How to use the controller test
- Connect the controller to this computer, with a cable or by Bluetooth.
- Press any button. Browsers keep controllers hidden from a page until one of their buttons has been pressed, so nothing appears before that.
- Press every button, move both sticks all the way round and squeeze both triggers.
Each part of the drawing turns orange while you hold it and stays green once it has registered. The chips under the drawing count every press, the two plots show exactly where each stick is, and the bars show how far each trigger is squeezed, from 0 to 1. Until every button has registered, the test lists the ones still to press.
PS5, PS4, Xbox and Switch controllers
The test recognises PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo controllers and uses their own button names; other controllers get Xbox-style names. For PlayStation controllers the drawing moves the d-pad above the left stick, where it sits on the real thing. Browsers report buttons by position, so the names line up like this:
| Position | Xbox | PlayStation | Switch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom face button | A | ✕ | B |
| Right face button | B | ○ | A |
| Left face button | X | □ | Y |
| Top face button | Y | △ | X |
| Shoulder buttons | LB, RB | L1, R1 | L, R |
| Triggers | LT, RT | L2, R2 | ZL, ZR |
| Centre buttons | View, Menu, Xbox | Create or Share, Options, PS | −, +, Home |
A DualSense or DualShock 4 touchpad shows up as a button when the browser reports it: pressing the pad clicks it.
What the results mean
- A button never lights up. The computer is not receiving it. Try the checks below before deciding the button is broken.
- A button lights up but has the wrong name. The controller works; the browser has mapped it differently. Browsers only name buttons for controllers they recognise.
- A stick dot sits off the centre when you let go. That is stick drift. The stick drift test measures it and tells you what deadzone would hide it.
- A trigger never reaches 1.00, or never falls back to 0.00. The trigger is not travelling its full range, or its sensor is worn or dirty. If the controller has adjustable trigger stops, open them fully first.
- No drawing, only numbered buttons and axes. The browser does not know this controller’s layout. Every input still shows up, just by number. Another browser often does better.
Testing vibration
Most controllers have two rumble motors: a strong, low-frequency one and a weak, high-frequency one. The vibration buttons run each for 0.7 seconds. Xbox controllers also have small motors in the triggers, and the Triggers button appears when the browser can drive them.
Chrome and Edge can make many controllers vibrate; some other browsers cannot make any vibrate. If nothing happens in any browser, the page simply cannot reach the motors. That is not proof that they are broken: check in a game or on a console.
What a browser cannot test
Web pages see buttons, sticks and triggers. Browsers generally do not give them the motion sensors, the position of a finger on a touchpad, adaptive trigger resistance, the light bar, the built-in speaker or microphone, or the battery level.
If the controller does not show up
- Press a button while this page is in front. Pressing before the page was open does not count.
- With Bluetooth, make sure it is paired with this computer and not still connected to a console nearby.
- Try a different cable. Some USB cables only charge and carry no data.
- If Steam is running, its Steam Input feature can take over a controller. Close Steam and test again.
- Try another browser. Controller support differs between them, and the controller may show up with its full layout in one and only as numbers in another.
For the keys and buttons on your desk, use the keyboard test or the mouse test.