Stick drift tester
Let go of both sticks, start the 3 second hold, and see how far each one sits from true center and how much it wobbles while idle.
Put the controller down and keep your hands off it during the test.
Left stick
X · axis 0
Y · axis 1
Center offset
Noise
Suggested deadzone
Resting point
Right stick
X · axis 2
Y · axis 3
Center offset
Noise
Suggested deadzone
Resting point
How to run this test
- Connect the controller and press any button so the browser exposes it.
- Put the controller on a table and take your thumbs off both sticks.
- Press Start hold test and wait three seconds without touching anything.
- Read the offset and noise for each stick, then repeat once to confirm.
How to read the result
- Center offset
- The average distance between the resting stick and true zero, on a scale where full tilt is 1.00. Under 0.03 is normal for most pads. Between 0.03 and 0.08 is mild drift that a small in game deadzone hides. Above 0.10 usually shows up as camera creep or a character walking on its own.
- Noise
- How much the value moves while the stick is idle. A healthy stick holds steady within about 0.01. A noisy stick that jumps around points to a dirty or worn sensor rather than a bent spring.
- Suggested deadzone
- The smallest circular deadzone that would cover both the offset and the noise you measured, with a little margin. Enter it in your game settings if the option exists.
Questions about this test
- How much stick drift is normal?
- A resting value under 0.03 on either axis is within the normal tolerance of new controllers. Games apply their own deadzone, so you will not notice anything below that.
- Can a browser test confirm drift that only happens in games?
- Yes, if the drift is physical. The browser reads the same raw stick values a game does before the game applies its deadzone, so it often shows drift more clearly than the game itself.
- Why does drift come and go?
- Dust and wear inside a potentiometer stick make the reading depend on the exact resting position. Flick the stick and run the test again; if the offset changes a lot between runs, cleaning or replacement is more likely to help than a deadzone.
- Do hall effect sticks drift?
- They do not wear the way carbon track sensors do, so long term drift is much rarer. They can still rest slightly off center because of the spring and mechanics, which this test will show.