Stick Deadzones
Stop drift, defeat in-game deadzones, and reshape stick response per axis.
The Sticks tab runs each thumbstick through six processing stages. Every slider has a row reset, and every section has a Reset All. Each stick keeps its own values.
| Parameter | Range | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Deadzone X / Y | 0–100% | Ignores input below this size. Kills drift. Set per axis. |
| Anti-Deadzone X / Y | 0–100% | Sets a minimum output the moment the stick leaves the deadzone. Defeats game deadzones. Set per axis. |
| Linear | 0–100% | Blends the anti-deadzone curve (0%) with a straight line (100%). Shared across both axes. |
| Deadzone Shape | Dropdown | Geometric shape of the ignored region. |
| Sensitivity X / Y | Preset or Custom | Per-axis curve applied after the deadzone. |
| Center Offset X / Y | -100–100% | Shifts the deadzone center to the stick's real resting spot. Applied first. |
| Max Range X / Y | 1–100% | Physical position that counts as full output. Per direction. |
- Center offset. Cancels out hardware drift at rest.
- Deadzone. Zeroes input inside the deadzone shape.
- Max range. Caps the input ceiling.
- Sensitivity curve. Reshapes the response.
- Anti-deadzone. Adds a minimum output floor.
- Linear. Blends the curve toward a straight line.
The shape dropdown changes the geometry of the ignored region. Default is Scaled Radial. The reset button next to the dropdown restores it.
Circular (or elliptical) deadzone. Output is rescaled so it starts at zero at the deadzone edge and ramps up to full. No jump at the boundary.
- Best for most games and most players. Every direction is treated equally, so diagonals feel natural.
- Third-person movement feels the same whether you push forward, sideways, or diagonally.
Same circle as Scaled Radial. No rescale. Output jumps to the raw magnitude at the boundary.
- Best for raw feel with drift filtering only. Use when the game does its own rescaling.
Deadzones applied per axis. The ignored region forms a cross of vertical and horizontal strips. Each axis is independent.
- Best for 2D platformers, top-down strategy, menu navigation.
- Example: in a side-scroller, vertical wobble does not bleed into horizontal movement.
Two stages. Scaled Radial kills center noise. Sloped Scaled Axial adds wedge-shaped axis filtering on top.
- Best for competitive shooters that need a clean center and precise cardinal tracking.
- Example: tracking a horizontal target without vertical drift, with natural diagonals.
Wedge-shaped regions. The deadzone on one axis grows as the other axis deflects further. Output is rescaled.
- Best for racing and flight sims. Strong axis lock for clean straight-line input.
- Example: steering hard right filters out small Y-axis wobble on its own.
Same wedges as Sloped Scaled Axial without the rescale. Output may jump at the boundary.
- Best for the same cases as Sloped Scaled Axial when the game does its own rescaling.
| Shape | Preview |
|---|---|
| Scaled Radial / Radial | Circle (ellipse when X and Y differ) |
| Axial | Cross pattern |
| Sloped / Sloped Scaled / Hybrid | Wedge regions |
Some games have a built-in deadzone you cannot turn off. Anti-Deadzone gives the game a minimum output the moment the stick crosses PadForge's deadzone, so the game's own deadzone is already covered.
| Stick position | Output |
|---|---|
| Inside deadzone | 0% |
| Just past deadzone | Jumps to 20% |
| Full deflection | 100% |
| In between | Spread across 20–100% |
Formula: output = antiDeadZone + (stickInput * (1 - antiDeadZone))
| Anti-Deadzone | Use when |
|---|---|
| 0% | The game has no internal deadzone. |
| 5–10% | The stick feels slightly sluggish at first push. |
| 15–25% | The game eats small aim adjustments. |
| 30–50% | The game has a very aggressive deadzone (older titles, some ports). |
- Set the deadzone just high enough to stop drift.
- Push the stick slowly. Watch the preview dot.
- If the dot moves but the game does nothing, raise anti-deadzone 5% at a time.
- Stop the moment the game responds. Going higher compresses your usable range.
