Let's check your controller.
Connect a gamepad and press anything — every button, trigger and stick lights up as it works.
Connect a pad to check for stick drift.
Plug in or pair a gamepad, then press any button to wake it up. Xbox & PlayStation pads work great.
How the controller test works
This tester uses the browser's Gamepad API. For privacy, browsers keep gamepads invisible to websites until you press a button — so plug in (or pair) your pad and press anything. From then on we poll the controller's state every frame: buttons light up as you press them, triggers count even at partial pull, and the two circles mirror your analog sticks in real time.
The drift check watches your sticks while you're not touching them. If a resting stick sits more than 12% off centre, we flag possible drift — that's roughly where games start seeing movement you didn't make. The rumble button fires a short vibration burst where the browser supports it (Chrome and Edge on most modern pads). Nothing here needs a permission prompt, and no input is stored or sent anywhere.
What the readings mean
- Buttons pressed — how many distinct buttons and triggers have registered, out of what your pad reports.
- Sticks & drift — the live position of each stick. "Sticks centred" is healthy; a resting deflection above 0.12 reads as possible drift.
Controller test FAQ
Why isn't my controller detected until I press a button?
That's the browser protecting you, not a fault. To stop websites silently fingerprinting your hardware, the Gamepad API keeps controllers hidden until you interact with one. Press any button and your pad should appear immediately.
What does "possible drift" mean?
With your hands off the sticks, both should read as centred. If a resting stick is deflected by more than 12% of its range, we flag possible drift — enough that games may see phantom movement. Try recalibrating in your OS or console settings, or cleaning around the stick base.
The rumble button is greyed out — is my controller broken?
Not necessarily. The button only enables when the browser exposes a vibration actuator for your pad. Chrome and Edge support rumble on most modern pads; Firefox and Safari expose it far less, and some controllers don't report an actuator at all (especially in certain Bluetooth modes).
Does this gamepad test work in Safari?
Yes — modern Safari supports the Gamepad API, with quirks. Pads sometimes only show up after a fresh button press, and rumble is generally unavailable. We poll for already-connected pads the moment the page loads to smooth over most of it.
My controller isn't detected at all — what should I check?
Check the cable or re-pair over Bluetooth, try a different USB port, and close apps like Steam that can capture the controller before the browser sees it. Our Windows 11 controller guide walks through the usual culprits step by step.