Used Controller Check
Buying a second-hand pad? Run all seven checks on the spot — stick drift, buttons, triggers, vibration and connection — then save the inspection report or send it to the seller. Nothing leaves your browser.
Not sure which device is at fault? Start with the input device fault diagnosis hub: it maps symptoms to the right test, then to repair, replace or return.
Connect your controller
Plug in via USB or pair over Bluetooth, then press any button — browsers only expose gamepad data after you interact with the device.
What each check actually does
- Buttons
- Press every button once — each lights up as it registers. Core 13 must all respond.
- Left & right stick drift
- Don't touch the sticks. Sampling runs for about a minute (60+ frames per stick, same threshold as the full test).
- Stick return to center
- Push both sticks fully in circles a few times, then let go. A healthy stick springs back to near zero.
- Triggers
- Pull both triggers fully — the test reads their analog range.
- Vibration
- Play a 0.6 s rumble on both motors, then tell us what you felt.
- Connection stability
- Just leave the pad connected — 120 frames are enough to measure packet loss and disconnects.
A used pad usually fails in ways the seller never mentions: a stick that only drifts once the shell is warm, a trigger that still reads light at rest, a rumble motor that stopped months ago. Running the checks in order matters, because each one rules out a different excuse. If something fails you have a number to show the seller; if everything passes you know it will not start failing next month. How the thresholds themselves were chosen: how we test hardware.