Controller Polling Rate Test
Measure how often your controller reports its state.
— Hz
Peak
—
Controller
none detected
Press a button first so the browser exposes the pad, then keep a stick moving — the timestamp only advances when the state changes.
Browsers read gamepads once per animation frame, so this is capped by your display refresh rate. On a 60 Hz screen a 125 Hz and a 1000 Hz controller both read about 60. Compare against your monitor's refresh rate before concluding anything.
Your test runs locally in your browser. No device data is uploaded.
How to use the polling rate test
Connect the controller and press a button so the browser exposes it, then start the test and keep a stick moving. The browser only advances the gamepad timestamp when the state actually changes, so an idle controller reports as an extremely low rate no matter how fast it really is.
What polling rate means for a controller
It is how often the pad sends its button and stick positions to the computer. Standard controllers report at around 125 Hz, and competitive pads and adapters advertise 500 Hz or 1000 Hz. A higher rate lowers the delay between moving a stick and the game seeing it.
Why this reading is capped
Browsers do not receive gamepad events. They expose a snapshot that pages read once per animation frame, which is tied to your display refresh rate. On a 60 Hz screen a 125 Hz pad and a 1000 Hz pad both read about 60, because that is as often as the page is allowed to look.
Running the test on a 144 Hz or 240 Hz display raises the ceiling and makes differences visible. Even then, a native tool that talks to the USB device directly will always measure this more accurately than a web page can, and the number here should be read as a floor rather than a specification.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is my reading around 60 Hz?
- Because browsers read gamepads once per animation frame, which is tied to your display refresh rate. On a 60 Hz screen almost every controller reads about 60. That is a browser limitation rather than a property of your pad, so compare the reading against your monitor refresh rate before drawing conclusions.
- How can I get a more useful reading?
- Run it on a high refresh rate display. At 144 Hz or 240 Hz the ceiling rises and differences between controllers start to show. Even then, a native tool will always measure this more accurately than a web page can.
- Why does the number drop when I stop moving?
- The browser only advances the gamepad timestamp when the state changes. Keep a stick moving while measuring, or an idle controller will read as a very low rate.