Lately, I've been getting the feeling that my Xbox 360 controller is not what it used to be anymore. The left analog stick is kinda wonky and occasionally some of the face buttons don't seem to be as responsive as they used to. It's been starting to bug me in certain games where timing is important.
  
I've been using the same controller for at least 2 years and it's been getting a lot of use. I think it was pretty much fine until I started playing Street Fighter 4, but after 40+ hours in that game my controller was just not the same...
 
Have anyone else experienced a deteriorating controller, and how long have you been using it?

It takes me less than a few months for me to start noticing unbalanced sensitivity on the sticks. Really annoying.

i've been using my controller for a couple of years. i just recently just bought rubber grips because the grooves on the analogstick were worn out. they were pretty good. i've actually also been playing my ps3 a lot more because of the grooves. crazy stuff.

" i've been using my controller for a couple of years. i just recently just bought rubber grips because the grooves on the analogstick were worn out. they were pretty good. i've actually also been playing my ps3 a lot more because of the grooves. crazy stuff. "

Four years on mine. I've got some awful drift on my left stick, and some buttons feel spongy. It's served me well, though, and considering the controller abuse that certain games demand, it's in surprisingly good condition. 

the left stick on mine is very squeaky and rigid, but ive had it for three years so it ain't doing too bad. 

I still have my original wired controller working perfectly although i barely use it anymore 
I dont think i have had a bad 360 controller (except for 2 that came with a loose battery pack out of the box)

It's been about four years, plus maybe one more when my friend owned it (bought it from him) and it still works fine, it's just a little dirty.

The sticks on my two original controllers lost much of their resistance and would just lean to the side on their own. When I bought my last Xbox, the controller that came with it worked perfectly for the better part of a year but over the last 6 or so months the sticks have been getting pretty loose. It still works well enough, but playing certain shooters makes it real annoying when my character keeps moving after I let go of the sticks. Crysis 2 was particularly sensitive when it came to that. 
 
I very recently got the new silver controller with the "improved" d-pad. Supposedly the sticks on here have much more resistance than the normal controllers to prevent them from getting too loose and floaty, but I don't know for sure. I would love for someone to be able to confirm or deny this for me.

I've been using the same controller from my second xbox (currently on my 4th 360). So if I figure correctly, it is still strong after 3 or 4 years of pretty regular use. The only maintenance I have done on it was about a month ago when I opened it to clean in the cracks. Im pretty easy on my controllers so maybe that has to do with it?

I got a launch 360 controller that's wired, and still use it on my PC to this date.

I've replaced my PS3 controller twice now due to analog sticks getting stuck in the forward position.  Maybe I'm just playing a lot more games now, but it seems like previous generations had much higher quality controllers.

I have about 8 controllers for my 360 that I rotate regularly, so no single one gets too worn. The only one that has any "problems" is the one that came with the system; the little nubbins on the sticks have worn down, and one of triggers squeaks on occasion.

I played Call of Duty 4 so much that my pad's left analog stick would stick in the up position, blame the 'click-in sprint motion'.

i've had both of mine since launch almost 6 years now and they are both fine.

I've had both since the launch, november 2005 and I should really get some new ones, especially the wireless since it gets more play. Not really grungy looking but hte left stick when clicking in can be unresponsive and the stick tends to be left, causing my character to drift to the left....which is terrible in a cover base shooter or fighting game

When I played a lot of competitive Halo 3, a standard controller would usually become worthless to me in about six months. The big problem with this, other than it's apparent lack in build quality, was that I never had enough money, or the want to spend the money I had, on more damn controllers. Neither of my Microsoft branded Xbox 360 rechargeable battery packs can hold a charge, and I'm on my second Xbox 360. None of this has been because of misuse; that, I am sure of.
  

On a side note, I have two GameCube WaveBird Wireless controllers that I bought used from a friend years ago that still both work fantastically.

The clicking on the sticks of my first controller were getting so bad that when i played Halo I would melee to get out of scope because I knew it would work the first time.  

" I have about 8 controllers for my 360 that I rotate regularly, so no single one gets too worn. The only one that has any "problems" is the one that came with the system; the little nubbins on the sticks have worn down, and one of triggers squeaks on occasion. "

The rubber came off one of my analog sticks once, which was kind of annoying and made it feel weird to use.
But generally I've not had an issues!

" When I played a lot of competitive Halo 3, a standard controller would usually become worthless to me in about six months. The big problem with this, other than it's apparent lack in build quality, was that I never had enough money, or the want to spend the money I had, on more damn controllers. Neither of my Microsoft branded Xbox 360 rechargeable battery packs can hold a charge, and I'm on my second Xbox 360. None of this has been because of misuse; that, I am sure of.  On a side note, I have two GameCube WaveBird Wireless controllers that I bought used from a friend years ago that still both work fantastically. "

The only problem I've had is that the sticks get loose after a while. The 360 controllers old up much better than PS3 controllers though.

I still have my launch controllers. They still work fine.

I think I have went through 2-3 controller since launch in 2005.  I mean I really don't even play it that much, but I think I am on my 3rd now since the last one was so bad that while playing mass effect my shepard would leave cover to the left all the time even when the stick was in the neutral position.

