Gamepad Tester

Test a controller's buttons, triggers and sticks, and spot stick drift.

Free tools that run in your browser. Nothing you type, open or create is uploaded to NerdBible or anyone else.

No controller yet. Connect a controller by USB or Bluetooth, then press any button on it. Browsers only show a controller to a page after a button has been pressed.

The page reads the controller through your browser's Gamepad API. Button names follow the standard layout (Xbox names first, PlayStation names after); controllers the browser does not recognise show numbers instead. Vibration works only where the browser supports it, mostly Chrome and Edge with Xbox and PlayStation controllers.

How to use it

  1. Connect the controller and press any button so the browser shows it to the page.
  2. Press every button and pull the triggers. Buttons turn black while pressed and grey once they have worked; triggers show how far they are pulled.
  3. Move both sticks to the edges, then let go and press Check drift to measure how far each stick sits from the centre at rest.

Questions

What is stick drift?

Drift is when a stick reports movement while nobody touches it, usually from wear inside the stick. Here it shows as the dot sitting away from the centre at rest. A small offset inside the dead zone ring is normal and games ignore it.

What is the dead zone?

Games ignore stick movement inside a small circle around the centre, so tiny offsets do not move your character. Set the ring to match your game, or to find the smallest dead zone your controller needs.

Why is my controller not showing?

Press a button on it first; browsers hide controllers until then. If it still does not appear, check it works in your system settings, try another USB cable or port, or try Chrome or Edge.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes, where the phone browser supports controllers, which most current Android and iPhone browsers do with Bluetooth controllers.