Questions
How to test whether a controller works on a Mac
Pair or plug in the controller, then watch it move somewhere. There are three places to do that on a Mac, from the built-in one up.
System Settings
On macOS 13 and later: System Settings, General, Game Controllers. Every connected pad is listed, and clicking one shows its buttons, which light as you press them. If the controller is not listed here, the Mac is not seeing it and the problem is pairing, not the game.
In a browser
The deadzone visualizer on this site reads a connected controller through the browser's Gamepad API and plots the sticks live, which also shows drift: a stick that rests off centre. Nothing is sent anywhere; it runs in the page.
In InputConfig
InputConfig's Live Visualizer draws the whole controller, every button, trigger value, stick position, touchpad touch, and gyroscope angle, live, with the controller's own labels. It is the quickest way to find out what a button is called, whether a paddle registers, and how much a stick drifts, and it doubles as the deadzone calibrator. It reads raw HID devices too, so a joystick or wheel that the System Settings page does not show will appear here.
Questions
How do I know if my Mac recognises my controller?
System Settings, General, Game Controllers lists it on macOS 13 and later. If it is there and lights up, the Mac side works.
How do I check a controller for stick drift on a Mac?
Let the stick go and watch its resting position in the deadzone visualizer on this site or in InputConfig's Live Visualizer. Anything off centre is drift; a deadzone hides it.
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