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Controller Vibrates In Games But Does Nothing On Your Vibration Test

Asked by Zachary L.0 views

My controller rumbles fine in games but your vibration test does nothing at all when I press play. Buttons and sticks show up fine on the same page. I'm on Firefox on Windows, Xbox Series pad over USB. Did I miss a setting?

Controller Vibrates In Games But Does Nothing Your Vibration Test
Brand
Microsoft
Model
Xbox Wireless Controller Model 1914
Connection
USB-C Cable
System
Windows 11
Browser
Firefox 157
Detected Controller
Xbox Wireless Controller
Buttons And Axes
17 buttons, 6 axes
Vibration And Rumble FaultsXbox Series X|S Controller
Test used in this questionVibration TestTest both rumble motors and the haptic feedback patterns
Open Free Test
Short Answer

It is the browser. Firefox reads controllers but does not support the Gamepad API's rumble feature, so no web page can vibrate a controller in Firefox. Use Chrome or Edge for the vibration test; Safari on Mac supports it too.

Verified By Gamepad TesterVerified By Gamepad Tester
Simon Fletcher
Simon FletcherVerified Gamepad Tester team memberGamepad Tester Team
Browser Compatibility Tester · 24+ years experience · Answered Oct 16, 2026

You did not miss anything, and your controller is fine. This is a gap in browser support.

Reading a controller and vibrating it are two different parts of the Gamepad API. Reading buttons and sticks works in every major browser. Vibration goes through a separate feature called the vibration actuator, and support is uneven: Chrome and Edge support it, Safari on macOS added it in version 16.4, and Firefox does not support it. On iPhone and iPad, no browser does.

So in Firefox the test page cannot send the rumble command at all. Games work because they talk to the controller through Windows directly, not through a browser.

There is also a newer effect called trigger-rumble, supported in Chrome and Edge from version 126, which drives the small motors inside Xbox controller triggers. If you want to test those on your Series controller, Chrome or Edge on Windows is the place.

Open the same test in Chrome or Edge and you should feel it straight away.

Step By Step Fix
  1. Open the vibration test in Chrome or Edge on the same PC.
  2. Click the page and press a button so the browser detects the controller.
  3. Play a short pulse at full strength. You should feel both motors.
  4. If your browser supports trigger rumble, test each trigger motor separately as well.
  5. If it still does not vibrate in Chrome or Edge, close Steam and any remapping tools, reconnect by USB and try again.

Tested on: Applies to Xbox Wireless Controller Model 1914 on Windows 11 with Firefox, Chrome and Edge. Browser support per MDN compatibility data for GamepadHapticActuator and vibrationActuator.

Sources
  1. Gamepad: vibrationActuator property
  2. GamepadHapticActuator: playEffect() method

Checked by Camila Ferreira on . How we verify answers

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Community Replies 4

  • Accepted Solution
    Bryce HollandCommunity Member

    Same here. Switched to Edge and it buzzed straight away. Firefox reads everything else fine so I never suspected it.

  • Zachary LynchCommunity Member

    Chrome works, both motors and the trigger rumble too. Didn't know the triggers had their own motors!

  • Soraya RahimiCommunity Member

    Thanks. It would be nice if the page said not supported in this browser instead of doing nothing.

  • Simon FletcherCommunity Member

    Fair point, Soraya, that is useful feedback for the page.

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Simon Fletcher
Written and tested by

Simon FletcherVerified Gamepad Tester team member

Browser Compatibility Tester at Gamepad Tester

Simon audits browser compatibility. The Gamepad API is implemented unevenly: a DualSense exposes adaptive triggers and haptics in one browser and not another, button indexes shift between engines, and Safari and Chrome disagree on when a controller becomes visible to a page. He tests each release of the tools here across Chromium and WebKit builds and documents the differences instead of hiding them. On Gamepad Tester he handles the questions where a controller works in one browser but not another, and reviews the rumble and haptics answers.

Browser engine differencesChromium and WebKit testingGamepad API supporthaptics and adaptive triggers
  • 4 answers on Gamepad Tester
  • 24+ years experience
  • Tests each release of these tools across Chromium and WebKit browsers and documents the differences.
  • Reviewed by Camila Ferreira
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Calder WrightCalder WrightFront-End Web Architect And Gamepad API LeadElena RostovaElena RostovaHardware Diagnostics EngineerGarrett LindsayGarrett LindsayHardware Reviewer And Input Performance SpecialistVenom’s Tech (Abhishek)Venom’s Tech (Abhishek)Peripheral Reviewer And Tech JournalistChloe HendersonChloe HendersonHall Effect And Thumbstick AnalystThiago AlvesThiago AlvesHardware Repair EducatorDevon MillerDevon MillerLow Latency And Input Timing EngineerLiam DaviesLiam DaviesBluetooth And Wireless Test Engineer

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