Gamepad Tester Online: Buttons, Sticks and Vibration

How to use it

Plug in the controller and press any of its buttons so that the browser lists it under Controller.
Press each button, trigger and stick in turn and watch the values under Buttons and triggers, Axes and Sticks.
Let each stick go and check whether its dot returns inside the dashed dead-zone circle.
Press Vibration test to pulse the controller, if it supports vibration.

Buttons, triggers and axes

Each button reports whether it is pressed and how far it is pushed. Triggers and some face buttons report a value between 0 and 1, shown as a percentage. Axes report a position between -1 and 1, shown to three decimal places.

Standard and other mappings

When the browser recognises a controller's layout, it reports the standard mapping, so the buttons and sticks have names. Other controllers report only numbers. A button without a name still shows its number, so you can see that it works.

Stick drift and the dead zone

A stick that has been used for years can report a small value at rest. That is drift. The dashed circle is a dead zone of 10 % of the range: inside it, a game ignores the movement. If the dot stays outside the circle with the stick released, the stick is drifting. A small offset is normal on some controllers; a constant one that moves a character by itself in a game is worth repairing.

Vibration

Vibration uses the controller's motors through the browser's gamepad haptics. The test pulse lasts half a second at half strength. Not every controller or browser offers vibration; when it is missing, the test says so.

Example: reading a trigger and a stick

A trigger pressed halfway reports 0.5, which the page shows as 50 %; fully pressed it reports 1, shown as 100 %. A stick at x = -0.4 and y = 0.3 is 0.5 from the centre, outside the 0.1 dead zone, so it reads as offset.

Frequently asked questions

Does the test record my button presses?

No. The controller is read in your browser while this page is open. Nothing is recorded, stored or sent to our server.

Why does my controller not appear in the list?

Plug the controller in, then press a button on it, because browsers show a gamepad only after a press. If it still does not appear, try another USB port or cable.

Why does the mapping say not standard?

The browser did not recognise the layout, so it reports numbered buttons and axes. The controller still works in games that support it directly; the test simply cannot give its buttons names.

What is stick drift?

Drift is a stick that reports movement while it is released, because its sensor has worn or moved. In games it can make a character walk by itself. The test shows it as a dot outside the dead-zone circle.

Does the vibration test work on every controller?

No. It needs a controller and a browser that support the vibration actuator. Where it is missing, the test says so.

Sources

Figures and text last checked on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.