Diagnostic directory

Gamepad Tester Tools

Choose a focused gamepad tester tool for the symptom you see, from drift and mapping to vibration, latency, polling, and specialty hardware.

Diagnostic Tool Picker

Start with the symptom, then open any focused tester from the complete tools list.

Gamepad Tester

Broad first-pass check for buttons, sticks, triggers, raw values, and vibration support.

Xbox Controller Test

Check Xbox buttons, Share, View, Menu, bumpers, triggers, and browser mapping.

PS5 Controller Test

Inspect DualSense face buttons, touchpad, PS, mute, sticks, and triggers.

Joy-Con Test

Check compact Switch controllers, SL/SR, split controls, sticks, and slot behavior.

Switch Pro Controller Test

Verify Nintendo-style labels, Home, Capture, sticks, triggers, and mapping.

Stick Drift Test

Measure idle center offset, deadzone guidance, and live stick trails.

Circularity Test

Trace outer stick range, radius, and practical circularity error.

Polling Rate Test

Sample browser-observed update intervals and average hertz.

Latency Test

Review event timing clues, browser freshness, and optional HID capability.

Vibration Test

Run user-clicked haptic patterns with support fallback messages.

Button Mapping Test

Inspect raw indexes, values, axes, labels, and press sequence.

Controller Calibration

Estimate center offset, range behavior, and practical deadzone choices.

Steering Wheel Tester

Check wheel rotation, pedals, shifters, and raw axes.

Fight Stick Tester

Test arcade lever direction, buttons, and mode mapping.

Joystick Tester

Inspect HOTAS axes, throttle, hats, and buttons.

Gyroscope Test

Check motion support, fallback tilt behavior, and optional WebHID permission.

MIDI Tester

Use Web MIDI for keyboard, pad controller, and note input testing.

Choose The Tool By Symptom

The tools directory is organized around problems rather than marketing categories. If the controller moves by itself, start with the stick drift test. If the stick feels uneven near the edge, open the circularity test. If a game ignores a control, use the button mapping test. If input feels delayed, compare the polling rate test and the controller latency test.

A broad controller tester is still valuable for the first pass. The home gamepad tester shows buttons, sticks, triggers, raw values, and vibration support in one dashboard. Once you see a specific symptom, a specialized page provides a deeper visualization and more precise interpretation. This avoids forcing one tool to explain every possible controller diagnostics question.

Device-specific tests help when physical layout matters. Xbox, PS5, Joy-Con, and Switch Pro pages each use labels and examples that fit the controller family. Specialty hardware pages do the same for steering wheels, fight sticks, HOTAS joysticks, gyroscope checks, and MIDI devices.

How The Tools Work Together

Controller diagnostics are often a chain. A gamepad tester might show a right stick dot away from center. The stick drift test then estimates idle offset. The circularity test checks whether the same stick reaches the edge cleanly. The calibration page organizes center and deadzone decisions. Each page answers a narrower question so the final decision is better supported.

Timing tools form another chain. The polling rate test samples update intervals. The latency test shows event timing clues and optional HID capability. Neither page should be treated as a complete laboratory result, but together they can reveal whether a connection mode is unstable or whether the issue is likely inside a game, display, or streaming service.

Mapping sits beside almost every other diagnostic. If a button, pedal, lever, or stick axis appears under an unexpected index, the button mapping test explains what web software receives. That makes it useful for standard pads, arcade sticks, racing wheels, joysticks, adapters, and web developers.

Privacy, Compatibility, And Demo Mode

The gamepad tester tools run in the browser and do not require accounts, uploads, or server-side controller processing. Gamepad values, MIDI notes, HID permission choices, and vibration commands stay local. Pages that use WebHID or Web MIDI request permission only after a user action and explain why the browser prompt appears.

Compatibility depends on the browser and device. The standard Gamepad API works best in current desktop browsers after a controller button press. Vibration, HID, MIDI, gyro, and mobile support vary more. Every controller diagnostics page keeps unsupported states visible so a missing feature is not confused with a broken device.

Demo mode is available with `?demo=1` on visual tools. It animates the same components used by real input, which makes the gamepad tester tools easy to review, embed, and test without hardware. Demo mode is labeled clearly so screenshots and support articles do not imply live hardware when none is connected.

Questions Users Ask

Short answers for common diagnostic decisions on this page.

Which controller tester should I open first?

Use the home dashboard for a broad check, then follow the symptom to drift, mapping, polling, latency, vibration, or a device-specific page.

Do all tools work without hardware?

Every visual tool supports `?demo=1`, but real diagnostics require a connected device.

Are embed widgets part of the same tools?

Widgets use the same local browser diagnostics in smaller iframe-friendly layouts.