Why Does My New Hall Effect Stick Feel Different And Have A Bigger Deadzone?

This is one of the most common complaints about third-party Hall effect pads, and the cause is usually firmware rather than the sticks.

The deadzone test shows what the controller sends after its own processing. A reading that stays at exactly 0.00 and then jumps to around 0.10 is the signature of an inner deadzone applied inside the controller. The sensor is detecting your small movements; the firmware is throwing them away. Makers do this so a pad cannot show drift out of the box, especially with magnetic sensors that have a little resting noise. The cost is exactly what you feel: the first part of the stick's travel does nothing.

Your DualSense applies a much smaller deadzone, which is why it responded immediately. Add a game's own deadzone on top of the controller's and the dead area grows again.

Feel is a separate question. Hall effect sticks still use springs and gimbals, and tension and centre feel vary by maker. Some budget Hall effect pads feel looser around centre. That is mechanical design, not the sensor type.

So check three places in order: the controller's own software, the game's deadzone, and any Steam Input settings. Many brands let you set the inner deadzone to zero or close to it. Once you have, re-test and set the game deadzone just above the resting noise you measure, not higher.