Team Ninja’s Nioh games often require absolute precision when it comes to player input, as you might expect from titles in the Soulslike genre. Complaints surrounding jittery character movement in the first game suggested that it could be hard to achieve that, however, and now, judging by Nioh 2‘s Last Chance Trial, it appears as though the problem is back for the sequel. If you’re experiencing Nioh 2 stuttering while playing the game on PS4, you’re most likely seeking an explanation alongside a potential fix.
This guide covers everything we currently know about the Nioh 2 character stuttering issue.
Why does my character stutter and jitter when running in Nioh 2?
Nioh 2 character jitter isn’t a new phenomenon, as indicated by several players reporting the issue with the original. I’ve even suffered through it myself in both games, although, thankfully, it does occur less frequently in the new prequel-come-sequel.
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It seemingly occurs at random when simply trying to run from one location to another, with the character stopping and starting over and over again on a dime. It almost looks as though the character is adopting a blocking stance, but what’s more likely happening is that the game(s) stop recognizing directional inputs on the left analog stick now and again before picking the signal back up and resuming movement.
When this happens in quick succession, it gives the player character the clumsy appearance of stuttering or jittering across the screen. Not only is it distracting and time-consuming, but it can also prove deadly if the glitch strikes at an inopportune moment and prevents you from escaping an incoming enemy attack.
Consensus surrounding the Nioh stuttering bug seems to be that purchasing a new DualShock 4 controller is the only absolute remedy, unfortunately. Despite most — if not all, including myself — affected players reporting that their controllers work flawlessly in every other game, it seems that the Nioh series may be programmed in an ultra-sensitive fashion that’s picking up on a slight controller dead zone defect that otherwise goes unnoticed.