The Linear slider blends the response between the anti-deadzone curve and a straight line.
| Linear | Feel |
|---|---|
| 0% (default) | Follows the anti-deadzone curve. More precision near center, compressed near the edge. |
| 25–50% | Some curve remains. Middle ground for precision and speed. |
| 75–100% | Near or fully linear. Equal stick travel produces equal output change. |
If anti-deadzone is 0%, Linear does nothing. The response is already a straight line.
Each stick has its own Sensitivity X and Sensitivity Y curve. The curve reshapes output after the deadzone runs.
| Preset | Feel | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Linear | 1:1 input to output | Raw control with no reshape |
| Smooth | Extra precision near center, full output at edge | General use. Most games. |
| Aggressive | Small inputs produce large output | Fast reactions over fine control |
| Instant | Near-digital. Small flick produces almost full output. | Quick 180 turns, quick-scoping |
| S-Curve | Precision at low deflection, steep ramp at full | Competitive shooters needing fine aim plus fast turns |
| Delay | Output stays low until ~80% deflection, then surges | Sniping. Very fine aim, slower turns. |
| Custom | User-defined control points | Appears once you edit the curve |
Two charts appear side by side, one per axis. Input runs across, output runs up.
- Double-click to add a control point.
- Drag a control point to reshape the curve.
- Right-click a control point to remove it.
Editing any point switches the preset to Custom. The reset button restores Linear.
A live indicator dot tracks your stick's current position on the curve, so you can see the exact output as you move.
A worn stick can sit slightly off-center electrically and drift at rest. The usual workaround is a bigger deadzone, but that wastes range. Center offset shifts the deadzone center to the stick's actual rest position. The deadzone can then be smaller while still killing drift. This runs before everything else.
- The raw readout shows a non-zero value at rest.
- The preview dot sits off-center with your hands off the stick.
- You need a bigger-than-expected deadzone to stop drift.
- The controller is worn or aged.
- Put the controller on a flat surface. Do not touch the stick.
- Click Calibrate Center for that stick.
- PadForge samples raw values for about half a second (15 readings) and averages them.
- Center Offset X and Y are set automatically to cancel the measured drift.
Each axis has a Center Offset slider from -100% to +100%.
| Value | Effect |
|---|---|
| Positive | Shifts center right (X) or up (Y) |
| Negative | Shifts center left (X) or down (Y) |
| 0% | No correction (default) |
Max Range sets how far you must push the stick to reach 100% output.
Most controllers cannot physically reach 100% deflection in the corners, and sticks lose range as they wear. Lower the max range and PadForge treats a smaller physical push as full output.
| Max Range | Effect |
|---|---|
| 100% | Default. Full physical range required. |
| 85% | Full output at 85% deflection. Good for sticks that cannot reach the corners. |
| 70% | Full output at 70%. Limited travel or short-throw preference. |
| 50% | Full output at half deflection. Very sensitive. |
- Push the stick to its physical limit in each direction.
- Note the highest raw percentage the readout shows.
- Set Max Range to that value. If the stick reaches 87%, set 87%.
- A full push now sends 100% to the game.
Each axis carries an independent max range for each direction. Asymmetric sticks can push 95% right but only 82% left.
| Control | Direction |
|---|---|
| Min Range X | Leftward deflection |
| Max Range X | Rightward deflection |
| Min Range Y | Downward deflection |
| Max Range Y | Upward deflection |
All four values go from 1% to 100% and default to 100%.
- Worn controllers where one side has less spring than the other.
- Asymmetric hardware from manufacturing tolerances on third-party pads.
- Physical obstructions where the shell or grip limits travel in one direction.
- Push the stick fully in each direction, one at a time.
- Note the raw percentage you reach for each direction.
- Set each direction's max range to that number.
- Confirm the preview dot reaches the edge in all four directions.
A circular preview next to the sliders shows processed stick output in real time.
- Deadzone region. Shaded shape in the center matching the selected geometry (circle, cross, or wedges).
- Output dot. Fully processed position after all six stages.
| Task | What to watch |
|---|---|
| Testing drift | Release the stick. Dot off-center? Raise deadzone or calibrate center offset. |
| Testing shape | Push slowly outward in different directions. The dot starts moving at the deadzone edge. |
| Testing sensitivity | Push from center to edge. Watch how fast the dot accelerates. |
| Testing max range | Push to the physical limit. Dot not reaching the edge? Lower max range. |
Every slider has 0.1% precision. Three ways to set a value:
- Drag the slider for quick adjustment.
