The need to replace my joystick came about after a heavy gaming session over Christmas mostly by my brother Oli. After a marathon Virtua Tennis session the PSP was passed to me and after about my first serve the joystick finally gave in and I was left with a pretty unusable PSP. As I had imported it 9 months earlier from Japan I didn’t fancy sending it all the way back to be repaired and thought I could have a go at repairing it.
Well the joystick unit was well and truly shot and this left me with a problem. I completely dismantled the joystick and decided it wasn’t worth trying to fix as the guts had completely fractured. No worries I’d get a replacement and just use the D-pad till I could find another unit. I put the unit back together minus the joystick and taped over the hole to prevent dust getting inside. I fired it up to discover not having anything where the joystick was caused the web browser and all games to mysteriously pull down and to the left. One useless PSP!
I found out what my options were; I could send it away in the UK and get it repaired for £40 which seemed like a rip off (I had already done the hard part and taken the thing apart through trial and error) or get a replacement unit from a supplier in Hong Kong. Thinking it might be a couple of weeks till I was gaming again I plumped for the replacement only for it not to arrive and several emails and 3 months later for me to give up trying! As luck would have it, I managed to find a second hand one in full working order and it arrived today. After three months of portable gaming misery, I am up and running again and am guessing I won’t be the last to have to do this.
Disclaimer: Opening up your PSP will void your warranty! The following guide is meant to be informative and I accept no blame for any damage caused to your PSP if you decide to follow this ‘How To’.
1. Removing the Cover
You will need a small ‘Phillips’ (cross) screwdriver and ideally an anti static dust brush (available at PC stores) to replace your joystick on your PSP. Removing the cover of your PSP involves removing 5 small screws and the first three are fairly obvious. On the back of your case with the top facing away from you there are two screw holes, one toward the bottom of the case and one at the top right hand corner beneath the ‘L’ shoulder button. Next up, on the bottom of the PSP is a little silver screw that keep the front cover attached. Unscrew each of these and keep them somewhere safe.
Removing the battery reveals a couple more screws and one or two that are hidden. The screws that we need to remove are the left hand black one and there is one in the bottom left hand corner underneath the sticker. Be warned though this is a dead give away that the warranty is voided when this sticker has been tampered with. Rather than trying to peal this off simply locate the screw using the screwdriver and remove as indicated by the picture below.
Flip the PSP back over and if necessary remove the stick by prying it upwards with a screwdriver though it should just pull upwards. The PSP cover should now pry apart, taking care not to touch the screen and internals of the PSP.
2. Removing the Joystick 
After removing the PSP cover, turn the system over revealing the under side of the buttons. There are two screws holding the joystick unit in place and these also need to be removed to free the unit. The joystick can now be removed and replaced with the new unit remembering to remove the stick beforehand. Make certain the ‘washer’ is in place when you install the unit and then replace the two screws, ensuring the joystick is secure.
3. Reassemble
It’s a good idea at this stage to remove any specs of dust or debris with the brush that may have landed of the screen or underside of the cover. Then carefully replace the cover and replace the screws that were removed in stage one of the process. Good luck.
Give me a shout if you’ve got any questions, I’ll do my best to help!
Thanks so much!
I have very little technical knowledge and even less dexterity, and thanks to you, I was easily able to fix my PSP myself!
I bought my psp from a friend.. and he had the same game (Virtual Tennis)..
3 days later the joystick gave in..
i went on ebay and bought a joystick unit replacement from hong kong for only 18$
and thanks to this walkthrough..
that was easy for a guy who has no experience wit PSP’s
thankz bro =]
@Christian,
I had the same problem with my character “drifting” in game, replaced the joystick, and still had the problem. so again i took it apart, this time looking for a bad connection. on the bottm of the joystick unit there are 4 copper “pads”, which in turn seat on a silicon strip with tiny wires going through it, these tiny wires go down to 4 more “pads” that in turn make a connection from joystick unit to main PCB. I had a “chunk” of silicon under the strip that was not letting the little wires make a good connetion. after removing this object and re-seating the silicon strip, everything works great! hope this helps…
Help, I’ve removed the 5 screws as shown and everything is lose, however there seems to be something holding it together in the area near the Power cord input and I don’t want to force and break the case…….
