13 Ways to Tell if a PS4 Controller is Fake

So you ordered a PS4 controller online, and after playing with it for a while, you feel like it’s kinda sus. How can I tell if a PS4 controller is fake or legitimate? Did you really just drop $40 USD on a fake controller?

I actually was in the exact same situation. After comparing my new controller with my legit PS4 controller, researching the issue, and running various tests, I realized the one I bought was fake.

Quick advice:

Before we get into the details, I have some advice for you. Even though controllers are quite expensive, it’s always best to buy them from a legitimate seller.

There are lots of fake controllers sold on eBay and other online platforms, and the sellers usually have great reviews too. Even Amazon sells fake controllers.

Something like 90% of controllers sold online is fake. Controllers are almost never on sale too, so if there’s a deal, it’s probably suspicious.

Where to Buy Legitimate Controllers?

When it comes to buying Playstation controllers, only buy them from either a physical store or an official website. You can visit the official Playstation store on Amazon.

Buy an Official Playstation 5 Dual Sense Controller

(Link opens in new tab)

Bear in mind, that there are lots of fake PS4 controllers being sold on Amazon. I found one under a company called “PlayStation 4” and even “Sony” that is clearly a fake. Be careful.

Now let’s look at the exact steps to check if a PS4 controller is fake. It helps if you have a legit PS4 controller to compare the fake one to. Fake controllers are getting really hard to spot these days, so it’s time to be a detective.

Also, I love the PS4 controller, so I added it to my list of recommended products, you can see the full list over here, the link opens in a new tab.

How to Tell if a PS4 Controller is Fake:

Button Material

A legitimate PS4 controller will have smooth and shiny buttons, specifically the arrow and shape buttons. Fake controllers will use a plain and plastic material that’s not smooth or shiny and looks greyish.

(Some legit controllers use non-shiny plastic for the buttons too, if you’re not sure about that, move on to another step)

The Weight:

If you made it this far, I’m sure you already have a good idea if your PS4 controller is fake. But here’s something else you can check.

If you have an accurate scale, pop the controllers on. Counterfeit PS4 controllers weigh less than genuine ones, usually 20 grams less. The reason for that is probably because fake controllers are made from generic low-quality plastic, while genuine controllers use more premium materials.

PS Button not Aligned, Crooked, or Loose

Your PS4 controller is fake if it has a crooked PS button
Notice how the PS button is not straight up? That’s a fake.

The PS button, the button between the analog sticks, should remain in place. On fake controllers, the PS button will often be loose or out of place. Try moving it with your thumb, if it rotates, chances are it is a fake PS4 controller.

Spelling Mistakes

These are the easiest to spot, and you can usually find them on the rear of the controller in the serial number location. If it says something like “SNY” instead of “Sony” that’s a pretty clear sign.

The serial numbers can be tracked too, but that’s a little more complicated. Look for spelling mistakes on the box too (more on that later).

Fonts

In the serial number area, take a very close look at the fonts and logos. These are a bit hard to spot, and as I said, it’s better to have another controller to compare to.

But you’ll probably notice the fonts on the fake one are thinner, more spread out, and not as bold. It can be very subtle, so if you’re not sure, move on to another test.

Stiff Analog Sticks

Specifically, the left analog stick. This was the first sign that made me think the controller I bought was fake. The analog sticks should smoothly rotate in every direction with no resistance or stiffness.

My left analog stick kept getting stuck in the top left corner, and moving it up or down was janky. It’s easy to think a new controller will have stiff keys because it’s never been used, but that’s not true, legitimate controllers are always smooth.

Run Analog Stick Tests:

I think is probably one of the easiest ways to check if a PS4 controller is fake, and there are a few ways to do it. The easiest one would be this site, Gamepad Tester. Steam and Windows have similar tests too.

What you want to look at is the analog test. You’ll see two circles with a white dot inside, those are your analog sticks, and the white dot is the direction they’re pointing in.

Try moving the analog sticks around. Are the dots moving accurately?

This is important because that little dot represents your accuracy in games. If it’s all over the place, you won’t be able to hit anything at all (or maybe you’re just bad, like me).

If it’s smooth, and you can hold the white dot in certain spots, and make little circles, with no issues, your controller is probably legit.

