Gamepad Test

What this gamepad test checks

When a controller starts to fail, the signs are familiar: the character walks on its own, a button needs pressing twice, a trigger no longer accelerates fully. This test reads your controller through the browser and checks each part:

• Buttons. Every button lights up on the drawing and stays marked once tested, so you can see which ones are left.
• Triggers. Each trigger should go from 0 to 100% and come back to 0.
• Stick drift. How far each stick strays from the centre when nobody touches it, and the dead zone to set in your games to stop it.
• Stick range. Whether each stick reaches its edge in every direction.
• Vibration. A gentle and a strong rumble, where the browser allows it.

It works with PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch Pro and most PC controllers. Nothing is installed and nothing leaves your browser.

How to connect a controller

1. Connect the controller with a USB cable, or pair it over Bluetooth in your system’s settings.
2. Open this page and press any button on the controller. Browsers only show a controller to a page after a button press, so that sites cannot detect your devices silently.
3. The drawing appears with the controller’s name. With several controllers, choose one in the list.

On a phone or tablet, pair the controller over Bluetooth first: Chrome on Android and Safari on iPhone and iPad support PlayStation and Xbox controllers.

How to read your results

Buttons

Press every button once, including the sticks (press them down), the d-pad, the menu buttons and the home button. The counter shows how many are left. A button that never lights up, or lights up only when pressed hard, has a worn or dirty contact.

Triggers

Press each trigger all the way down and release it. The bar should reach 100% and fall back to 0%. A trigger that stops short may have a “trigger stop” switch engaged on the back of the controller, or a worn sensor. A trigger that stays above 0 at rest usually has dirt or a weak spring.

Stick drift and dead zones

Drift is a stick that sends a movement while nobody touches it. Put the controller down, start the drift check and let go for five seconds.

A dead zone is the area around the centre where a game ignores the stick. Many games let you set it in their controller settings. The test gives you the value to use: just above your stick’s resting offset. A dead zone that is too large makes small movements feel slow, so only raise it as much as needed.

Browsers show the raw value of the sticks, before any dead zone. That is why a perfectly usable new controller can show a few percent at rest.

Stick range

Push each stick against its edge and turn it slowly two or three times. The drawing fills in the directions reached. A healthy stick reaches 90% or more in every direction; many reach beyond 100% towards the corners, which is normal. A direction that falls short means that the game will not reach full speed that way.

Vibration

Chrome and Edge can make most controllers rumble. Press “Gentle” or “Strong”, then say whether you felt it. Firefox and Safari cannot make a controller vibrate from a web page.

Fixing stick drift

1. Raise the dead zone in the game, to the value the test suggests. This hides light and noticeable drift at once.
2. Clean the stick. Unplug the controller, push the stick to one side and blow compressed air into the gap at its base, then turn it in circles. Repeat in every direction. Some people add a drop of isopropyl alcohol; let it dry completely before use.
3. Check the warranty. Drift is a common fault, and manufacturers often replace controllers that drift within their warranty period.
4. Replace the stick module. Repair shops replace worn stick modules, sometimes with magnetic (Hall effect) sticks that do not wear the same way.

Troubleshooting

The controller is not detected

Press a button on the controller after the page has opened. Try another USB cable, as some charge only and carry no data. With Bluetooth, make sure the controller is paired with this device and not with a console nearby.

Buttons are mixed up or the drawing is replaced by lists

The browser did not recognise the controller’s layout, so it shows plain lists of buttons and axes. The test still works: press each button and watch which one lights up. Some controllers have a switch between modes (for example “X” and “D” for XInput and DirectInput); the XInput mode is usually recognised.

Steam or another program takes over the controller

Programs that remap controllers, such as Steam with “Steam Input” turned on, can change what the browser sees. Close them or turn the option off for the test.

No vibration

Use Chrome or Edge. Check that vibration is on in the controller’s own settings or app, and that the controller is charged: some reduce or stop vibration when the battery is low.

Frequently asked questions

Is anything recorded or sent to TestrHub?

No. The controller is read by the page in your browser and nothing leaves it. Saved results stay in your browser; the controller’s name is kept there only, and a shared link contains the results without it.

Why do I have to press a button first?

Browsers hide connected controllers from a page until you press a button, so that websites cannot list your devices without your knowledge.

Can this test measure input lag?

No. A browser reads the controller once per screen refresh, about every 16 milliseconds at 60 Hz, so it cannot see the controller’s own delay. Pages that show a latency figure measure the browser, not the controller.

Can it recalibrate my controller?

No web page can change a controller’s calibration. Some manufacturers offer calibration in their own app or on their console. This test tells you the dead zone to set in your games, which is the setting you can change yourself.

Does it test the PS5 touchpad, motion sensors or microphone?

No. Browsers do not pass these on through the standard controller interface. The touchpad click works as a button on some systems.

Which test should I run next?

The keyboard test and the mouse test check the rest of your gaming setup.