Stick Drift Test
Measure how far each controller stick rests from center, and get a deadzone that hides it.
Gamepad and Controller Test
Test a PS5, PS4, Xbox or other game controller in your browser: connect it, press any button, and watch every button, trigger and stick respond. A drifting stick or a button that never lights up is easy to spot.
No controller detected. Connect one and press any button.
Waiting for a controller.
Browsers reveal a controller only after you press a button on it. The vibration check needs a browser that exposes vibration for the controller, such as Chrome and Edge, or Safari on a Mac. The gyroscope, touchpad surface and adaptive triggers are not available through the Gamepad API.
Runs entirely in your browser. Test results, audio and video never leave your device.
How to test a controller
- Connect the controller by USB or Bluetooth, then press any button so the browser shows it. With more than one connected, choose one from the Controller list. Type shows whether the page recognized an Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo controller; if the guess is wrong, pick other Button names.
- Press every button and each D-pad direction. Each one lights up on screen, and the status line names what is pressed.
- Pull both triggers slowly. The percentage should climb smoothly and top out when the trigger is fully pulled. Digital triggers, such as ZL and ZR on a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, jump straight from empty to full, which is normal.
- Move each stick in a full circle, press it in for L3 or R3, and let go. The dot should return to the center.
- Put the controller down for at least 2 seconds, then read each stick’s values, its Resting offset and any drift flag.
- Where your browser supports it, press Strong, Weak and Both under Vibration and feel for each 1-second rumble.
How do I test a controller in my browser?
Connect the controller by USB or Bluetooth, open this page and press any button, because browsers reveal a controller only after a press. Then press every button, pull both triggers and move each stick: each lights up or moves on the diagram, so a button that never responds, or a stick that rests off center, stands out.
How to tell if a controller stick is drifting
Let go of both sticks and watch the numbers under each one. A centered stick reads close to x 0.00, y 0.00. Once a stick has held still for 2 seconds, Resting offset shows its distance from center, from 0.00 to 1.00. Above 0.08, the page adds Possible drift: off center for 2 s without moving.
Then flick each stick to the edge in several directions and let it spring back, a few times. A small offset that is the same every time is usually hidden by the dead zone in games. A stick that creeps while untouched, or lands in a different spot after each release, is the kind of drift you notice in play.
To measure drift over a few seconds, check how far each stick reaches and get a deadzone to set, use the Stick Drift Test.
What a browser can test on PS5, PS4 and Xbox controllers
Web pages read controllers through the Gamepad API. Current browsers usually map PS4, PS5 and Xbox controllers to the API’s standard layout, so they appear on the diagram. Features the API does not cover cannot be tested here.
| Controller feature | On this page |
|---|---|
| Buttons, D-pad, L3 and R3 | Yes. When the page recognizes the controller, buttons carry its maker’s names, such as Cross or A; otherwise both, such as A / Cross. |
| Analog sticks | Yes, as x and y from −1 to 1, with a resting offset and a drift flag. |
| Triggers | Yes, as a percentage of travel for LT / L2 and RT / R2. |
| Vibration | Usually, in Chrome and Edge and in Safari on Mac. Not in Firefox or on iPhone and iPad. |
| PS4 and PS5 touchpad | Its click may appear under Other buttons. The touch surface is not available. |
| Gyro and accelerometer | No. Controller gyro is not available through the Gamepad API; a phone’s motion sensors are on the Gyroscope Test. |
| DualSense adaptive triggers | No. Trigger resistance cannot be set or tested. |
| Light bar and battery level | No. |
Sources: W3C: Gamepad, standard gamepad layout; Microsoft Learn: Gamepad and vibration (Xbox button names); PlayStation: PS5 console button functions; Nintendo Support: Nintendo Switch Pro Controller diagram. Checked October 6, 2026.
Why is my controller not detected?
- Press a button on the controller after the page has loaded. Browsers hide controllers until you do.
