Player's Manual

How to Use this Gamepad Tester?

First of all — welcome to the Gamepad Tester by Edhir Games. You may be here for a number of reasons. The first time I wanted to use a controller tester was when my DS4 controller totally stopped working (honestly, the tester couldn't detect a thing — it was dead to the core). From that moment, I knew I needed to add this tester to my gaming company, and VOILA — you got this!

I know you want to make sure your controller works perfectly (or at least fine) before you get into your next gaming session. So I'll cut to the crux — here's a two-minute guide to testing your game controller in your browser. The tester on this site is compatible with all (almost almost all) devices — Xbox, PS, Switch, and other generic controllers — and will help you spot stick drift, dead buttons and weak rumble. Let's go!

1

Connect your controller

Wired (USB): plug it straight into your computer — the most reliable method, and it reduces latency.

Wireless (Bluetooth): put your pad (controller) into pairing mode, then pair it with your computer by visiting Bluetooth Settings (works on Mac, Windows, Linux and all other devices). Here are the steps for different controllers:

  • Xbox: hold the small Pair button on top until the Xbox logo flashes.
  • PlayStation (DualSense/DS4): hold PS + Create/Share (left button to the centre bar) together until the light bar blinks.
  • Switch Pro / Joy-Con: hold the round Sync button until the lights run.
2

Come back to this website

Once your controller is connected to your computer, come back to this website and open the Gamepad Tester page.

3

Wake it up — press any button

For privacy and safety concerns, browsers keep controllers hidden until they send input. Once you have connected and come back to the tester page, press any button once. The banner will flip from NO PAD to CONNECTED and the controller map will light up.

4

Read the live map

The centre panel is the pixel-art controller. Face buttons, D-pad, bumpers and the guide button glow the instant you press them, colour-coded to the standard Xbox layout (A green, B red, X blue, Y yellow). If you press a button on your controller and it does not light up on this screen, that button is likely faulty.

5

Test the analog sticks & check for drift

Roll each stick — the dot tracks its exact position, with a live X / Y readout and a faint deadzone ring at 0.15.

Stick drift test: let go of the sticks completely. If a dot keeps floating away from the centre (or the readout won't settle near 0.00), that stick has drift.

6

Test the triggers

The LT and RT bars are analog: squeeze slowly and the value should climb smoothly from 0.00 to 1.00. Sticky or jumpy readings point to broken trigger potentiometers — indicating a need for repair.

7

Scan every button

The All Buttons grid lists every input the controller reports, by index. Pressed buttons flash magenta; the thin bar at the bottom of each cell shows analog pressure. The Input Log records your last 18 presses with timestamps — handy for catching a button that fires twice or drops out.

8

Test vibration / rumble

Hit Soft, Hard or Pulse to fire the motors. Rumble runs on Chrome and Edge with controllers that expose a vibration actuator (most modern Xbox and PlayStation pads).

9

Testing more than one controller? Use P1–P4

You can connect up to four controllers and switch between them with the P1–P4 tabs. Each controller keeps its own live readout.

No controller at hand? Hit ▶ Demo in the toolbar to spawn a virtual gamepad. This will animate every panel on the screen, showing you how the tool will behave when you connect your controller.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

My controller isn't detected

  • Press a button — nothing appears until the pad sends input.
  • Try a different USB port or cable (some cables are charge-only and do not transfer data).
  • Close other apps that grab the controller exclusively (Steam Input, game launchers, remapping tools).
  • Reload the page after connecting.
  • Use Chrome, Edge or Firefox — Safari's Gamepad support is limited.

What is stick drift?

Stick drift is when a stick reports movement while you're not touching it. This is commonly caused by worn sensors. You can use the stick panel (already in the tool) to check stick drift on your controller: sticks that are fine should sit near 0.00 when released. Persistent non-zero values mean stick drift and may require repairs.

Is my data safe?

Completely. Everything runs locally in your browser using the standard Gamepad API. We don't record inputs, set tracking cookies, or send controller data anywhere. See our .

Which controllers work?

Anything your browser recognises as a gamepad: Xbox (One/Series), PlayStation (DualSense/DS4), Switch Pro, 8BitDo, and most generic USB/Bluetooth pads work. Controllers reporting the standard mapping get the full labelled map; others still show every raw button and axis.