sure of what I'm doing)

[@vs-cw1wc]

Stunning as always. Deeply impressed!

[@jaggu232]

Wonderful explanation about the joystick which literally is the main part for gaming

[@Ghost-of-Reach]

This video was exactly what I was searching for to answer a question I had. Good job! Definitely subbed for that.

[@mj2068]

wow! what a video. and what a humble guy put his own name at last in credit. and that last sentence, "conceptual simplicity, yet structural complexity in the world around you" hit me so hard. Thanks, Teddy Tablante.

[@Random_4400]

5:22 I had a feeling I gused I was really close because that part looked familiar from a multi meter and I was right!

[@olanmills64]

Some older designs of analog sticks were crazy, with light shining through slits in a little disc as it rotates and a sensor picking up that light (N64 controller), or Hall effect sensors which Sega controllers used.

[@rohankishibe8259]

This channel is painfully underrated

[@Hamza-uh6oy]

indeed.

[@PaXeGo]

Thank you ! Uploading that video just teached me how analog sticks really opperate. That knowledge did put me in position to fix all issues on my own.

[@mattwinward3168]

0:22 I figured out what it was by looking at it because I had to replace it on an old controller with a massive dead-zone. Edit: Also, holy freaking heck, I don't think I could have gotten a better video if I had payed the dualshock 4 engineering team to explain it to me.

[@muhdanisbinani1217]

This is a great channel. It blows my mind as to how beautifully the graphics are. Quality. Could you also make the inside of a central processing unit, the mechanics and all?

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

*beautiful

[@TheRealLink]

I always figured that there was "some complexity" with game controllers commanding greater and greater prices, but this went into more detail than I anticipated! Very cool to see the clever use of enginenrring to do simple functiosn to solve a complex problem.

[@ELUSIVEWHATCHMAN]

to be honest man it's the first time I watch this video and it's the first video of this channel that I've watched and honestly how amazing would it be if every single University or classroom whether it be elementary high school or college or just someone at home looking to fix their own dryer or washer or even work on their cars engine took this image we took this concept and taught people with it with this much detail and production value about how their product or subject and how it works and i don't just mean certain models I mean every single variation of whatever a manufacture makes or whatever subject a university is teaching or even better image before they could even sell a product to a consumer or teach something to a student they had to present a blueprint kind of like when you build a house before you start to work on the property you need to present a blueprint to the city and it needs to get approved by a console but imagine the blueprint had to be to this high of standard and quality with the 3D model, narrator and everything instead of the outdated black and white instructions from the seventies that are available out there for whatever given product and not only that but by law had to make it readily accessible to anyone who asked for it you know the opposite of how apple or Tesla does it how dope would that be man 🤔 but a man can only dream but for now i guess we got KZbin and this dope ass guy which in my opinion is taking a step in the right direction you get 5 thumbs up from me pal and I'm subscribing and smashing that 🔔 👍👍👍👍👍 keep up the good work..

[@chess1011]

The advice of dissecting dead piece of electronics with help from an electronic teacher is informative(never thought of doing it) and as usual the content,the animations are top notch 😎. Just love your work❤️

[@biohazard9035]

See you guys when this gets recommend in 10 years

[@mzaher]

Just discovered this channel. This is unreal. WELL DONE!

[@shmunky3096]

Finally one who makes a video about controllers components. Love it.

[@hideyasumusha7211]

0:00 i work fixing controllers so i knew what that little metal ring was from the begginning 👉🏻😎👉🏻

[@humorss]

beautifully done. Wish you could do a video about hall effect sensor analog stick, only a few controller in history with analog stick didn't use potentiometer analog sticks. I can only recall sega dreamcast, psvita 1000. advantage with hall effect is that it has a much longer usable life.

[@aryanroy9050]

Yeah, I was hoping they would cover hall effect sensors 😅.

[@SurajGrewal]

Oh I see, that's why it has 6 wires connected to it instead of the usual 4 for other versions and PSP

[@kritebh]

Branch education and powercert animation joined adding so much value, Thanks for this animated and simplified video.

[@newbiegamer3040]

High quality content!! I'll remember that Every time I play on my PS4 Imagine if this guy is your Physics teacher.

[@BlueClefto]

Switch sticks are veeery different. The potentiometers are linear instead of circular, but it's the same principle. Excellent work, btw.

[@lawryvolcanoflames6293]

I feel like that would make more sense to me, since that lines up with a Cartesian plane (i.e. XY plane) that measures the horizontal distance along the x-axis and the vertical distance along the y-axis. So basically the potentiometers would measure the (x,y) coordinates as you move the stick around. I'm guessing the potentiometers in the DS4 do the same thing, just in a circular way lol. Pretty awesome stuff either way.

[@rachmatzulfiqar]

@@lawryvolcanoflames6293 but that makes the joycons thumbstick more prone to stick drift, because the gravity add more pressure to the fragile potentiometer, and dirt and gunk is more easily accumulate on a horizontal place

[@ServeraServera0]

''Video game controllers give us access to competitive battlefields, uncharted worlds and epic storylines'' KBM (Keyboard and mouse): I am a joke to you?

[@akolivancollins]

I have just realised that those are all games titles👍....Good job script writer

[@abba1322]

KBM are too busy making those worlds so controllers can enjoy them.

[@ochaoperative5146]

On Nintendo switch controllers, there is this common issue called ‘joystick drift’, where the joystick doesn’t fully recentre and makes phantom movements in a direction even when you aren’t touching it. This video really helped me to understand what must become damaged or worn to cause this problem, I love these videos.

[@mikimouse3001]

Another cool video from branch education 😍 learned something new today, I am a gamer but I had no idea where that wiper was located and what did it do 😅

[@nailozaz7596]

"First, we need to talk about paralel universes."

