Left Stick
Right Stick
What Circularity Tells You
A good stick reaches the same distance in every direction.
Gate Shape
The pink outline is your real outer range, sampled in 72 directions.
Error Score
Average deviation from a perfect circle — lower is better.
Quadrant Detail
See which quarter of the circle is weakest.
How to Run a Circularity Test
- 1
Connect the controller and press a button.
- 2
Push one stick fully to the edge and rotate it slowly, keeping it pressed against the gate.
- 3
Make at least three full turns in each direction.
- 4
Read the average error. The pink outline shows the shape your stick actually traces.
What the Error Means
The error is the average gap between your stick's outer range and a perfect circle. Lower is rounder.
Many pads score around 5–15%. Values above 20% usually mean a square-ish gate or a worn stick that no longer reaches the edge.
Why Circularity Matters
If the outer range is not round, diagonal movement is slower than straight movement in some directions.
In shooters this shows as aim that feels uneven when turning diagonally. Racing games may lose full steering at certain angles.
Getting an Accurate Result
Rotate slowly and keep steady pressure against the gate. Quick spins skip points and make the outline look jagged.
Test both directions. Some sticks reach further clockwise than anticlockwise, which shows up as a difference between runs.
How to Read the Circularity Error
Lower numbers mean a rounder outer range.
| Average error | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Below 5% | Very round, excellent |
| 5–12% | Typical for most controllers |
| 12–20% | Noticeable flat spots or a square gate |
| Above 20% | Worn stick or a strongly shaped gate |
Improving a Poor Score
Some shapes are by design; others point to wear.
Square gate
Some pads have square or octagonal gates on purpose. Their score will be higher, which is not a fault.
Worn stick
A stick that stops short of 1.00 at the edge flattens the shape. Use an outer deadzone or replace the module.
Software scaling
Steam Input can apply its own outer deadzone. Turn it off to see the raw shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good score?
Under about 6% is excellent. Many stock pads land between 6% and 12%.
Why is my stick square-ish?
Some controllers have square or octagonal gates, or apply a square-to-circle conversion.
Does over 100% matter?
Values above 1.0 mean the stick reports beyond the unit circle at the diagonals; games normally clamp it.
Should I rotate fast?
No — slow, steady rotations give the most accurate outline.
Is 0% error possible?
Not in practice. Every stick has small differences, so a few percent is excellent.
Why is my score worse in one direction?
One axis may have a slightly shorter range. A calibration in Windows or Steam can sometimes help.
Does a square gate mean a bad controller?
No. Some pads use shaped gates by design. Compare against the same model rather than a perfect circle.
Related guides
More tools you might need
Stick Drift Test
Find out if your controller has stick drift.
Open tool →Deadzone Test
Measure stick rest noise and preview inner and outer deadzones live.
Open tool →Polling Rate Test
Measure your controller's polling rate in Hz with interval statistics and a live graph.
Open tool →Input Latency Test
Measure how quickly your browser detects controller presses and test your reaction time with a five-round button challenge.
Open tool →