PS5 DualSense Controller Test

Connecting a DualSense

Over USB, plug a data-capable USB-C cable into the controller and press any button. Over Bluetooth, hold Create and the PS button until the light bar flashes, then pair from your computer's Bluetooth settings.

If the pad pairs but nothing appears here, press a button while this page is focused — browsers hide gamepads until they send an input.

What a browser can and cannot reach on a DualSense

Reachable: both sticks and their resting drift, Cross, Circle, Square and Triangle, L1 and R1, L2 and R2 trigger travel, the D-pad, L3 and R3, Create and Options, and usually the PS and touchpad click.

Not reachable: adaptive trigger resistance, fine haptics, the light bar, the microphone and the touchpad's finger positions. The standard interface reads how far L2 and R2 are pulled but cannot control their resistance.

Checking DualSense stick drift

Put the controller flat on a table, let go of both sticks and start the timed resting measurement. Over roughly ten seconds it records the current, average, median, peak and 95th-percentile offset for each stick, plus how far the centre point sits from zero.

A DualSense that rests inside a couple of per cent on both sticks is behaving normally. Consistent movement above that, especially on one axis only, is the pattern people mean by stick drift — the full breakdown lives in the dedicated stick drift test.

Drift that only shows up after you push a stick to the edge and release is a recentring problem rather than resting drift. Watch the return path in the circularity and range test.

Testing DualSense buttons: Cross, Circle, Square, Triangle and the rest

The guided sweep asks for each input in turn and counts how many of the pad's buttons have registered, so you can see at a glance whether anything never responded. Cross, Circle, Square and Triangle, L1 and R1, the D-pad, L3 and R3, Create, Options, the PS button and the touchpad click are all normally visible.

A button that stays lit after you release it is a stuck state and gets flagged separately — that is usually debris around the button rather than a failed switch.

Before concluding a button is dead, retest it, try a different cable or connection, and try another browser. Capture software such as Steam Input or DS4Windows can quietly intercept inputs.

L2 and R2 trigger travel

The trigger test shows live L2 and R2 bars with the resting value, maximum reached, total travel and the difference between left and right. A healthy trigger rests at zero, climbs smoothly and reaches full range.

A non-zero resting value means the trigger is not returning fully; a maximum well below full range means limited travel. Both are visible in the browser even though the adaptive resistance motors are not.

Testing a PS5 controller on PC

Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS all read a DualSense through the standard gamepad interface, so this page works the same on each. USB-C is the most reliable; Bluetooth pairs by holding Create and the PS button until the light bar flashes.

If the pad appears in the operating system but not here, another program is most likely holding it. Close Steam (or disable Steam Input for the controller), DS4Windows and any remapping utility, then reload and press a button.