I ran this test with my fake controller, and the site detected it as a PS4 controller. The problem was the analog sticks were super inaccurate, I couldn’t even rotate the dot, it was moving in squares, and shaking all over the place. Pretty sus!

Unfortunately, I can’t show you because I already returned the controller, but the differences between the tests on the legit one and fake are night and day.

The Battery:

You can’t really check this without opening the controller (which is fairly easy to do, although there’s a risk of breaking something).

You probably noticed that your fake controller has much worse battery life. Do you feel like your PS4 controller keeps dying? This is probably the reason.

Here’s the thing:

Genuine PS4 controllers will have a rather thick battery with 800 mAh capacity, logos, specification details, and even a QR code. It’s also usually dark grey.

Here’s a picture:

A picture of a genuine PS4 battery.

Counterfeit ones… well.

Fake controllers have a really generic, thin battery, with very few details on it, and it’s often white. The fake ones have between 300 to 600 mAh, so the battery life is obviously shorter.

Fake PS4 controller battery:

A fake PS4 battery.

Does your controller’s battery look like that?

Box & Packaging Red Flags:

If you pay close attention, you might be able to spot a fake PS4 controller by simply looking at the box without having to open it.

Here are some things to look for:

The Box Includes a Charger (Important)

Real PS4 controller boxes don’t come with a USB-C cable. Counterfeit PS4 controllers always include a USB-C cable.

I’m not sure why real controllers don’t come with a cable but that’s Sony’s decision. If you see a USB-C cable inside the controller’s packaging it’s most likely a fake controller.

It’s a very simple thing to overlook.

The Box has Japanese (or Arabic) On It

There are a few fake PS4 controller boxes, and one of the most common has Japanese written on it. I figured since Sony is a Japanese company, it makes sense, but that’s not the case. Another common one has Arabic on the box.

There are regional variations in PS4 controller packaging but almost all legitimate PS4 controllers are either all in English or have text in three different languages.

If all the text is in one language besides English, that might be a little suspect. It doesn’t necessarily mean the controller is fake, it’s just something to consider.

Controller Has a Thin Plastic Over Touchpad

If there’s a thin plastic over the touchpad that you peel off, it’s probably fake. Real controllers don’t cover the touchpad. Why? I’m not sure. Maybe the counterfeit creators thought Sony would include these little quality-of-life improvements, guess again!

Speaking of touchpads, did you know you can use them as a mouse?

Spelling Mistakes, Weird Fonts, and Descriptions

Again, examine the box for spelling mistakes. In some cases, they misspell “DualShock”. Look at the fonts too, Sony’s are usually thin on the box (but bold on the controller) while fakes are the reverse.

Look at this abomination:

Seems legit!

Also, in the description on the side of the box, it will probably say the controller is “Jet Black” regardless of what is inside, it could be a white controller inside. Legitimate controller boxes will have descriptions that always match what’s inside.

Funny enough, I actually found the box of the exact same counterfeit PS4 controller on Alibaba, a website to source products from factories in China. It might be worth doing a quick search on there to see if any of them match the controller you bought or plan to buy.

Hint: literally every controller on Alibaba is fake!

Sounds:

Analog Buttons Loud

Try pressing on the analog sticks (L3 and R3) and see what it sounds like. On real controllers, you’ll hear a faint click. The sound on fake controllers analog buttons are completely different, much louder, usually a hollow, plastic sound.

Rattle

Another way to tell a PS4 controller is fake is to simply shake it and listen. Unless you dropped your controller a few too many times, nothing should rattle inside.

Fake PS4 controllers will almost always rattle when you shake them, it sounds like something heavy bouncing around, even when it comes straight out of the box. That’s pretty weird.

Do Fake PS4 Controllers Work?

Yes. Fake PS4 controllers work but the quality and accuracy are much lower than genuine PS4 controllers.

However, there are lots of people who don’t mind using a less-accurate controller as a backup option. Most fake PS4 controllers will pair to your PS4 and other devices over Bluetooth. Not every game requires extremely high accuracy.

Nevertheless, if you don’t mind using a fake controller, look for one that’s under $20 because you don’t want to pay full price for that.

What To Do If My PS4 Controller is Fake?

If you bought it from an online store such as Amazon, I would suggest requesting a refund and sending the controller back. If you bought it from elsewhere, there’s not much you can do.