Thanks so much for the walkthrough! I just replaced the joystick on my PSP following your directions. You couldn’t have made it easier. Thank you.
RE: #53
After a few weeks of playing with the replaced joystick and cleaned silicon strip, i started to have the same problem again, i now belive that the strip has some damage to it and is failing. i found a replacement part for it and am waiting for it to arrive. will let you know how it goes…..
Hi, I’ve had this thing break on me 4 times now. i swear i’m not mangling the damn thing when i play but twice it’s happened due to viruta tennis! i wish they would just make a better unit, more metal or something. this is an epidemic on these things if you play them frequently.
Sometimes when i play, my charactor moves to the top-left corner and the curser would go like crazy. Does that mean i need a joystick?
@emillu
Yes, my second one is now on the way out now too! Exactly the same symptoms.
i did all that but how to you get out of the hole i un screwed it but it wout came out please help. thanks.
Hey I followed your guide and went to replace the joystick. The replacement joystick seemed have the screw holes a slight bit off. I put them in and one broke (great)…Took apart the old broken joystick (pretty easy actually) and was able to piece it back together… works like a charm… You could possibly add the instructions for realigning the joystick…. maybe.. Or maybe not.
Just broke mine playing Virtua Tennis also. This game must be tough on them…. lol
Virtua tennis Finished mine off too. New joystick on the way from eBay hopefully…. Would’ve ordered 2, but he only had one listed
Thanks so much my psp broke and i thought I would have to cough up 50-100 bucks your a lifesaver.
Peace,
Neil H.
Thanks for the instructions, my PSP is up and running again. I purchased my replacement joystick unit from http://www.undercutter.com
Analouge joystick £15.00
Thumb stick £ 5.00
International postage £ 4.45
IS THIS IF UR JOYSTICK HAS BROKEN OFF OR NEEDS TAKING OUT???
Direct link to a joystick: http://secure.llamma.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=66_60&products_id=388
They have a lot of other nifty stuff for your consoles.
http://www.llamma.com
my joystick fell apart i put a few pieces back together any ideas how to put it back together? please i need help my favorite game is Socom know you know why i need it! lol
Hi Ben..I got a PSP second hand and when I tried the web browser and games I had the same problem with the joystick arrow moving all over the place. So I did some searching on the net and ended up ordering a replacement joystick from consolezombie. After replacing it I am still having the problem though! Do you have any thoughts on what else the problem could be?
I had the same problem. You just need to make sure you tighten the screw underneath the home button. And make sure you reset the PSP when you’re done by pulling out the battery for 10 seconds before putting it back in. This allows for the PSP to auto-align the joystick.
prob w/ my psp is, i replaced the joystick, but when i go into a game or a browser, my mouse keeps flyin off the screen on its own…plz help me email me with anything at fixmypsp@yahoo.com
hey brian, my psp had the same prob, but i think i found a way to fix it cause i fixed mine somehow, there might be 2 problems. 1. the screws arnt in tight enough, or 2. take off the face plate, and the joystick, flip around the “washer” thing and then put it all back together, its what i did and its working fine now
ok, my cursor on the internet on the psp always went down to the corner, now ive taken mine apart a couple times tryed cleanig it and stuff, but it still did it, so all i did was tighten the screw directly under the home button, til i couldnt tighten it anymore, and now it works perfectly! hope that helps.
THanks a lot! My Psp no longer works, and all my money was a waste. No warrenty because the sticker had a 1 centermeter scratch!
i switch my psp joystick but now my guy just walks around in circles,can you help me?
The problem with the joystick is related to the plastic (silicon) that is installed on the metal part that holds the psp screen, If that part is damage you will have to replace this metal part (the hole piece). That was the reason on my severe case of malfunctioning joystick. On my metal part the little plastic piece was tear off and that causes a problem with the contacts on the psp board. I once saw this part on ebay and it wasn,t to expensive. I almost dump the psp, but after extensive testing (with lots of parts from other psp I notice this issue. Try it and youll see…
how about sony psp slim analog stick ? can you help me on this?