I've had mine since launch. With regular use and the dpad on one has started to kind of go, not that it was any good in the first place.  But other than that they are all pretty good still.

I still use my launch 360 wireless controller all the time. So that is, what, six years old now. The only real difference is the rubber nubs on the stick have worn down. From my experience this is easily the longest lasting controller I have ever used.  

I'm seeing people say that their controllers are not even lasting them a year? I don't understand how that is happening. I am guessing that they have to be abusing them some way or another, either through throwing the thing or jamming on the buttons / sticks too hard.

Left alone, the left analogue stick is slightly off, making characters walk in circles of their own accord. The buttons are fine but the grip on the sticks is completely worn away. 4 year old 360 controller.

My right shoulder button is sometimes unresponsive.
 
The controllers way of telling me that grenade spamming in MW is wrong.

I bought a wireless 360 controller in January 2006 and used it until January this year. The right bumper is sometimes unresponsive and the left stick is really loose. The loose stick didn't really bother me until I played Deadly Premonition. The driving controls in that game are so bad that whenever the stick would drift a millimeter to the left the car in the game would suddenly swerve to the left and crash into the side of the road. It was kind of funny because it reminded me of driving drunk in GTA IV but it got annoying fast. 
 
I'm currently using my wired controller I got with my launch 360.

Wireless controller number 1 is still going strong, and that's from the 2nd of December, 2005. Sure, it's seen better days; the left trigger squeaks now and again, the left stick will occasionally drift when stationary, the back button is stiff and doesn't always register a press, the left and right bumpers squeak and make a clacking noise when pressed/released, the sticks are worn down to smooth rubber, the rechargeable battery pack lasts about two days at a time now.
 
Still throwing dark.

360 controllers don't last for me for whatever reason. I'm on a 4th controller in 4 years. 1 the d pad doesn't really go left without hammering it. 1 the b button sticks and the x on the other. I'm using a new one right now but usually I'll swap them around depending on what game I'm playing.

After three years my analogue sticks are almost worn smooth and the right stick has developed a slight unresponsive dead zone in the centre. Hardly noticeable most of the time but sometimes it'll get me killed when quick reactions are needed. Gonna pick up a Razer Onza ASAP though so that'll be nice.

" I think I have went through 2-3 controller since launch in 2005.  I mean I really don't even play it that much, but I think I am on my 3rd now since the last one was so bad that while playing mass effect my shepard would leave cover to the left all the time even when the stick was in the neutral position. "

I've got a couple blacks, a couple whites (the whites being the oldest).  Three have been chewed on by dogs or picked on by the kid, yet all still work mostly fine.  There is some drift on a couple of the controllers occasionally, but other than that, everything works fine.

My controllers usually last about 2 years, but now that I have 7 controllers (I have one 360 upstairs and one downstairs, my gf likes her fable) I use one controller to play FPS games, one for Halo Wars, and another for only single player games.  Its nice having different controllers to change up the feel, plus they look sweet.

I play Street Fighter on the 360 controller and it ruins the thumbsticks. I'm about to get rid of this second controller now because of it.

Mine usually lasts me until I break them playing Super Meat Boy.  
 
But seriously, had my last one for about 3 years.

I still have the original controller from launch. The rubber on the analog is definitely worn but still viable.

.......$50.

Problem solved.

I'm super rough on my controllers but they still last a while. I've just noticed a problem with the right stick on the controller that came with my Elite.

Controllers feel fine for me after lots and lots of use, except for one that I used a lot with UT3, where clicking the left stick was the jump. I spammed it to death, (to great effect may I add) and now the stick is really lose and sometimes it registers slight movement when there is none.

I've worn down the rubber on my left analogue into some weird oblong shape. It is super loose and squeeks sometimes, with major drift to the left sometimes. A and X buttons are squeeky and sometimes don't register if I'm hitting them in rapid succession. I've had it for more than 3 years and probably play a good deal more hours of xbox than the average gamer. I think it's held up pretty well.

I got a new one last year, but I always just grab the closest one, which sometimes leaves me with the shitty one. I'm usually too lazy to swap so I put up with it for that session lol.

The AA battery packs are almost always the first thing that go with my Xbox 360 controllers. They first become loose, and then eventually they just fall out. Don't know why but 3 of mine have done that to date. 

I'm with the Weather Man.  I used a small rat nosed pliers to snap out the tiny pin in the middle of the screws.  You can use a hex screwdriver or jam in a flat head if it's the right size.  That's what I did the first time to do the pringles mod on my dpad.  I swapped over the sticks, too, to even out the wear pattern.  The top right of the left stick was massively eroded.

I've got a brand new pad that feels like it's from a different console,  It feels plasticky, weird and wrong.  Got it at the same time as my main one but it hasn't been used very much.

6 minutes if you're a pro like me.

I have two controllers of roughly 4 years that still work alright. Though I don't use my 360 daily, the first couple of years I nearly did.

I've had two controllers last for about a year and a half and they both work perfectly, although I do notice that the right analog stick on one sticks to the left a little.