The $20 Upgrade Your $1,000 Handheld Should Have Included

If there is one thing that genuinely boils my blood as a product reviewer, it is the “premium” tax that somehow misses the most basic components. We see it all the time: high-end smartphones that shatter if you look at them wrong, and now, thousand-dollar gaming handhelds that rely on joystick technology from the 1990s.

I’m talking about the Xbox Ally X. It’s a beast of a machine. It’s powerful, it’s sleek, and in this holiday season of 2025, it’s arguably the hot ticket item for serious gamers. But it has a dirty little secret: the joysticks are still prone to "drift." That’s the technical term for when your character starts walking off a cliff even though you put the controller down to take a sip of coffee.

But there is good news. For about the price of a takeout lunch, you can fix it—and it makes for one of the smartest, most practical tech gifts of the year.

The Drift Dilemma

Let’s be real for a second. When you drop $600 to $1,000 on a handheld console, you expect it to last. But the "Xbox Ally" (manufactured by Asus) shipped with traditional potentiometer sticks. These use physical contacts that wear down over time. It’s not a matter of if they will fail, but when.

I find it frankly baffling that manufacturers are still cutting corners here. We have better technology. We’ve had it for years. But they didn’t include it in the box.

Fortunately, the aftermarket community moves faster than corporate supply chains. Gulikit, a brand I’ve watched gain a cult following for solving Nintendo Switch drift years ago, has stepped in with a solution that actually has the manufacturer's blessing.

Enter the $20 Gulikit TMR Joysticks

Here is the fix: Gulikit’s TMR (Tunnel Magnetoresistance) joysticks.

Unlike the stock parts, these don’t rely on physical wipers rubbing against a track. They use magnetic fields to detect movement. No friction means no wear, and no wear means no drift. They are smoother, more accurate, and theoretically should outlast the console itself.

What makes this specific release interesting—and why I’m writing about it—is that Gulikit worked directly with Asus on these. This isn’t some shady third-party hack you buy on a sketchy website. These are officially sanctioned.

According to the specs, these sticks are "automatically recognized" by the system. You don’t need to flash custom firmware or hack the BIOS. You swap them in, open the built-in Armoury Crate app, calibrate them, and you’re done. That level of software integration is rare in the DIY repair world, and it’s a huge selling point.

Who Is This Gift Actually For?

If you are looking for a gift right now, you might be thinking, "Who gives someone replacement parts for Christmas?"

Trust me: The Tech Tinkerer.

This is the perfect stocking stuffer for the gamer who loves their gear but complains about durability. It shows you understand their hobby on a deeper level. You aren’t just buying them a game card; you’re buying them longevity.

However, there is a caveat, and I want to be very clear about this before you add it to your cart.

Do not buy this for someone who is afraid of a screwdriver.

To install these, you have to open the handheld. While the Xbox Ally is generally easier to open than some competitors, it still requires popping the shell and handling delicate ribbon cables. If the recipient is the type of person who voids a warranty just by looking at a device, skip this. But for anyone who has ever built a PC or swapped a battery? It’s a fun 20-minute project.

The Verdict

In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have to recommend this product. The Xbox Ally X should have shipped with magnetic sticks by default. But we don't live in a perfect world; we live in a world where we have to spend an extra $20 to safeguard a $1,000 investment.

If you own an Ally, or know someone who does, these Gulikit TMR sticks are the best insurance policy you can buy. They turn a great handheld into a nearly invincible one.

Grab a pair, grab a small screwdriver set, and give the gift of never walking off a virtual cliff again.