Methodology 2026.07.2

Browser Gamepad Diagnostic Methodology

Every active check uses this registry for its required action, sample source, evidence, status rules, confidence, score eligibility, and limitations.

Open Controller Tester

System-wide limits

  • Results are browser-observed diagnostic aids, not electrical or laboratory measurements.
  • A Gamepad id is a descriptor and cannot prove a unique physical controller identity.
  • Unsupported and unavailable checks are excluded from health scoring.
  • Incomplete or interrupted checks never count as passes.
  • Health scores require at least 70% eligible evidence coverage and completion of the available core checks.
  • Repair guidance begins with a repeat test and reversible checks.
01

Stick center stability

Score eligible
Required capability
At least one browser-exposed two-axis stick
Required action
Release the sticks and keep them untouched for the full sampling window.
Sample source
Unique timestamped snapshots from the Web Gamepad API

Evidence

per-stick median center, radial 95th percentile, median absolute deviation, movement-frame count, duration.

Status rules

Movement or weak sampling is incomplete. A stable center above the documented threshold is a fail observation.

Confidence

Confidence increases with unique reports, duration, low spread, and stable hands-off input.

Limits

  • Cannot distinguish user pressure, calibration, software remapping, and physical sensor wear by itself.
02

Stick sweep coverage

Observation only
Required capability
At least one browser-exposed two-axis stick
Required action
Move each available stick slowly around its full edge.
Sample source
Unique timestamped Web Gamepad API axis snapshots

Evidence

maximum radius, 12-bin angular coverage, per-bin edge radius, observed unique axis levels.

Status rules

Each available stick needs edge reach and at least 10 of 12 angular bins; otherwise the sweep is incomplete.

Confidence

Confidence requires adequate angular coverage and enough unique reports.

Limits

  • Circularity and resolution are browser-observed estimates, not electrical resolution or authenticity tests.
03

Release overshoot

Score eligible
Required capability
Browser-exposed stick axes
Required action
Flick each required axis to an edge and release it without deliberately reversing direction.
Sample source
Unique timestamped Web Gamepad API axis snapshots

Evidence

per-axis valid trials, release time, opposite-direction peak in settle window, sample cadence.

Status rules

Every reported axis needs repeated valid trials. Overshoot above the threshold is a fail observation; missing trials are incomplete.

Confidence

Confidence depends on repeated trials and the cadence at which browser snapshots were delivered.

Limits

  • Measures browser-visible release overshoot and cannot replace an oscilloscope or raw device report analysis.
04

Trigger range and release

Score eligible
Required capability
Independently mapped analog trigger values
Required action
Begin released, then fully pull and release each trigger.
Sample source
Unique timestamped Web Gamepad API button values

Evidence

per-trigger start, maximum, release transition, post-release settle, user-motion smoothness estimate.

Status rules

Held-at-start, untouched, low-range single runs, and no release are incomplete. A repeatable post-release value above threshold is a fail observation.

Confidence

Confidence depends on unique reports, duration, and completion of each phase.

Limits

  • Pull smoothness depends on the user motion and browser delivery cadence.
05

Face-button registration

Score eligible
Required capability
At least one mapped face button
Required action
Press and release every available mapped control.
Sample source
Unique timestamped Web Gamepad API button snapshots

Evidence

per-control starting state, press observed, release observed, browser-visible transition count.

Status rules

Available controls are evaluated independently. Missing press or release is incomplete; the basic test does not claim electrical chatter.

Confidence

A complete browser-visible press and release gives medium confidence in registration only.

Limits

  • Sub-frame electrical contact bounce is outside standard Gamepad API precision.
06

D-pad registration

Score eligible
Required capability
At least one mapped D-pad direction
Required action
Press and release every available mapped direction.
Sample source
Unique timestamped Web Gamepad API button snapshots

Evidence

per-direction press and release, starting state, transition count.

Status rules

Available directions are aggregated; unavailable controls remain limitations rather than failures.

Confidence

A complete browser-visible cycle gives medium confidence in registration.

Limits

  • Does not determine the controller firmware SOCD policy or membrane condition by itself.
07

Shoulder-button registration

Score eligible
Required capability
At least one mapped shoulder control
Required action
Press and release every available mapped shoulder control.
Sample source
Unique timestamped Web Gamepad API button snapshots

Evidence

per-control press and release, starting state, transition count.

Status rules

Available controls are evaluated independently; incomplete action is not a hardware failure.

Confidence

A complete browser-visible cycle gives medium confidence in registration.

Limits

  • Intermittent faults require repeated trials and confirmation outside this basic check.
08

Auxiliary-control registration

Score eligible
Required capability
At least one mapped menu, stick-click, home, or auxiliary control
Required action
Press and release every available mapped control.
Sample source
Unique timestamped Web Gamepad API button snapshots

Evidence

per-control press and release, starting state, transition count.

Status rules

Optional unavailable controls are excluded; available controls need a complete cycle.

Confidence

A complete browser-visible cycle gives medium confidence in registration.

Limits

  • Browsers and operating systems may reserve or omit system buttons.
09

Opposing-direction policy observation

Observation only
Required capability
Four independently mapped D-pad directions
Required action
Attempt horizontal and vertical opposing pairs as instructed.
Sample source
Unique timestamped Web Gamepad API D-pad snapshots

Evidence

horizontal observed policy, vertical observed policy, transition order.

Status rules

Reports directly visible raw simultaneous or no-neutral-gap last-input behavior. Hidden suppression remains inconclusive. No policy is a hardware failure.

Confidence

Raw simultaneous output is directly visible. A no-neutral-gap opposing transition is medium confidence; hidden physical input cannot be proven.

Limits

  • Tournament legality depends on the selected game and ruleset.
10

Vibration confirmation

Observation only
Required capability
A standard actuator or explicitly associated supported HID output target
Required action
Run one output command and confirm whether vibration was felt.
Sample source
Gamepad haptic command result or validated device-specific WebHID output

Evidence

session id, run id, output path, command acceptance, duration, user confirmation.

Status rules

Unavailable output is excluded. A command confirmation is subjective and excluded from hardware-health scoring.

Confidence

Confidence requires a command accepted for the active session and an unambiguous output target.

Limits

  • A rejected or unfelt command can reflect browser, transport, battery, firmware, or application state.
11

Additional axis activity

Observation only
Required capability
More than four browser-exposed axes
Required action
Move controls that may be represented by additional axes.
Sample source
Unassigned Web Gamepad API axes after semantic stick and control normalization

Evidence

changed axis indices, observed ranges.

Status rules

Reports activity only and never infers a gyroscope or sensor type.

Confidence

Confidence describes observed range only.

Limits

  • Extra axes can represent hats, sliders, paddles, or other controls rather than motion sensors.
12

Observed update cadence

Observation only
Required capability
Changing nonzero Gamepad timestamps
Required action
Keep the page focused and move a control during observation.
Sample source
Differences between unique Gamepad timestamps plus browser delivery times

Evidence

median source interval, interval standard deviation, unique report count, browser delivery cadence.

Status rules

Unavailable when timestamps do not change enough; never treated as a direct USB polling-rate measurement.

Confidence

Confidence increases with unique source reports and stable foreground observation, and decreases after hidden-tab or scheduling contamination.

Limits

  • Display refresh, browser scheduling, page load, transport, and controller behavior can all affect the observation.

Health score semantics

Unsupported and unavailable checks leave eligibility. Incomplete, interrupted, and low-confidence failures stay uncovered. A numerical score requires at least 70% of eligible evidence plus the available core checks. SOCD policy, vibration, extra axes, stick sweep estimates, and cadence are excluded from hardware-health scoring.