PS5 DualSense Controller Tester

Connect your DualSense by USB-C or Bluetooth, press any button to wake it, and every input appears below. Nothing is installed or uploaded.

Stick drift test

Vibration test

Connecting a DualSense to your computer

USB: any USB-C data cable works — if the controller charges but never shows up, you're probably holding a charge-only cable. Bluetooth: with the controller off, hold Create (⧉) + the PS button until the light bar pulses blue, then pair it like any Bluetooth device. Chrome and Edge have the most complete Gamepad API support; Safari works but exposes fewer features.

What to check on a DualSense, in order

1. Sticks — run the drift test above with the controller flat on a table. DualSense sticks are potentiometer-based, the same wear-prone design as previous generations, and drift is the single most common DualSense fault. A resting deviation over ±0.10 confirms it.

2. Triggers — pull L2 and R2 slowly: the LT/RT values should sweep 0.00 → 1.00 smoothly. The adaptive-trigger motors (the resistance you feel in games) can't be driven from a browser, so they report here as plain analog triggers — that's expected, not a fault.

3. Buttons — the touchpad registers as a press (the Touch/Cap button in the grid). The mute button is invisible to browsers; test it on a PS5 or in the PlayStation app instead.

4. Vibration — the test sends a standard dual-rumble effect. The DualSense's fine haptics are voice-coil based, so what you feel here is its rumble-emulation mode; a buzz on both sides means the actuators work.

If your DualSense is drifting

Try in this order: restart and re-test (rules out software), rotate both sticks through full circles a dozen times, then a short burst of electronics contact cleaner under the stick skirt — that fixes many mild cases. Sony services controllers under warranty; out of warranty, replacement stick modules are inexpensive, and drift-immune Hall-effect / TMR modules now exist for the DualSense if you're comfortable with a soldering iron (the DualSense Edge takes drop-in replaceable modules, no soldering).

Also worth knowing: firmware updates occasionally fix input issues — update via a PS5 (Settings → Accessories) or Sony's DualSense firmware updater for Windows.

DualSense quirks in this tester

Over Bluetooth some systems label the pad "Wireless Controller" with a generic mapping — the button grid still works, but numbering may shift. Motion sensors (gyro/accelerometer) and the built-in mic/speaker aren't part of the Gamepad API, so they can't be tested here; the mic test covers your headset instead.

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