Steam Deck Tester and Specs

Steam Deck controls are not a USB gamepad you plug in. In Desktop Mode a Chromium browser can see them, often as a Steam Input virtual device with vendor 28DE or as an Xbox 360-style pad. Game Mode’s built-in browser is a poor place to run this test. Trackpads and gyro are Steam Input features, not standard axes.

Labels are locked to this page’s layout. Change “Button labels” if they do not match the pad in your hands.

Inputs stay in this browser. Nothing is uploaded.

Press any button on the controller. Browsers hide gamepads until you press a button on this tab.

Browser-observed rate—
Sample age (ms)—
Left stick0.00
Right stick0.00
Offset—

This is how often the browser hands us a new sample. It is not the controller’s USB poll rate. How old the newest sample is when the page draws it. This is not display lag and not in-game lag.

Buttons

Face

YTriangleXB30.00
BCircleAB10.00
ACrossBB00.00
XSquareYB20.00

D-pad

Up0.00
Right0.00
Down0.00
Left0.00

Shoulders and triggers

LBL1LB40.00
RBR1RB50.00
LTL2ZLB60.00
RTR2ZRB70.00

Center and sticks clicks

ViewCreate−B80.00
MenuOptions+B90.00
XboxPSHomeB160.00
LSL3LSB100.00
RSR3RSB110.00
ShareTouchpadCaptureB170.00

Sticks

Left stick0.00, 0.00 · 0.00
Right stick0.00, 0.00 · 0.00

Up on the plot is up on the stick. The numbers keep the browser’s sign: positive Y is usually down.

Vibration

Motion

Gyro, accelerometer, touch position, and battery are not part of the standard Gamepad reading. Chrome and Edge on desktop can request a DualSense or DualShock 4 over WebHID.

Full checkup

  1. Buttons
  2. Sticks
  3. Triggers
  4. Rumble
  5. Review

A short pass over buttons, both sticks, both triggers, and vibration.

Raw data
Raw values appear here after a controller connects.

Specs and identifiers

FieldValue
Virtual vendor often seen28DE (Valve / Steam Input)
What the browser usually getsAn Xbox-style gamepad
TrackpadsNot standard Gamepad axes
GyroAvailable to Steam Input, not to this Gamepad reading

Works with

  • Steam Deck Desktop Mode: open Chrome or Edge and press a button on this page.
  • Docked to a monitor: same test, easier to read.
  • External pads on a Deck: they show up as their own devices beside the virtual pad. Use the slots.

Browser support for this controller

You are often testing the virtual pad Steam created, not a raw HID report from the Deck’s microcontroller. That is still the right test if your games use Steam Input. If you want the lowest remapping, look at Steam’s desktop layout and turn off extra deadzones before the drift sample.

Known quirks

  • Game Mode will not give you a trustworthy browser tester. Switch to Desktop Mode.
  • A trackpad click may arrive as a stick click or a mouse click depending on the layout.
  • Gyro-to-mouse moves the pointer. It will not orbit the stick scope unless the layout routes gyro to a stick.

Drift, repair, and warranty notes

Sample the sticks in Desktop Mode with Steam’s extra deadzone disabled. The Deck’s sticks can wear like any potentiometer pad. If the offset disappears when you change the Steam deadzone, you were measuring a software zone. Hall-effect replacement kits exist from third parties; retest after you fit them. Valve’s warranty is whatever your purchase region currently states.

Similar controllers

Same instrument, different hardware. Open a neighbor if you are comparing a replacement.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I open this page on a Steam Deck?

Desktop Mode, in Chrome or Edge. Game Mode’s browser is the wrong tool.

Why does the id say Xbox?

Steam Input is presenting a virtual Xbox pad. The physical device is still the Deck. The slot label will mention Steam when the id includes 28DE or Steam.