Wrong buttons on the overlay
The controller is detected, but the overlay does not match your hands. Almost every case comes down to how the controller is presented to the browser, and each one has a direct fix.
How do I see what the browser receives?
Open the gamepad tester and press each button. It shows the mapping the browser uses and which number lights up for each press. The button numbering table gives the expected number for every button on Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo controllers, so you can see exactly which ones are out of place.
What does standard mapping actually mean?
The W3C Gamepad specification (checked in October 2026) defines one reference layout: 17 buttons in a fixed order (the four face buttons, bumpers, triggers, the two centre buttons, stick clicks, the four D-pad directions and the home button) and 4 axes for the two sticks. When the browser recognizes a controller, it translates it into that layout and reports the mapping as standard. When it does not, the mapping is left empty and the browser passes the raw order of the device through, so button 3 on one controller can be a D-pad direction on another. The overlay relies on the standard layout to line up.
Each browser keeps its own list of controllers it knows how to translate, so the same pad can be standard in Chrome and non-standard in Firefox. The Browser Source in OBS runs on Chromium, the engine of Chrome and Edge, so test in one of those to see what OBS will receive.
Why does the overlay light the wrong button?
- A remapping app is active. Steam Input and DS4Windows can present a PlayStation controller as an Xbox one, and a custom Steam layout moves buttons around. Turn them off for the test, then see where to change it for a lasting setting.
- A Nintendo layout. On Switch controllers, A and B, X and Y are physically swapped compared with Xbox. The overlay follows the position of the button, not the letter printed on it.
- A generic controller. Cheap or unbranded pads often report a non-standard mapping. Switch the controller to an X-input mode if it has one (see multi-mode controllers), or use a controller the browser recognizes.
Why is a trigger stuck at half or not moving?
- Stuck at half, or both triggers on one value: the controller is read through DirectInput instead of XInput. Microsoft documents that in DirectInput, the left and right triggers act as a single axis, one pulling it up and the other down, so a resting pair reads as the middle. Use a USB cable or the official wireless connection, with remapping apps turned off, so the controller is read as XInput again.
- Jumping straight to 100%: the trigger is read as a simple button instead of an analog value. It is typical of non-standard mapping or of pads without analog triggers.
- Never reaching 100%: check the maximum dead zone in your link settings, then watch the trigger value in the gamepad tester.
Why does the D-pad not light up?
Some controllers report the D-pad as a hat switch: one value that encodes eight directions, instead of four buttons. The browser then sees an extra axis, and the overlay has no button to light. It happens with non-standard mapping, so the fix is to get the controller recognized: change its connection mode and turn off remapping apps.
What about Switch Pro and 8BitDo controllers?
- Switch Pro: connect it by USB or Bluetooth directly, with Steam closed. Steam can take over the controller and change what the browser receives.
- 8BitDo and other multi-mode controllers: they start in a mode such as X-input, D-input, Switch or macOS. On a PC, use X-input, which gives the standard mapping. Recent models such as the 8BitDo Pro 2 have a switch on the back with S, A, D and X positions: set it to X before turning the controller on. Older models choose the mode with a button combination held at power-on, listed in their manual.
Which setups cause which mismatch?
| Setup | What you see | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| DualSense with Steam open and Steam Input on | Buttons move, or the pad behaves like an Xbox controller | Steam settings |
| DualShock 4 with DS4Windows | Two controllers at once: the real one and a virtual Xbox one | Two controllers |
| Xbox controller read through DirectInput | Both triggers on one value | Triggers |
| Unbranded USB controller | The tester shows non-standard mapping | Multi-mode controllers |
| 8BitDo in D-input or Switch mode | D-pad does nothing, buttons shifted | Multi-mode controllers |
What if two controllers are connected?
The overlay may pick a different controller from the one in your hands. Virtual controllers created by Steam or DS4Windows look like real ones to the browser and take a place in the list. The list is also limited: Windows reads at most four XInput controllers, and current versions of Chromium expose at most eight gamepads (older versions four). Unplug or turn off every controller you are not using, then press a button on yours.
Where exactly are those settings?
- Steam, for one game: in your library, right-click the game, Properties, Controller, then choose Disable Steam Input. The rest of your library keeps its settings.
- Steam, for all games: Settings, Controller, where Steam Input can be turned on or off per controller family, such as PlayStation or Xbox.
- DS4Windows: the Hide DS4 Controller option, or HidHide on recent versions, hides the real controller so that only the virtual Xbox controller is visible. Either keep it and let the overlay read the virtual one, or turn it off while streaming.
Still wrong?
Write to us from the support page with your controller model, how it is connected, and what the gamepad tester shows for the button that looks wrong. If the controller is not detected at all, see Controller not detected instead.
The gamepad tester shows the mapping and every input in seconds.
Open the gamepad tester