[@noobdeveloper153]

What man

[@alejogonzalez4997]

The 3 seconds spacing in the cretor comments works really well. 2 seconds too fast, at least for a person that speaks spanish haha

[@BranchEducation]

Thanks!! That's really useful to know.

[@dlep2004]

This video is awesome!! Can’t imagine how much work was put into making this. I’m blown

[@vishwasyadidya]

Such quality visuals and detailed explanation deserves more than a sub

[@CoffeeOn]

I move my analog stick really quickly most of the time. 5:53

[@BranchEducation]

I get that. This 30 frames per second video couldn't capture the speed at which some players play.

[@Rainquack]

Oh, this is a fantastic video and really shines a light on why controllers are definitely worth their ~60€. I just got this channel recommended for the first time, at 110k views currently, so this might blow up a bit in the future. Well, I'd hope so, cause everything is visualized and laid out nicely, while being explained well. Plus the narrator has a great voice. Here's a new subscriber. Onwards to even more!

[@TheLostAndNotFound]

This is so cool. I even have the PS4 controller that is half transparent so I was looking through it the whole time, while watching the video. The more ya know.

[@luigideff]

Amazing content... Impressive how you explain complex things so well and clear.

[@hollowneedles]

Amazing and educational visuals with a soothing well-spoken narrator. This is prime YT right here.

[@seankim2743]

This is a pure education. Wonderfully explained, I want to show this to my children. It's a perfect explanation on the mechanism behind the controller.

[@ivanda1408]

I am glad I've found this channel today!!!! The content is just great keep it going!!

[@akashkumarmahtoprotech6855]

Really your animation and content is awesome,keep it up. If possible fast your video production, i am waiting aggressively. Thank you ,love from INDIA

[@Decco6306]

nice work on the subsurface scattering on the rubber pads for the buttons

[@manojkale4408]

Kudos to you for simplified such complexity of Controller which looks simple from outside but has far more cutting edge engineering insides...

[@TechMyo]

Amazing video .. always love ur video ♥️♥️ 😚

[@aoshi2552]

Glad this video came in to my recommendations. Excellent content and explanation👌🏼

[@Stevieboy74]

You look at the DS4 and it appears to be a fairly basic controller, but not until you see something like this tear down do you realise the sheer amount of work that goes into making them, and the precision components inside that put it light years apart from the average game pad. Also not to mention the durability with people throwing them around when they lose their temper whilst gaming! Amazing little pieces of hardware.

[@AYUSHKUMAR-nf2qh]

The content quality and the explanation is top notch . !!!!!! great job brother

[@sumit_kashyap..]

your animation skills are on the next level .. Mind blowing video !!

[@karthikvigneshwar8742]

One of the best engineering videos I’ve seen on KZbin! Great animation and explanation!!

[@SamirPatnaik]

Bruh that's a hardcore 3D model you got there. Love the epic amount of work I see done here

[@anasarfiii]

My best engineering channel on internet The quality of explaining and exploring things is just great

[@fireoil]

Awesome how a little Stick can bring so much Joy

[@blitz8229]

Another astonishing video, this channel deserves 1M subs! More people should see this! Btw, it would be really cool if you would consider doing a video about the technical aspects of an automated car! Keep going! :)

[@lalo1488]

I'm amazed of how you explain something this complex, just subscribed and shared this video, this is awesome!

[@rodsean29]

finally a channel worth watching. high quality content and educational video. keep it up. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@Voreoptera]

You are just being fantastic. These are really good. I knew that it was for the joysticks, but I did not expect when you said there was four of them. So I was totally wrong about where in the joysticks they were or how many of then there were.

[@nikobellic8192]

This was the best in-depth and best quality video to see how the analog sticks would work cuz I have a drift problem and I wanted to see which part was making the drift problem

[@WilsonTRB]

Amazing work! Great explanation and editing!

[@philologusopin47us57]

Awesome presentation! I wish people like you would be lecturing at my university. It would never get boring. This small mystery game is a nice way to keep the attention btw.

[@frankcobbs8350]

High quality breakdown. Thank you!

[@themattster]

This is insanely helpful, especially the joysticks. Thank you!

[@MegaPrams]

This is the first video i saw from your channel and i instantly subscribed

[@fsh3702]

This really clarifies many questions, thanks.

[@allamasadi7970]

This channel is so underrated!

[@Ayanda846]

The quality of story telling to make clarification is super amazing 🔥🙌🏻

[@moilh916]

Such high quality, so clear

[@Mike196]

Another fantastic video. You never cease to amaze me 🙌

[@BeastlyJew22]

This was awesome!

[@johnly_]

Amazing video. I've been looking for this info

[@jimechols4347]

Wow what a thoroughly technical explanation!

[@wramarante]

Great production and a big pleasure both for the eyes and mind. Knowledge is a must.

[@dantranvu]

Great video, you made a very detailed and very nice animation

[@chetankumarsmajjagi3995]

Hats off for your hardwork (Animation, Explanation, Knowledge)

[@chrisdahfuh180]

I remember disassembling my controller and found the wiper bracket and realized it was an essential piece to the analog sticks. I enjoyed this video so much, teasing the location of the wiper 😂😂😂. Purposefully hiding it in the encasing throughout the video. Hilarious. Awesome video

[@harshsinghal4342]

Such high quality content. I'm just amazed.

[@macaronivirus5913]

How beautiful materials, textures, lighting etc. pure satisfaction to watch.

[@bidish2224]

I broke open the analog controller out of an aeroplane remote control but never quite understood it. Thank you very much, without you I could have never understood this amazing thing.