Controller Circularity Test
Roll the stick around its gate and see the shape it traces.
Max reach
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Min at rim
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Circularity error
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Controller
none detected
Push the stick to the rim and roll it slowly all the way around, two or three times. The dashed ring is a perfect circle. A trace that flattens at the diagonals means the stick cannot reach full deflection there, which is the usual cause of diagonal movement feeling slower than straight movement.
Your test runs locally in your browser. No device data is uploaded.
How to use the circularity test
Push the stick out to the rim and roll it slowly all the way around, two or three full circles. The trace builds up as you go, and the dashed ring behind it is a perfect circle for comparison. Only movement past 70% of full deflection is measured, since the middle of the range says nothing about the gate.
What the shape tells you
A stick that reaches the same distance in every direction traces a circle. One that flattens at the diagonals cannot reach full deflection there, which is why diagonal movement can feel slower than straight movement in games that read the raw axes.
Circularity error is the gap between the furthest and nearest points on the rim, as a percentage. Under about 10% is good and largely unnoticeable. Above roughly 15% you tend to feel it when aiming. Some controllers use a square or octagonal gate by design and will never trace a circle, so compare against how your controller behaved when it was new rather than against a perfect circle.
What causes a bad trace
Wear in the stick module is the usual answer on an older controller, and it normally shows as a trace that has flattened compared with how it used to look. A tight or fouled gate ring produces the same result mechanically.
Calibration matters too. Some controllers expose a calibration in their own utility or firmware that re-learns the extents, and running it can restore a trace that had drifted inwards on one side.
Frequently asked questions
- What does circularity measure?
- Whether the stick reaches the same distance from centre in every direction. Rolling it around the rim should trace a circle. A shape that flattens at the diagonals means the stick cannot reach full deflection there, which is why diagonal movement can feel slower than straight movement.
- What is a good circularity error?
- Under about 10% is good and largely unnoticeable. Above roughly 15% you tend to feel it in games that need precise aim. Some controllers are square-gated by design and will never trace a circle.
- Can circularity be improved?
- Not usually in software from a web page, though some controllers offer a calibration in their own utility or firmware. A trace that has got worse over time normally means the stick module is wearing and needs replacing.