Summarize:

It sucks to spend money on fake products, but it happens quite often, and it’s not your fault. Again, avoid buying PS4 controllers from third-party sellers on any eCommerce platform.

Either buy from their official website, an official Amazon store, or a physical location. Most of the time, if you do buy a fake, you can still get a refund, so it’s not the end of the world.

Do you have any tips on how to check if a PS4 controller is fake? Thanks, and good luck!

24 thoughts on “13 Ways to Tell if a PS4 Controller is Fake”

    • I can’t remember where I read it, but I think so. Real PS4 controllers usually have 800mAh batteries. The fake ones use a really generic battery that’s either 300 or 600mAh, often in poor condition with no labels.

      Reply
  1. I bought one for like 20€ less from a pawnshop and 1.it has a usb cable 2.it has plastic on the touchpad. 3.it has a different S on the Sony by the charging port 4.different analog sticks 0 grip 5.options share have a different colour and have no gap between the button and the writing. And my dumb parents still think it’s real and calling me dumb.

    Reply
    • Sorry to hear that. Yeah, it’s hard to tell if a controller is fake unless you really look at it. The seller I bought mine from online had loads of good reviews, so lots of other people were fooled too. The thing is some fake controllers can still work fine, but the accuracy and quality are way worse. Try using the https://gamepad-tester.com/ and see how accurate it is.

      Reply
  2. Opening the back housing shell will expose the fraud. Motherboard type usually PS logo along with JDM-001-055) are authentic, unless the housing shells are switched. The fakes have a very poooooooor quality motherboard.

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  3. As with the PS3 controller, PS4 controller should have a little black button, or plug if you will , for the reset hole. Fakes do not. You can see the shinny board in side. Peace

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  4. I took my controller apart as I wanted to see if I could get at the bottom of the pots to clean them, first off, the battery is a 1000mah li-on and not lipo, that’s good. Secondly, it all looked well made and assembled, but what I saw…the crude! Under all the entries into the controller! I spent a good hour cleaning it all, including the black spots which make the contacts, assembled it and it’s like new.

    Reply
  5. If you can plug the controller into a phone charger and it charges it’s probably fake. If you can see a red light through the USB port on the controller it’s probably fake. If the LED light stutters or stay on for more than 5 seconds without blinking then it’s probably fake. These are all the things that I found on my controller that was ordered from Walmart through a third party vendor so buyer beware.

    Reply
    • My legit controller which was in the PS4 box charges when I plug it into a phone charger, and the PS4 was bought by the Sony approved store, so I don’t think this is the thing you should consider.

      Reply
  6. I have bought this ps4 controller from ebay for the first time, it appears equal to the other one I have, the box is the original one: no charger, no spelling mistakes and the rest. The first difference I found was the weight, the ebay controller weighs 15 grams less than the old controller. When I opened the controller I found that the battery is equal to the original one but there isn’t the Sony logo or the qr code like the other one. Another difference is the PS button, on the old one is black and in the new one is gray and not fits perfectly(both black controller). I tried to use it anyway but it didn’t perform like the old controller, I tested the new one on COD Vanguard and it was like i had no Aim-Assist and the sound from the headset (jack 3.5) was worse.
    Yesterday I discovered this site and tested the controllers on Gamepad Tester: the old dualshock has 12% avg error, the new one 22%. We can say that the new one is fake?
    Sorry for the bad english, I tried my best.

    Reply
  7. How does Japanese or Arabic or any other language other than English mean it’s fake? Sony products sell in other countries too you know.. Genius. You can tell a controller is a fake if it breaks within a month or 2.. Or if it has bad quality manufacturing.. The fake controllers are basically people getting a legit but broken controller and then putting it together and selling it for the price of a brand new legit controller…

    Buy your products from a local store to be sure its totally legit.

    Oh and if it’s coming from China then you can be sure it’s a knock off…

    Reply
    • It’s just one thing to keep an eye out for. Most of the legitimate PS4 controller packages have multiple languages on them, regardless of the region. The fakes only have text in one language. Nowadays, the fake PS4 controller boxes are almost exactly the same as legitimate ones. Fake controllers can actually last a long time but the performance will be really bad. Lots of people use fakes as a backup controller for simple games. And yes, buying from a local store or the official online Playstation stores is the safest option.

      Reply

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