What is Stick Circularity?
Understanding how analog stick accuracy affects your gaming precision
Perfect Circularity
When you rotate your joystick in a full circle at maximum deflection, an ideal controller should produce a perfect circle of coordinates. This indicates precise mechanical alignment and accurate sensor readings across all angles.
Circularity Errors
Deviations from perfect circularity show as bumps, flat spots, or irregular shapes. These errors can cause inconsistent aiming in FPS games, uneven turning in racing games, and unpredictable movement in platformers.
How the Test Works
Our circularity test measures the deviation from a perfect unit circle as you rotate the joystick around its full range of motion.
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Under 5% Error
Excellent precision suitable for competitive gaming and precision aiming
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5-10% Error
Good quality typical of most consumer controllers
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Over 15% Error
May cause noticeable accuracy issues in gameplay
Edge-to-edge trace analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about joystick circularity testing
Q Why does my controller have flat spots?
Flat spots in the circularity trace are often caused by mechanical limitations in the potentiometer design or physical wear on the controller's internal components. Hall-effect sticks typically show better roundness.
Q What are quadrant errors?
Quadrant errors show how accuracy varies across different directions (Right, Up, Left, Down). Uneven quadrant scores may indicate mechanical issues or worn potentiometers in specific directions.
Q How do I get accurate results?
Push the joystick fully to the edge and rotate slowly and steadily. Cover all 360° at least twice for best accuracy. Make sure to push all the way to the mechanical limit.
Q Can poor circularity be fixed?
Minor circularity issues can sometimes be compensated with in-game sensitivity curves. Severe issues typically require replacing the analog stick module or the entire controller.