Gyro Test — 3-axis motion sensor checker
A controller gyro test verifies your gamepad’s three-axis gyroscope is reporting motion correctly. Our free browser-based tester reads gyro data via extra Gamepad API axes when exposed by your browser, auto-detects which axes carry the signal, then runs a guided rest-motion-rest sequence measuring drift, peak angular velocity, and cross-axis interference. Works with PS5 DualSense, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, and Joy-Con on Chromium browsers. Used by Splatoon, Zelda, and PC gyro-aim players to verify hardware health before competitive play.
How the gyro test works
Connect your controller
Plug in via USB or pair over Bluetooth. Press any button to expose the controller to the page. Best results on Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Opera, Brave) — Firefox and Safari have limited gyro support.
Auto-detect gyro axes
Different controllers and browser versions expose gyro at different axis indices. The tester probes axes 4 through 9 during a 500-millisecond gentle-motion window and picks the three highest-variance axes as gyro X, Y, and Z.
Phase 1 — Rest (2 seconds)
Place the controller flat with hands off. The tester records the worst-case absolute value per axis. A healthy gyro reports under 1°/s at rest; anything above 2°/s indicates drift or calibration issues.
Phase 2 — Motion (8 seconds)
Rotate the controller through all three axes — tilt left/right (X), pitch up/down (Y), and twist clockwise/counter-clockwise (Z). The tester records the peak magnitude per axis (should reach ≥100°/s) and the worst cross-axis interference (other axes bleeding through when one is dominant).
Phase 3 — Rest again (2 seconds)
Place flat again. This catches calibration drift induced by movement — some failing IMUs report clean drift at rest but accumulate offset after motion. The verdict combines worst-of-three signals per axis, then worst-of-three-axes overall.
What the gyro signals mean
Three independent signals per axis. Each is classified separately; the worst across the three determines that axis’s verdict. The overall verdict is the worst of the three axes.
| Signal | Verdict | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Rest drift | Worst |value| during rest | Healthy ≤ 1°/s · Good ≤ 2°/s · Worn ≤ 5°/s · Failing > 5°/s. Drift above 2°/s is the most common gyro complaint and usually fixable via system-level recalibration. |
| Peak reach | Max magnitude during motion | Healthy ≥ 100°/s · Good ≥ 75°/s · Worn ≥ 50°/s · Failing < 50°/s. Failure to reach peak indicates sensor range degradation, less common than drift and usually means hardware replacement. |
| Cross-axis interference | Other-axis bleed when one is dominant | Healthy ≤ 15°/s · Good ≤ 30°/s · Worn ≤ 60°/s · Failing > 60°/s. High cross-axis bleed means the three gyro elements are not well-isolated mechanically and gyro-aim feels imprecise. |
| Calibration callout | Drift > 2°/s + peak ≥ 75°/s on all axes | Surfaced automatically: your gyro responds to motion correctly but has elevated resting drift. Recalibrate via PS5/Switch system settings before assuming hardware failure. |
Compatible devices
The gyro test works with any controller exposing motion sensor data via extra Gamepad API axes. Coverage is best on Chromium browsers — Firefox and Safari are inconsistent.
Common troubleshooting guides
Related diagnostics
Gyro questions
A controller gyroscope is a small motion sensor that measures how fast the controller is rotating in three dimensions — pitch (tilt up/down), yaw (twist left/right), and roll (lean left/right). Games use gyro data for fine aiming (Splatoon, Zelda Breath of the Wild, Resident Evil 4 Remake), for steering in racing games, and as a mouse-like pointer for menu navigation. PC players often pair gyro with stick-aim through Steam Input or GyroDSU for hybrid control schemes.
Most browsers do not expose gyro through the standard Gamepad API spec, but Chromium-based browsers extend the axes array with extra entries — typically axes 4 through 9 — that carry accelerometer and gyroscope values. The exact mapping varies by controller and browser version, so our tester probes the extra axes during a brief motion window and picks the three with the highest variance as the gyro signals.
Small resting drift under 2°/s is normal — every MEMS gyroscope produces some noise. Drift above 2°/s usually indicates the controller needs recalibration: place it flat on a stable surface and run the recalibration sequence in PS5 or Switch system settings. Drift above 5°/s after recalibration suggests a hardware fault and the gyro may need replacement. Note that gyro drift is distinct from stick drift — they are independent failure modes.
Cross-axis interference is when rotating around one axis produces a false signal on the other two. A well-isolated three-axis gyroscope should report zero or near-zero on the inactive axes when only one is being rotated. High cross-axis interference (over 30°/s) means the IMU is poorly isolated and gyro-aim will feel imprecise — small rotations on one axis produce phantom signal on others, causing aim wobble.
Splatoon’s entire combat system is built around gyro aim. A drifting or imprecise gyro causes your crosshair to wander or judder, missing shots that should land. Competitive Splatoon players check gyro health before tournaments and after any controller drop or storage gap. Switch Pro Controllers and Joy-Cons are particularly sensitive to gyro calibration after long storage in pockets, bags, or hot/cold environments.
Limited. Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Opera, Brave) expose extra gyro axes on most supported controllers. Firefox has historically gated motion sensor access behind privacy flags. Safari supports the basic Gamepad API but does not consistently expose extra axes for gyro. If our tester shows Detection Failed in Firefox or Safari, your controller may still have working gyro — try the test in Chrome or Edge before assuming hardware failure.
Approximately. Browsers normalize raw sensor readings to a ±1.0 range before exposing them, then we scale by a factor of 500 to display approximate degrees-per-second values. True calibrated readings require reading the raw HID stream via the WebHID API, which we are adding in a v1.1 update. The verdict thresholds (1°/s healthy, 100°/s peak) are practical estimates validated against published gyro behavior, not lab-grade measurements.
A gyroscope measures angular velocity (how fast you’re rotating, in degrees per second). An accelerometer measures linear acceleration (how fast you’re moving in a straight line, in g’s). Both sensors are usually packaged together in an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) chip. This test reads gyro only — it would not detect a broken accelerometer. Some controllers expose both via Gamepad API extra axes; our axis-detection probe picks the highest-variance three, which are usually the gyro axes during a motion test.
How we measure controller gyro
Built on the Gamepad API extra-axes extension. Auto-detection via 500ms variance probe across axes 4–9, then 3-phase guided test (rest 2s, motion 8s, rest 2s) measuring drift, peak reach, and cross-axis interference per axis. Methodology published by GPADLAB Engineering.
Run the full Controller Health Score
This test is one of six diagnostics in the composite score. See how your controller stacks up overall.
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