A free bench tool for anyone with a controller
Controller Test is a free online gamepad tester for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and generic HID controllers. It runs entirely in your browser using the standard W3C Gamepad API and WebHID, so nothing you press ever leaves your device.
Why we built it
Most controller testers online are cluttered with ads, gated behind installs, or send your input somewhere you cannot see. We wanted a quiet workbench that competitive players, repair techs and buyers of used pads could open, use, and close without a second thought. Every diagnostic here focuses on one job so you can pinpoint exactly what is failing instead of guessing from a wall of numbers.
The project started after one too many arguments about whether a pad was actually drifting or whether the game had a bad dead zone. A browser tab that shows raw hardware state settles that in about ten seconds. Once the stick drift page existed, requests came in for polling rate, latency, rumble motors, arcade sticks, racing wheels and MIDI gear, and the bench grew from there.
How it works
Your browser exposes controller state through the Gamepad API once you press a button. We read that state at up to your display refresh rate, render it live, and never transmit it. Values arrive as raw floats between -1 and 1 for axes and 0 to 1 for triggers, exactly as the driver reports them, with no smoothing or dead zone applied on our side. That is deliberate: smoothing hides the small resting offsets that indicate early stick wear.
Advanced tools such as PS controller calibration use WebHID, which requires an explicit device permission you grant per device and can revoke at any time from your browser settings. Vibration uses the standard haptic actuator interface, so support depends on your pad, cable or Bluetooth stack, and browser. When a feature is unavailable we say so on the page rather than failing silently.
What you can do here
- Run a quick full-pad check on the home tester before a match or before buying a used controller.
- Diagnose stick drift, verify every button mapping, or measure polling rate and latency.
- Test rumble motors with the vibration test, or check rim accuracy with the stick circularity test.
- Work through platform pages for Xbox, PS5 and Switch Pro pads, or browse all tools.
Who it is for
Competitive players checking that a pad is match ready. Repair technicians confirming a potentiometer or Hall effect module swap actually fixed the fault. Buyers and sellers on marketplaces who want a neutral reading before money changes hands. Parents working out whether a controller is broken or whether a game simply needs remapping. Sim racers and flight sim pilots verifying axis ranges on wheels, pedals and HOTAS gear.
Accuracy and limits
Everything shown here is what the browser receives, which is close to but not identical to what a native game receives. Browser polling is tied to the animation frame loop, so a reported rate above your monitor refresh is not possible even if the hardware polls faster. Wireless links, USB hubs, battery level and background CPU load all move latency numbers around. Treat single readings as a snapshot and repeat a test a few times before drawing conclusions. Where a result can be misread, the tool page explains the caveat.
Privacy and funding
No account, no upload, no controller telemetry. The full detail is in our privacy policy. The site is free to use and is supported by unobtrusive display advertising, which keeps the tools open to everyone without a paywall. Ads never receive controller input data because that data never leaves the page.
Feedback
Found a controller that reports oddly, or a test that reads wrong on your hardware? Tell us on the contact page. Device quirks are the main reason new fixes ship, and the setup guide grows from the same reports.