- Type a percentage into the number field.
- Type a raw digit value (0–32768) for hardware-level precision.
Changes apply immediately.
Every row has a reset button (circular arrow icon) that restores the default. Reset All at the top of each stick section resets everything for that stick in one click.
Starting points only. Use the preview and in-game testing to fine-tune.
| Setting | Left stick (movement) | Right stick (aiming) |
|---|---|---|
| Deadzone | 5–8% | 3–6% (as low as possible) |
| Anti-Deadzone | 0–5% | 10–20% |
| Linear | 50–75% | 25–50% |
| Shape | Scaled Radial | Hybrid or Scaled Radial |
| Sensitivity | Linear or Smooth | S-Curve or Smooth |
| Max Range | Calibrate to stick | Calibrate to stick |
Movement sticks are forgiving. Aim sticks need the tightest deadzone for micro-adjustments. Anti-deadzone on the aim stick defeats the game's internal deadzone. S-Curve gives precision near center and fast turns at the edge. Hybrid helps hold pure horizontal tracking.
| Setting | Left stick (steering) | Right stick (camera) |
|---|---|---|
| Deadzone | 3–8% | 5–10% |
| Anti-Deadzone | 0% | 0% |
| Linear | 0–25% | 50% |
| Shape | Sloped Scaled Axial or Scaled Radial | Scaled Radial |
| Sensitivity | Smooth or Delay | Linear |
| Max Range | Calibrate to stick | 100% |
Zero anti-deadzone avoids sudden jumps. Smooth or Delay curves add precision near center for gentle corrections. Sloped Scaled Axial locks pure left and right without vertical wobble.
| Setting | Left stick (pitch/roll) | Right stick (yaw/throttle) |
|---|---|---|
| Deadzone | 2–5% (as low as possible) | 3–8% |
| Anti-Deadzone | 0% | 0% |
| Linear | 0–25% | 25–50% |
| Shape | Scaled Radial | Scaled Radial or Axial |
| Sensitivity | Smooth or Delay | Smooth |
| Max Range | Calibrate to stick | Calibrate to stick |
Flight controls run on small corrections most of the time. Low deadzones keep the full analog range. Smooth or Delay curves widen the precision zone near center.
| Setting | Left stick (movement) | Right stick (camera) |
|---|---|---|
| Deadzone | 8–15% | 8–15% |
| Anti-Deadzone | 5–15% | 0–10% |
| Linear | 50–75% | 50% |
| Shape | Scaled Radial or Axial | Scaled Radial |
| Sensitivity | Linear or Aggressive | Linear |
| Max Range | 100% | 100% |
Platformers need instant response. Higher anti-deadzone and Aggressive sensitivity feel snappy. Axial works well for 2D platformers that need strict horizontal and vertical control without diagonal bleed.
| Setting | Left stick (cursor/selection) |
|---|---|
| Deadzone | 15–25% |
| Anti-Deadzone | 10–20% |
| Linear | 75–100% |
| Shape | Axial |
| Sensitivity | Linear |
| Max Range | 100% |
Axial isolates each axis for clean cardinal movement without diagonals. Higher deadzone prevents accidental inputs. Linear keeps cursor speed predictable.
When a slot uses Extended output with the Customize toggle on, the Sticks tab adapts to ThumbstickCount:
| Thumbstick count | Behavior |
|---|---|
| 0 | Sticks tab is empty |
| 1 | Controls for Stick 1 only |
| 2 | Stick 1 and Stick 2 (same as Xbox or PlayStation) |
| 3–4 | Extra sticks shown. Each uses 2 of the 8 axes shared with triggers. |
Every stick gets its own deadzone, anti-deadzone, linear setting, and preview.
- Controller Slots: create and configure virtual controllers.
- Button and Axis Mappings: map physical stick axes to virtual outputs.
- Trigger Deadzones: same shape of settings for triggers.
- Force Feedback: rumble and haptic settings on the same tab row.
- 3D and 2D Visualization: watch the stick move on the controller model.