Controller Calibration Test (Visual Check)

Three guided checks of stick centre, stick range and trigger travel tell you whether your controller needs recalibrating, without changing anything on it.

Runs in your browser: nothing is uploaded
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Connect a controller, then press any button

Plug it in with a USB data cable or pair it over Bluetooth. Browsers only reveal a controller after a button press, so press A or ✕ if nothing appears. Nothing is sent anywhere.

No controller yet

The diagram lights up as soon as your controller sends input.

Visual calibration check

Three guided checks of how your controller is calibrated, each with a pass or fail. It only reads the controller: nothing is written to it.

True centreNot run
Hands off: both sticks must rest within 5% of the centre and hold still.
Full rangeNot run
Push each stick fully left, right, up and down: every direction must reach 95% of full travel.
Trigger sweepNot run
Squeeze both triggers slowly all the way, then let go: each must reach 95% and return under 5%.

Connect a controller to start.

Left stick–

Right stick–

Left trigger

Right trigger

All buttons and axes · 0 buttons pressed

Press every button once: each one gets a tick when it registers. Values show analog pressure from 0.00 to 1.00.

Health tests

1. Stick drift

Measures where each stick settles when nobody touches it, and checks for buttons or triggers that read as pressed. Pass: under 5% of full travel. Warning: 5–10%. Fail: 10% or more.

Not run yet.

2. Circularity

Rotate each stick slowly around its outer edge. Measures how far the edge strays from a perfect circle. Pass: up to 10% average error. Warning: up to 20%. Fail: above 20% or a direction that can't reach 75% of full travel.

Left

Right

Not run yet.

3. Vibration

Plays a rumble. The strong motor is the heavy, low rumble in the left grip; the weak motor is the finer buzz on the right.

Connect a controller to test vibration.

4. Input update rate

Estimates how often the browser receives new data from the controller while you move a stick.

DurationConnection

Not measured yet.

More tests for PlayStation controllers

Connect a DualSense, DualSense Edge or DualShock 4 directly for what the standard gamepad connection hides: motion sensors, touchpad, battery and the true report interval, plus adaptive triggers and lights on a DualSense. Your browser asks which device to allow, and the permission lasts until you close the tab. This page only reads the controller and sends effect commands (trigger effects, light bar, player lights), never calibration or firmware, and it resets them when you leave.

Decoded from published formats (the Linux hid-playstation driver and SDL); not yet tested on a real controller. Over Bluetooth, deep mode switches the controller to its full report format until it reconnects, and asks first: if another app or game stops seeing it, turn the controller off and on.

Not connected.

Motion sensors

Tilt and turn the controller: the model follows it, and the graphs show the gyroscope (turn rate, degrees per second) and the accelerometer (g) on each axis. Put it down flat and run the rest check to measure gyro drift.

Gyro – · Accel –

Touchpad

Draw on the touchpad with one or two fingers. Each finger gets its own colour and the ID the controller gives it; a dead strip shows up as a gap in the lines. Press the pad to test its click.

No touch yet.

Adaptive triggers (DualSense only)

Pick an effect, then press L2 or R2. Resistance pushes back from the start point; click is a section of resistance that gives way, like a trigger pull; vibration buzzes the trigger from the start point. The bars show where each trigger is.

EffectTriggersStart point 30%Strength 8

–

Light bar and player lights

Light bar colourPlayer lights

Battery

The level the controller reports, in 10% steps, and whether it is charging. It updates live, so plug in a cable to check the charging port.

–

Report interval

How often the controller sends a report, from the controller's own clock and from the time each report reached this page. This is the report interval, not end-to-end input lag: it leaves out the time a press takes inside the controller, in the game and on the screen.

Controller health report

Selling or buying a used controller? Run the four tests, press every button, then share the report link in your listing or message.

Connect a controller to start the report.

How the check works

Connect the controller, press a button and click Start calibration check. It runs three steps, each ending with a pass or a fail:

True centre. Let go of both sticks and put the controller down. After two seconds, the tester reads both sticks for two seconds. Each must rest within 5% of the true centre and hold still within 3%. A fail here is what players feel as drift.
Full range. Push each stick fully left, right, up and down, or roll it round its edge. The live figures show how far each stick has reached in each direction. Every direction must reach 95% of full travel; the step ends by itself when they do and both sticks are back at the centre, or after 30 seconds, or when you click Finish this step.
Trigger sweep. Squeeze both triggers slowly all the way in, then let go. Each must reach 95% and return under 5%. A trigger that stops short, or stays slightly pressed, has a calibration or spring problem.

Controllers whose triggers the browser can’t read in the standard layout skip step 3. Digital triggers that only read on or off, such as the Switch Pro Controller’s ZL and ZR, pass as long as they reach full press and release fully, with a note that they are digital.

When a step fails

Recalibrate with the official tool, then run this check again:

Xbox Wireless and Elite Series 2: the thumbstick calibration in the Xbox Accessories app on Windows or an Xbox console, which Microsoft added in February 2024 (Xbox Wire).
Switch and Switch 2: System Settings, Controllers and Sensors, Calibrate Control Sticks (Nintendo).
Steam Deck: Settings, Controller, Calibration & Advanced Settings in Game Mode.
DualSense and DualShock 4: Sony has no calibration tool. Update and reset the controller (PlayStation); if the centre still fails, the stick needs repair.

If recalibrating doesn’t help, the stick is worn, not miscalibrated. The stick drift test covers repairs.

Why this page never writes calibration

Calibration lives in the controller’s own memory. Chrome and Edge can send raw commands to some controllers through WebHID, and community tools use that to rewrite a DualShock 4’s or DualSense’s stored calibration. One of them, DualShock Tools, warns that calibrating without replacing the joysticks “may help temporarily, but it may also make the problem worse, with no way to undo it.” A bad reading during calibration, a stick that is already worn, or a dropped connection mid-write can all leave the controller worse off. Official tools know each model’s limits and are covered by its warranty, so this page only measures.

Frequently asked questions

Does this page calibrate my controller?

No. It only reads the controller and tells you whether its calibration looks right. Recalibrating permanently needs the console's or the manufacturer's tool, which are listed on this page.

Why not calibrate from the browser?

Some browsers can send raw commands to PlayStation controllers, and community tools use that to overwrite the stored calibration. A mistake, a worn stick or a dropped connection can leave the controller worse than before, and one such tool warns there may be no way to undo it. We chose not to write anything.

How do I recalibrate a PS5 or PS4 controller?

Sony offers no stick calibration. Its troubleshooting steps are a system update and a reset with a pin in the small hole on the back. If the centre check still fails, the stick needs repair or, on a DualSense Edge, a new stick module.

My triggers show a digital trigger note. Is that broken?

No. Some controllers, such as the Switch Pro Controller's ZL and ZR, only report on or off. They pass as long as they reach full press and release fully; the note just explains why the sweep jumped.