- Keep this page in the front tab. It stops reading controllers while the tab is hidden.
- For a wired controller, try another cable and USB port. Some cables only charge and carry no data.
- For Bluetooth, pair the controller in your system’s Bluetooth settings first, and make sure it is not still connected to a console.
- Some third-party controllers have a mode switch, for example between XInput and DirectInput. Try the other mode, or another browser.
- If pressing a button types letters or moves the pointer, the device is acting as a keyboard or mouse. Check it with the Keyboard Test or the Mouse Test instead.
What this test can detect
- Buttons, D-pad directions and stick clicks that do not light up when pressed, or stay lit after release.
- Analog triggers that stop short of full travel or jump in steps instead of rising smoothly.
- Sticks that rest off center, with the offset shown as a number and a drift flag after 2 seconds.
- Vibration motors that do not respond: nothing to feel when you press Strong, Weak or Both, where the browser exposes vibration.
- Whether your browser sees the controller at all, with the Name and Mapping it reports.
- The controller type, Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo Switch, so buttons carry that maker’s names and the D-pad sits where it does on the controller.
How it works
The page reads every connected controller through the browser’s Gamepad API on each display frame and redraws when something changes, at most 30 times a second. A button counts as pressed above 0.1 on its 0 to 1 scale, and sticks report x and y from −1 to 1. Resting offset is a stick’s straight-line distance from center once it has stayed within 0.04 on each axis for 2 seconds; above 0.08, the stick is flagged for possible drift.
The controller type is a guess from the id the browser reports: the Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo USB maker code where the browser includes it, otherwise the product name. The standard layout fixes where each button sits, not its label, so a Nintendo controller’s bottom button shows as B.
The vibration check asks the browser for 1 second of dual-rumble at full strength: Strong drives the low-frequency motor, Weak the high-frequency one, and Both the two together.
Limitations
- The page cannot tell whether the controller vibrated, so you have to feel it. In a browser that does not expose vibration, such as Firefox, the page says so instead of showing the buttons, which says nothing about the motors. The vibration check drives a controller’s motors; to make a phone vibrate, use the Vibration Test.
- Flight sticks, racing wheels and many third-party pads have no standard layout, so they appear as numbered buttons and axes that may not match the printed labels, without a resting offset or drift flag.
- The Home button (the Xbox or PS button) is sometimes reserved by the operating system or by apps such as Steam, so it may not light up.
- Input lag, polling rate and battery level are not measured. The Stick Drift Test measures drift over time and how far each stick reaches.
- Third-party controllers usually show as not recognized, even when they copy an Xbox or PlayStation layout. Pick the matching Button names yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Can stick drift be fixed?
Sometimes. Cleaning around the base of the stick can help when dirt is the cause, but a worn stick usually needs a repair or a new stick module. A larger dead zone in a game hides mild drift without curing it. This page only reads the controller; it cannot calibrate or change it.
What is a dead zone on a controller?
A dead zone is the area around a stick’s center that a game ignores, so resting noise and tiny movements do nothing. This page adds no dead zone of its own, so a stick can show a small offset here that your games never react to.
Can a website test controller input lag or polling rate?
No. This page reads the controller once per display frame, 60 times a second on a 60 Hz screen, so it cannot see reports in between or time how long a press takes to arrive. That needs dedicated software or measuring hardware. The Refresh Rate Test shows that rate for your screen.
Can I test a controller on an Android phone or iPhone?
Usually, yes. Pair the controller with the phone or tablet, open this page and press a button. Buttons, sticks and triggers appear where the browser supports the Gamepad API, but iPhone and iPad browsers do not expose vibration, so the vibration check is not available there.
How do I test a controller in Windows without a website?
Search the Start menu for “Set up USB game controllers”, select your controller, choose Properties and open the Test tab. If Windows cannot see the controller either, the problem is likely the connection, a driver or the controller itself, not the browser.