Controller dead zone test: see what your sticks do inside the dead zone
Games hide small drift behind a dead zone. This test removes it: a 10x zoom on the resting position of each stick, the deviation as a percentage, and the dead zone value you would need to set in a game to mask it. Works with PS5, PS4, Xbox and generic controllers.
By Manuel Benitez · Updated 21 September 2026
Connect your controller to start the dead zone test
Over a USB cable. Gives access to the touchpad, the mute button and the controller's raw values. Chrome, Edge and Opera only.
PlayStation controllers: USB cable and the button above. Xbox or generic controller: press any button on it and it shows up on its own.
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Right stick
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Precise drift measurement
Let go of both sticks and do not touch the controller until it finishes.
Circularity
Traces the outer edge of the stick and measures the radius reached in each of 72 sectors. A healthy stick draws a regular circle; a worn one shows notches and flat spots.
Press Check circularity above, then roll one stick along its outer edge for several full turns, then the other. Both are measured at the same time.
Controller information
This data is only available with direct reading over a USB cable. Go back to the front page and connect the controller by cable.
Stick calibration
With the centre magnified you can see the real resting offset, and below are the controller's raw values: the measured centre and the maximum travel reached on each axis.
Left stick
Right stick
Calibration is only available with direct reading over a USB cable. Connect the controller by cable to calibrate it.
Stick centre
Sets where rest position is. This is what fixes drift when the controller moves on its own.
Stick range
Learns how far each stick reaches. Fixes not hitting the edge, or a flattened circle.
Fine tuning
The twelve internal values, one by one. For when automatic calibration leaves something off.
Calibration wizard
Changes are temporary until you press “Save changes permanently”. If something goes wrong, “Restart the controller” discards anything you haven't saved.
🔒 Everything runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored on any server.
How the dead zone test works
- 1Connect the controller
PlayStation over USB for raw values; Xbox and generic pads over USB or Bluetooth.
- 2Watch the 10x zoom
The Sticks tab opens magnified. A healthy stick is a dot at the centre; drift shows as an offset, noise as a cloud.
- 3Start the measurement
Let go of both sticks for 10 seconds. The tool averages the resting position and gives the deviation as a percentage of the travel.
- 4Read the dead zone you need
Compare the deviation with the table below to know what dead zone would hide it, and whether that is acceptable.
What a dead zone is, and why it hides drift
A dead zone is a radius around the stick's centre inside which the game ignores any input. Most games ship with one between 10 % and 25 % of the travel, precisely so that small manufacturing offsets and early wear do not make the camera creep. That is why a controller can drift for months without you noticing: the drift is inside the dead zone.
The problem is twofold. First, a drift that is inside a 20 % dead zone in one game will be outside a 5 % dead zone in a shooter with a tight setting. Second, everything inside the dead zone is lost input: the bigger the dead zone you need, the less precise the stick becomes at slow movements. This test shows what the game is hiding, so you can decide instead of guessing.
Reading the result
| Deviation at rest | Verdict | Dead zone needed | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 2 % | Healthy | Any, including 0–5 % | Nothing to do. Tight dead zones are fine. |
| 2 – 3 % | Watch it | 5 % or more | Invisible in most games; noticeable with minimum dead zone. |
| 3 – 8 % | Out of range | 10 % or more | Default dead zones still hide it, but slow aiming is degraded. Calibrate a DualSense; clean or replace on Xbox. |
| above 8 % | Out of range | 15 – 25 % | Visible in almost every game. Calibration is temporary; the module is worn. |
The tool's thresholds (2 % and 3 %) are stricter than most games' dead zones on purpose: they describe the controller, not what a particular game tolerates. The reasoning is in how we measure drift.
Dead zone vs noise: two different problems
In the 10x zoom you will see one of two things. An offset: the dot sits still but away from the centre. That is a calibration problem and, on PlayStation controllers, it is fixed by rewriting the centre. A cloud: the dot jitters around a point. That is noise from a worn or dirty potentiometer; no dead zone setting fixes it well, because the noise is random, and no calibration fixes it either. The measurement reports both separately (deviation and noise) so you know which one you have.
Setting the dead zone in games
Most competitive games expose the setting: look for “dead zone”, “stick deadzone” or “input threshold” under controller options. Set it to the smallest value that keeps the camera still with your measured deviation, using the table above. On the PS5 system itself there is no global dead zone setting; on Xbox, the Accessories app lets you adjust it for Elite controllers only. For everything else the setting lives in the game.
Related
Frequently asked questions
What is a good dead zone value?
As small as your controller allows. With a resting deviation under 2 % you can use 0–5 %; between 3 and 8 % you need around 10 %. Above that, the dead zone is hiding a worn stick.
Does the dead zone test work with Xbox controllers?
Yes. Xbox and generic controllers are read through the Gamepad API, over USB or Bluetooth. Only the raw 0–255 values are exclusive to PlayStation controllers over USB.
Why does my stick show a value even though the game does not drift?
Because the game applies a dead zone that swallows it. This test shows the raw resting position before any dead zone, which is what wears over time.
Can I fix drift by raising the dead zone?
You can hide it, at the cost of precision at slow movements. On PlayStation controllers recalibrating the centre is a better fix; on Xbox controllers cleaning or replacing the module.