@bebs
Sorry, I havent bothered buying (upgrading) to the PSP slim so have no experience of this a I am afraid. Good luck.
Great!! My joystick was broken, opened the PSP and cleaned all…now working perfectly, thanks for the tip!!
i have had this problem 3 times, so jarring, too much monster hunter.
my friend has had his psp lite for ages and he hasnt had this problem not once. if it happens again, best bet is to get a psp lite, only solution there joystick unit is better, or lasts longer
Thanks, It…well…costed my step mom $26 to get the replacement stick…I hope it works or she will get pissed.
I fixed joystick but now PSP won’t turn on…Any solutions?
I have found a psp repair guide to be extremely helpful. Check it out at http://www.squidoo.com/psp-repair
thanx for the help
hello. this guide is great. but i have two problems. 1. on of the screws under the battery place is damaged and is difficult to remove and 2. i have 1 screw missing, i dont know where it went. if possible can you please tell me what to ask for in the shop to buy the screwdriver. thanx alot
thanks for the nice tutorial, get a new joystick and other replacements for psp on http://www.yallstore.com
looking for repair parts for psp? go to http://www.yallstore.com
Do you think i’d be able to use the joystick from my old PSP. I had a black PSP until the screen cracked, and now it sits under my bed.
I bought a new one but the thumbstick only moves left and right. Do you think i’d be able to use the thumbstick on my old one and use it with my new one???
Nick, I am guessing they would be different parts due to the reduction in depth on the new PSP. There is only one way to be sure though.
I bought a used PSP-1001 for my 5 year old son for christmas. Just as he was opening it and wanting to play the whole joy stick just came off. I’m not talking about the button top the whole stick. My husband and I husband and I have spent well over $200 alone just for accessories and games for him and now he can’t even play it. Sony wants $89 to fix it and I refuse to pay that much when we have already paid so much for everything else. I knew there would be chances buying it used, I just figured he would get SOME use out of it before it would need repaired- Help please!
Aja, my advice would be to find a local console / video games shop that does onsite repairs. They will probably be cheaper than sending back to Sony. Alternatively try following the above guide but if you are not confident, then get a professional to do this.
hi there!followed the steps,changed the joystic,reasembled psp,but on\off button came loos,now it wont turn off,what to do???
wont turn on sorry.
Sorry Eddie, not sure what to suggest. Try contacting a local specialist.
hi thanks , a store (micromania France) asked some 90€ to repair; I found the joystick for a few euros and thanks to you I managed to repair the PSP – thanks
Help !
I need help! I have replaced my psp slmi joystick. I have carefully replace the small connector but the joystick does’nt work ?
Is there some on who could suggest how to fixe this problem ?
Jeab
Jean, I have no experience of the PSP Slim but hopefully someone on here might have. Try some of the PSP forums, you are surely not the first to have this problem.
I am guessing they would be different parts due to the reduction in depth on the new PSP. There is only one way to be sure though.
Yeah almost certainly different parts but I am not positive. Good luck.
Thanks heaps Ben for your easy to follow instructions. My PSP has been a brick for the last year and after finding out I can easily replace my joystick without having to send it in to a repair shop made my day. THANKYOU!
To all having the problem with the PSP slim, I am currently experiencing this with one of mine, there is a quick fix search you tube for drifting analog on psp slim. basically take it apart clean the contacts and put it back together, this appears to be a tempremental fix for mine though. I have ordered a new joystick from eBay for £2.88, easy enough to replace, following most of the instructions posted above, you get stuck as it’s slightly different, follow the many vids on youtube.
Brian – great instructions bud, you enjoy doing stuff like that, I would reccomend a website called instructables.com
The analog (by analog I mean the circle thing, I’m not sure if thats how you call it) won’t fit in the hole. And I’m afraid of applying too much pressure and ruining the analog. Should I take off the analog, place the other part and then put it back on?? Please help. But thanks for the instructions.