Controller Test: Check Buttons, Sticks, Triggers and Vibration

How to test your controller online

1. Connect the controller to your computer by USB cable or Bluetooth.
2. Press any button on it. Browsers only reveal a controller after a button press, so the page shows "None detected" until you do.
3. Check the Controller, Mapping, Buttons and Axes fields. They show the name your browser reports and how many buttons and axes it sees.
4. Press each button one at a time. It lights up on the on-screen pad and counts as tested. The counter reads "N / 17 buttons tested" on a controller with standard mapping.
5. Squeeze both triggers slowly and watch the percentage bars, then move both sticks. Use the Xbox or PlayStation switch above the pad if the automatic skin does not match your controller.
6. Press Reset to clear the results, for example before you test a second controller.

If several controllers are connected, a selector appears so you can choose which one to test.

What the controller test checks

• Buttons: face buttons, bumpers, stick clicks, D-pad, and the menu and home buttons that the browser exposes. Each one lights up when pressed and stays marked as tested.
• Triggers: the left and right triggers show a percentage bar, so you can see whether they reach 0% at rest and close to 100% when fully pressed.
• Sticks: two plots show the stick position with X, Y and magnitude values. A deadzone slider (default 0.10) shows which small movements a game would ignore.
• Circularity: press Circularity: left or Circularity: right, then rotate that stick slowly around its outer edge for 5 seconds. The trace shows how round the stick's travel is.
• Stick drift: let go of the sticks for 5 seconds and the tool reports each stick's average and maximum offset from center. For a full explanation, see the stick drift page.
• Vibration: buttons for Weak, Strong and Both motors, plus trigger rumble where the controller supports it. If your browser or controller does not support it, the page says so.
• Raw data: open the Raw data panel to see every button and axis value and the input update rate in updates per second.

This works as a controller input test for suspected faults too. A button that never lights up, a trigger stuck at 30%, or a stick that reports movement when untouched are all visible at once.

Supported controllers and browsers

The tester uses the browser Gamepad API, so it works with any controller your operating system exposes as a gamepad. That includes Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One pads, the PlayStation 5 DualSense, the PlayStation 4 DualShock 4, the Switch Pro Controller, 8BitDo pads and many generic XInput and DirectInput controllers.

Most modern pads report the standard mapping, which gives the full on-screen pad and the 17-button counter. A controller without standard mapping still works, but it shows raw buttons and axes by number instead of a labeled layout. For model-specific notes, see the Xbox controller page and the PS5 controller page.

Chrome and Edge give the best results, including vibration. Firefox and Safari support the Gamepad API, but vibration may not work in them. If you see "not supported" in the Vibration box, try Chrome or Edge.

Controller not detected: what to do

1. Press a button. The page cannot see the controller until you do.
2. Check the cable. Some USB cables only charge and carry no data. Try a different cable, ideally the one that came with the controller.
3. Try another USB port, and plug directly into the computer instead of a hub.
4. For Bluetooth, remove the controller from your Bluetooth devices, put it back into pairing mode, and pair it again.
5. Close Steam, DS4Windows and similar remapping tools. They can hide the real controller or present a second virtual one, so the page may show a different pad than you expect.
6. Reload the page, then try another browser. Chrome or Edge is the quickest second opinion.

If the controller works in other apps but not here, the remapping software in step 5 is the most common cause.

How to read your results

A healthy controller lights every button once, shows triggers moving smoothly from 0% to near 100%, and keeps both sticks near zero when released. Stick values range from -1 to 1 on each axis, and magnitude is the distance from center.

Small readings at rest are normal. Games apply a deadzone to ignore them, which is why the slider starts at 0.10. If the drift check reports an average offset above that, the stick moves your character or camera without input. If one button never lights up, test it a few times with firm presses before deciding it is broken, and rule out the connection by trying a cable or another browser.

What a browser cannot test

The Gamepad API only reports buttons, axes and basic rumble. It cannot test the PS5 DualSense adaptive triggers or haptic feedback, the built-in speaker, the headset jack, or the microphone. Gyro and touchpad data are also not part of the standard mapping, so treat a clean result here as proof of the buttons, triggers, sticks and rumble, not of every feature.

Looking for another check? The keyboard tester covers every key on your keyboard.