How a browser gamepad tester works
Modern browsers expose connected controllers through the Gamepad API. This tester polls that API on every animation frame — typically 60 times a second — and reads the pressed state and analog value of every button, plus the position of every axis. Because browsers only surface a gamepad once it has sent input (a privacy measure), you always need to press a button first. Once active, everything you see is your controller's real, live data: the button that lights up is the exact button your games receive, and the axis numbers are the raw values a game would read. No drivers or downloads are involved, and nothing about your controller leaves your device.
Understanding stick drift and the deadzone
Stick drift is when an analog stick reports movement while you're not touching it, usually from a worn potentiometer. It's one of the most common controller faults, and it makes characters wander or the camera spin on its own. To check, let go of both sticks and watch the position dots: with the deadzone set low, any dot that won't settle at the exact centre — and the 'Drift?' warning — points to drift. The deadzone slider shows the trade-off: a deadzone is a small central region where input is ignored, so a bigger deadzone can mask mild drift at the cost of precision. If a stick needs a large deadzone just to sit still, it's wearing out.
Triggers, rumble and mapping
Good controllers have analog triggers that report smoothly from 0.00 (released) to 1.00 (fully pressed); the trigger bars and their max-travel markers let you confirm the full range and spot a trigger that no longer bottoms out. The rumble test uses the Gamepad vibrationActuator interface to drive the motors directly, so you can verify vibration independently of any game — support varies by controller and browser, and the tool tells you when it isn't available. Finally, the 'standard mapping' readout matters: when a controller reports the standard layout, its buttons and axes line up with the well-known indexes shown here, which is exactly what most games and remapping tools expect.
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- Live button map that lights up each button the instant you press it, with per-button press counters and raw pressed/value readouts.
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- Analog stick visualizers showing the exact X/Y position, an adjustable deadzone ring, L3/R3 clicks and automatic stick-drift detection.
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- Analog trigger bars (LT/RT) showing live pressure from 0.00 to 1.00 plus a max-travel marker to confirm full range.
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- Rumble / vibration test with light, strong and single-motor effects via the Gamepad vibrationActuator API.
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- Live device readout: controller name, slot index, standard-mapping status, button and axis counts, timestamp and measured polling rate in Hz.
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- Multi-controller support with a selector to switch between connected gamepads.
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- Runs entirely in your browser using the Gamepad API — no drivers, no install, and nothing is uploaded.
