Why does my controller not show up?

Press a button on it. The Gamepad API deliberately hides pads until the page receives a genuine input — it stops any site from fingerprinting you by the hardware you own. If pressing buttons changes nothing, try a different USB port straight into the machine rather than a hub, and check that you are on Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari 10.1 or newer. Xbox pads over Bluetooth also need to be paired in the operating system first, not just switched on.

How do I know whether my stick really has drift?

Let go of the stick and run the drift check. A healthy stick parks within about 0.02 of centre, and the dot sits still. Anything above 0.15 is real drift: the stick keeps sending movement while you are not touching it, which is why the camera rotates on its own or a character walks into a wall. The check also prints the smallest dead zone that would hide the problem, which tells you how much of the stick's travel you would lose by compensating in software.

What are the X, Y, R and angle numbers for?

X and Y are the raw axis values the browser reports, from −1 to 1, with −1 on Y meaning fully up. R is how far the stick is from centre after the dead zone, from 0 to 1 — it should reach 1.00 at the rim in every direction. A stick that tops out at 0.80 pushed left but 1.00 pushed right has a worn or badly calibrated potentiometer. The angle is the compass bearing, useful for checking that diagonals land near 45°.

Why do my triggers show a number instead of just lighting up?

On a standard-mapping pad, LT and RT are analog: they report a value from 0 to 1 instead of pressed or not. Squeeze slowly and the number should rise smoothly from 0.00 to 1.00. Jumps, a floor above 0.05 at rest, or a ceiling short of 1.00 are the usual signs of a tired trigger — common on well-used Xbox pads, where the trigger potentiometer wears before anything else.

The vibration test does nothing — is the pad broken?

Not necessarily. Browser rumble needs the dual-rumble effect, which Chrome and Edge support, Firefox mostly does not, and Safari does not at all. If the panel says vibration is unavailable, the browser is the limit rather than your hardware. When the button works and you still feel nothing, the motors or the connection are the problem — Bluetooth pads sometimes connect for input but not for haptics.

What does 'non-standard' mapping mean?

The W3C Standard Gamepad layout fixes which index each button and axis uses, so button 0 is always the bottom face button and axes 0 and 1 are always the left stick. Most modern pads report that layout. Arcade sticks, racing wheels, flight sticks and older USB adapters often do not, so this tool labels their inputs B0, B1, B2 and so on rather than guessing. Everything still works — you just read the indices instead of names.

Is anything recorded or sent to a server?

No. The page reads the pad through the browser's Gamepad API and draws the result; no data leaves your device and nothing is stored. Close the tab and the test is gone.

Gamepad Tester — Test Any Controller in Your Browser

No controller detected. Connect a gamepad and press any button on it.

Waiting for a controller. Browsers only reveal a pad once it sends a real input — press any button to start.

Plug in a controller, press a button, and every input shows up live: buttons light as you press them, the triggers show their analog 0–1 value, and both sticks are drawn as a dot moving inside a circle. The drift check samples your sticks at rest for two seconds and tells you how far off centre they park — that number is what decides whether a wandering character is the controller's fault. Works with Xbox, PlayStation, Switch Pro and generic USB pads, and nothing is uploaded anywhere.

How it works

1
Connect and wake the controller Plug in by USB or pair over Bluetooth, then press any button on the pad. Browsers hide connected controllers until the page sees one real input, so nothing appears until you press something.
2
Work through every button and axis Press each button, pull both triggers to the end of their travel, and push both sticks to the rim in all four directions. The counter tracks how many of the pad's inputs have responded and lists the ones that have not.
3
Check the sticks at rest and test rumble Let go of both sticks, start the drift check, and keep your hands off the pad for two seconds. Then hit the vibration test to confirm both rumble motors still run.

Your data stays private

All processing happens entirely in your browser. No files, text, or data are ever sent to our servers. You can disconnect from the internet and this tool will still work.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my controller not show up?: Press a button on it. The Gamepad API deliberately hides pads until the page receives a genuine input — it stops any site from fingerprinting you by the hardware you own. If pressing buttons changes nothing, try a different USB port straight into the machine rather than a hub, and check that you are on Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari 10.1 or newer. Xbox pads over Bluetooth also need to be paired in the operating system first, not just switched on.
How do I know whether my stick really has drift?: Let go of the stick and run the drift check. A healthy stick parks within about 0.02 of centre, and the dot sits still. Anything above 0.15 is real drift: the stick keeps sending movement while you are not touching it, which is why the camera rotates on its own or a character walks into a wall. The check also prints the smallest dead zone that would hide the problem, which tells you how much of the stick's travel you would lose by compensating in software.
What are the X, Y, R and angle numbers for?: X and Y are the raw axis values the browser reports, from −1 to 1, with −1 on Y meaning fully up. R is how far the stick is from centre after the dead zone, from 0 to 1 — it should reach 1.00 at the rim in every direction. A stick that tops out at 0.80 pushed left but 1.00 pushed right has a worn or badly calibrated potentiometer. The angle is the compass bearing, useful for checking that diagonals land near 45°.
Why do my triggers show a number instead of just lighting up?: On a standard-mapping pad, LT and RT are analog: they report a value from 0 to 1 instead of pressed or not. Squeeze slowly and the number should rise smoothly from 0.00 to 1.00. Jumps, a floor above 0.05 at rest, or a ceiling short of 1.00 are the usual signs of a tired trigger — common on well-used Xbox pads, where the trigger potentiometer wears before anything else.
The vibration test does nothing — is the pad broken?: Not necessarily. Browser rumble needs the dual-rumble effect, which Chrome and Edge support, Firefox mostly does not, and Safari does not at all. If the panel says vibration is unavailable, the browser is the limit rather than your hardware. When the button works and you still feel nothing, the motors or the connection are the problem — Bluetooth pads sometimes connect for input but not for haptics.
What does 'non-standard' mapping mean?: The W3C Standard Gamepad layout fixes which index each button and axis uses, so button 0 is always the bottom face button and axes 0 and 1 are always the left stick. Most modern pads report that layout. Arcade sticks, racing wheels, flight sticks and older USB adapters often do not, so this tool labels their inputs B0, B1, B2 and so on rather than guessing. Everything still works — you just read the indices instead of names.
Is anything recorded or sent to a server?: No. The page reads the pad through the browser's Gamepad API and draws the result; no data leaves your device and nothing is stored. Close the tab and the test is gone.

From the blog

How to Test a Controller and Diagnose Stick Drift Check every button, trigger and stick in the browser, then work out whether drift is dirt, a worn potentiometer, or just a dead zone you can live with. Read the post →

Gamepad Tester — Test Any Controller in Your Browser

How it works

Your data stays private

Frequently asked questions

From the blog

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