Gulikit makes controllers with hall effect joysticks that are immune to stick drift. I don't have one of those, but I have their hall effect joysticks for the steam deck and they're very nice.
this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2023
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Buy it for Life
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Hmm I can't seem to find the new kk3 on ebay.
Don't think there's one. The physicality involved in interacting with them means something is going to wear out. BIFL for this needs to be coupled with the expertise to repair them yourself.
The 2 conditions you would need is a controller with hall effect sticks, and has a battery you are willing to replace, as a controller battery would not last "a life"
Modifying a OEM controller with Hall sticks and using eneloops is your best bet in this situation.
https://www.xbox.com/nl-NL/accessories/controllers/xbox-adaptive-controller
While not exactly BIFL, this controller is so extremely versatile that you could make parts of it BIFL. Also love this controller and what it represents, so felt compelled to add it to the suggestions :-)
heard the gulikit kingkong 2 is pretty good
There's a new generation of hall effect sticks that are better, now, offered in other controllers. Can't remember the names, but a quick duckduckgo should turn it up
I have two PS4 controllers. One which came with the console in 2014. They both still work like new. Bluetooth works on iPhone and Windows flawlessly.
I second the ps4 recommendation, I've never had issues with any the of the 4 I've had for almost a decade.
I hope the steam controller to be that. The CAD files are online, it only has a few points to potentially stop working that for the most part can be repaired, it's replaceable AA batteries...
The downside is that replacement parts for the trackpads are probably not easy to find (I haven't looked), and of course finding one in the first place for not a ridiculous amount of money is hard pressed. I think you can buy a flashed dongle that will work with it, otherwise you need it Bluetooth/USB. Some don't like the not-real D-Pad but when it's set to touch-active instead of click active it's pretty nice. I do like it for fighting games, but since it's only 500hz polling rate it's not a competitive option. I have played Melee on it though and I did fine after the adjustment.
Everything else though is pretty much replaceable, I just replaced my fading thumb sticks for some 8bitdo ones and now they match the Steam Deck, I'm pretty sure the analog stick box is able to be replaced as same with the button pads. Bumpers are also fixable.
IMO it's just the best. I still have my Nov 2015 launch Steam Controller with the Aperture skin and it's had hundreds of falls on wood floors. People talk about how the RB is super fragile and the most consistent break point - and it must be since that seemed somewhat common, but I have 4 and I play Monster Hunter. The RB button is my lifeblood, between that game and the controller drops you'd think mine would be shattered to a billion pieces, but no it still works perfectly.
Assuming you're using it on PC:
I've had a Logitech F310 since they came out over a decade ago. It's the oldest controller I've ever had and is sturdy as fuck.
It's not wireless, and doesn't have rumble or anything fancy. It can, however, be switched between XInput and Direct so it works even with older games that don't have modern controller support.
As much as I love my f310 I wouldnt call it a buy for life. Mine has an issue with a d-pad that makes it so some dirt gets under it and messes with the controls.
I lost more than one street fighter match because one of my direction buttons decided not to work
The huge, built in axial and radial deadzone on the sticks are absolutely awful and made me regret getting the F310.
8bitdo sn30 series. I have a pro 2 right now, but my pro plus still works just fine if I needed it.
The contact pads in them do wear out eventually, but they use the same ones that were made for the Super Nintendo. Replacements are available for less than $10. They require cutting some of the edge to fit, but after that work good as new!