🎮Gamepad Tester

Testing a controller

Connect a controller by USB or Bluetooth and press any button — browsers deliberately hide gamepads until one is pressed, so the blank start is privacy, not failure. Then everything shows live: each button lights with its pressure, triggers fill bars, and the sticks trace on crosshair displays with exact axis values.

Xbox, PlayStation, Switch Pro and most third-party pads all present the standard mapping, so the labels line up regardless of brand.

The drift check

Let go of both sticks and look at the readouts. A healthy stick springs back within a few hundredths of centre and the dot shows green. A stick resting at 0.10 or beyond, or wandering on its own, has drift — worn or contaminated potentiometers reporting movement that is not happening. Games mask small drift with dead zones, which is exactly why it shows here before it ruins aim in play.

Mild drift sometimes responds to rotating the stick firmly through its full range, or to isopropyl alcohol around the stick base; real drift means a repair or replacement — under warranty if you are lucky, and drift is one of the most warranty-claimed faults in gaming. If nothing appears at all: press a button first, try another USB port or re-pair Bluetooth, and on Windows close Steam, which can claim the controller exclusively.

Frequently asked questions