DeviceMetrikBrowser diagnostics

Controller Tests

Browser-based gamepad checks for buttons, D-pad, triggers, axes, mapping, stick drift, dead-zone guidance, and circularity.

2 tests

Common problems and tasks

Choose the right path

Missing buttons, unexpected stick movement, trigger ranges, mapping, and real hardware-latency questions are different tasks with different browser limits.

Diagnose a controller symptomChoose button, trigger, axis, drift, polling, or latency context.Run a gaming/controller checkRecord browser-visible input coverage and display timing locally.

Controller troubleshooting

Choose the right controller test

Start with the general gamepad check. Use the stick-specific test when the problem is center drift, dead-zone guidance, or rotation behavior.

Start broad with Gamepad Tester. Then go deeper only when needed with Stick Drift Test.

Start broadGamepad TesterUse this first to confirm the browser sees the controller and inspect multiple pads, mapping, buttons, D-pad, analog triggers, basic stick axes, connection events, and the browser-observed update interval. Basic stick axes are visible here, but use Stick Drift Test when you need a sampled center, dead-zone, or rotation check.Go deeper when neededStick Drift TestUse this when the symptom is unwanted analog movement or you want focused stick analysis, including released-rest sampling, center offset, radial drift, residual noise, suggested software dead zone, rotation, and circularity behavior.

Better comparisons

Run a clean controller check

  1. Connect and wake

    Connect the controller through USB or Bluetooth as appropriate and keep the browser tab focused. Press a physical controller button so the browser can expose the gamepad. If multiple controllers appear, select the intended pad.

  2. Test deliberately

    Gamepad Tester: press buttons and triggers deliberately and move each stick so you can identify which browser-reported value changes. Stick Drift Test: for the 3, 5, or 10 second rest sample, fully release the selected stick and keep hands off it; for rotation, move deliberately through the intended full circle.

  3. Change one variable and repeat

    If a result looks suspicious, change one relevant condition — browser, USB port, cable, wired versus Bluetooth or wireless mode, controller, or relevant OS/driver setting — and repeat before concluding the hardware itself is faulty.

General controller input

Gamepad Tester reports controller information that reaches the browser through the Gamepad API. Buttons, axes, triggers, mapping, and connection state are browser-visible evidence. Mapping and indexes may vary by controller, browser, OS, and driver. The observed update interval is not raw USB polling rate, controller hardware latency, or complete button-to-screen latency.

Haptic capability means only that a related browser interface is exposed. It does not prove a vibration motor exists, works, or has a particular rumble quality.

Stick drift sampling

Stick Drift Test uses repeated browser axis samples while the stick is released and during a rotation pass. Center drift, noise, suggested dead zone, and circularity are based on those browser-visible samples.

Suggested dead zone is software guidance only—not manufacturer calibration, a factory specification, or a controller health certificate. A non-zero rest reading alone is not proof that the controller is broken.

Other input devices

Looking for keyboard or mouse tests?

Input TestsUse Input Tests for keyboard registration, rollover, chatter, mouse buttons, scrolling, DPI estimates, event rates, and reaction timing.