PS5 controller test (DualSense)
Test every button on your PS5 DualSense and measure stick drift in the browser. Its potentiometer sticks wear with use. Here’s how to tell normal from failing.
Browsers deliberately hide connected controllers until you press a button on one. This is a privacy measure, not a fault. Connect your controller, press any button and it’ll appear here.
Why the DualSense drifts
The DualSense uses potentiometer sticks. Each stick position is read by a contact sliding along a resistive track and that contact wears the track a little with every movement. Worn areas around the center make the controller report a small movement when nobody is touching the stick. That is stick drift and on this design it’s a matter of when rather than if.
Rest the controller flat and press Measure stick drift above. Readings up to 0.05 are normal tolerance. Past 0.10 most games can’t hide it with their deadzone. The drift guide explains the bands.
How browsers see the DualSense
Chromium based browsers and Firefox recognize the DualSense over USB and Bluetooth and report its face buttons, shoulder buttons, analog triggers and both sticks in the standard layout. The touchpad click and the mute button sit outside that layout, so whether they appear and which number they get varies by browser. Adaptive trigger resistance, haptics and the light bar can’t be tested from a web page.
Known issues with the DualSense
Stick drift from worn potentiometers
The DualSense uses ALPS potentiometer sticks. An ALPS information sheet cited by iFixit gives them an expected life of about two million operating cycles, which iFixit estimated could be used up in roughly 417 hours of an intense shooter. Drift was widespread enough to prompt a class action lawsuit in the US in 2021.
Stick clicks (L3 and R3) wearing out
The same ALPS sheet rates the stick’s push button at about 500,000 presses, a quarter of the stick’s movement rating. In games that use a stick click to sprint, L3 can become unreliable before the stick itself drifts. The test above shows L3 and R3 as ordinary buttons, so a missed press is easy to spot.
How to fix it
Measure drift with the controller flat on a desk. If a stick reads above 0.05 at rest, blow compressed air around the base of the stick while rotating it slowly, then measure again. Cleaning often helps for a few weeks. If drift returns, claim the warranty if you can. Out of warranty the choice is a paid Sony repair, a new controller or a replacement stick module. Replacement modules need desoldering and Hall effect modules made for the DualSense are sold for the same job.
Replacing a stick: soldered to the main board. Replacing a stick means desoldering a multi-pin module. The stick drift repair guide covers cleaning and replacement in more detail.
Warranty
Sony’s limited warranty for a DualSense bought in the US is typically one year from purchase. Drift inside that period is a hardware defect worth claiming through PlayStation support, though you may have to pay to ship the controller.
DualSense questions
Does the DualSense Edge drift too?
The Edge uses potentiometer sticks as well, so it wears the same way. The difference is that its stick modules pop out and can be replaced without tools or soldering, which turns drift into a quick part swap rather than a repair job.
Why doesn’t the touchpad show up in the test?
The standard gamepad layout that browsers use has no slot for a touchpad. Some browsers expose the touchpad click as an extra button and others don’t expose it at all. Touchpad movement isn’t available to web pages either way.
Will a firmware update fix DualSense drift?
No. Drift on this controller comes from physical wear on the potentiometer track. Firmware can change how the console filters small movements but it can’t restore a worn track. Keep the firmware current for other fixes but don’t expect it to cure drift.
Is drift more likely on the left stick?
Usually, because the left stick does most of the moving in most games and wear follows use. A controller with drift on the left stick only is typical. Drift on both sticks at once on a newer controller is worth a warranty claim sooner rather than later.
Specifications
| Released | 2020 |
| Stick type | Potentiometer (wears and can drift) |
| Stick part | ALPS potentiometer stick modules |
| Connections | USB-C cable · Bluetooth |