About this tool

This tester reads your controller directly through the browser's Gamepad API, polling every input on a requestAnimationFrame loop so button presses, trigger pulls, and stick movement show up with no perceptible delay. It supports up to four connected controllers at once, each with its own tab.

Under the hood it draws each stick's live X/Y position on a canvas against a visible deadzone ring, so drift — a stick reporting movement while physically at rest — is visible as an offset rather than something you have to infer from gameplay feel. A range map divides the circle into angular slices and fills in each one out to the furthest radius the stick has ever reached while pointed that direction, building up a petal-shaped coverage map as you move the stick around — uneven petal lengths point to physical wear or casing limits, and a petal that keeps reappearing right next to center on its own, without you touching anything, is a visual drift signature. A separate 3-second static drift check samples both sticks while they're left untouched and reports the furthest movement recorded. Trigger values render as fill bars showing the full analog range (LT/RT, LB/RB), and if your controller exposes a vibration actuator, you can fire dual-rumble bursts or continuous vibration to confirm the motors work.

Key features

• Real-time Gamepad API polling with no input buffering or smoothing applied
• Canvas-rendered stick position with a visible deadzone ring to catch drift at rest
• Range map: a persistent, toggleable angular coverage map showing the furthest reach of the stick in every direction, color-coded to highlight drift near center, with a one-click Clear
• 3-second static drift check that samples both sticks at rest and reports the worst excursion
• Analog trigger fill bars for LT/RT and LB/RB, showing the full 0–1 range
• Dual-rumble vibration testing (burst and continuous) for controllers with haptic actuators
• Multi-controller support with independent tabs for up to four connected pads

Why use it

• Catch stick drift before it costs you a match, not after
• See the actual shape and boundary of stick movement, not just a single live dot, to judge circularity and reach
• Confirm every button and trigger works before selling or buying a used controller
• Verify vibration motors function without digging through console settings menus
• No app or driver install — works the moment the controller is connected

Why gamepad tester testing matters

Analog sticks wear out gradually. A controller can feel "mostly fine" for months while quietly reporting phantom movement at rest (drift) or failing to reach its full range of motion. Catching this early — before it costs you a match or a speedrun — means watching the raw axis values, not just how the controller feels in your hand.

Tips for accurate results

• Rest the controller on a flat surface and check that both stick indicators sit dead-center — any drift shows up immediately as a resting offset.
• Push each stick to its full range in all 8 directions to confirm the tester reports values reaching (or very close to) the ±1.0 extremes.
• Slowly rotate a stick around its physical edge to trace a full circle in the range map — bumps, flat spots, or a lopsided shape point to physical wear or casing limits, not a software issue.
• Run the 3-second static drift check after resting the controller for a few seconds, hands fully off both sticks, for the cleanest reading.
• Pull triggers slowly from released to fully pressed and watch for a smooth, linear response rather than a jump.
• Test every face button individually, then in combination, to rule out ghosting on cheaper third-party pads.

Frequently asked questions