Stick drift explained
Why a stick moves on its own, how PadProof measures it, and what to try first.
What drift is
Each stick reports its position as two numbers, left–right and up–down, each from −1 to 1. At rest both should sit at the centre. Drift is when the resting position is off-centre or keeps wobbling, so a game sees movement you are not making.
What causes it
- Wear inside the stick module, the most common cause on a controller that has seen a lot of use.
- Dust or debris in the stick mechanism.
- A stick whose centre calibration is off.
- Less often, a damaged board or a loose connector.
How PadProof measures it
The stick rest test records both sticks while you leave the controller untouched. It measures how far each axis sits from the centre and how much it wobbles, and compares both with fixed thresholds.
What to try
- Run the stick rest test again to rule out a one-off.
- Clean the stick. It fixes drift caused by dust and costs nothing.
- Recalibrate if the offset is the same every time.
- If the drift comes back, replace the stick module or have the controller repaired.
Many games offer a dead zone setting that hides small drift. It hides the symptom, not the cause.