Amazon Luna Controller

Inner Dead Zone

The Inner Dead Zone is the area around the center of the stick where small movements are not registered. This helps prevent stick drift or accidental inputs, but if the dead zone is too large, it can make aiming less precise, especially in games requiring fine control. We evaluate the Inner Dead Zone based on how much you need to move the stick before it responds—the less movement required, the better.

The Amazon Luna Controller has a slight Inner Dead Zone. You need to move the stick just a tiny bit before it responds, but this is barely noticeable and won’t affect your control in most games, even those requiring precision.

For comparison, many budget gamepads often have a moderate to large Inner Dead Zone, while premium controllers typically aim for a slight or no dead zone for better precision.

Want to learn more? Check out our video explanation of how the Inner Dead Zone works.

Outer Dead Zone

The Outer Dead Zone is the area near the edge of the stick’s range where further movement isn’t registered. This can make the stick feel less responsive at full tilt, affecting actions like quick turns or maximum speed in games. We evaluate the Outer Dead Zone based on how much 'lost' range there is—the smaller the dead zone, the better, as it allows full use of the stick’s range for more precise control.

The Amazon Luna Controller has a slight Outer Dead Zone (0.4 mm). There’s a small portion of the stick’s range that isn’t registered, but it’s minimal and unlikely to affect gameplay noticeably.

Per-stick breakdown for the Amazon Luna Controller: the left stick measures 0.4 mm, which corresponds to a slight outer dead zone, while the right stick measures 0.4 mm, which corresponds to a slight outer dead zone. This helps show whether the controller loses range evenly on both sticks or if one stick is noticeably weaker near full tilt.

Both sticks show the same measured Outer Dead Zone, which suggests consistent edge behavior between movement and camera inputs.

For comparison, budget gamepads often have moderate to large Outer Dead Zones, while premium controllers strive for minimal or no dead zone to maximize control.

Want to learn more? Check out our video explanation of how the Outer Dead Zone works.

Stick Asymmetry

Stick Asymmetry measures the consistency of the joystick's response across different directions. Ideally, if you physically deflect the stick by 80% from the center, the software should report an 80% deflection regardless of the direction. A high asymmetry score indicates a problem where for the same physical movement, the reported coordinates are inconsistent—for example, 60% in one direction and 90% in another. This creates an uneven, often 'egg-shaped,' response zone, which negatively impacts aiming and control predictability.

For the Amazon Luna Controller, the Stick Asymmetry is 7.9% for the left stick and 3.9% for the right stick. Higher values can lead to noticeable inconsistencies, potentially impacting aiming or movement in games.

Testing Methodology: It's crucial to note that this test is performed at partial stick deflection (~80%), using special physical limiters (clips). Testing at 100% deflection often hides asymmetries because the controller's output is clamped at the maximum value, artificially 'smoothing' the resulting shape. Our method reveals the true performance of the stick in the ranges most critical for gameplay. This precise approach was also utilized by Linus Tech Tips in their controller review.

For comparison, many budget gamepads show asymmetry levels above 30%, while high-end controllers typically stay below 10% for better uniformity.

Learn more about how different gamepads perform in the Stick Asymmetry test and how to conduct such a test in this article. You can learn how to test joystick asymmetry yourself from this video.

Circle Error

Circle Error evaluates how closely the stick’s movement follows a perfect circle. A high Circle Error means the path is more square-like, which can cause inconsistent speeds when moving diagonally—your character might move faster or slower than expected. The lower the percentage, the better, as it ensures smooth, uniform movement in all directions.

For the Amazon Luna Controller, the Circle Error is 5.2% for the left stick and 5.7% for the right stick. This is a good result, providing smooth diagonal movement similar to premium controllers.

For comparison, budget gamepads often have Circle Errors above 12%, resulting in 'square' feeling sticks, while high-quality ones aim for under 8% for better smoothness.

Want to learn more? Check out our video explanation of how Circle Error impacts performance.

Stick Bitness

Stick Bitness measures the precision of the joystick’s analog input, similar to bit depth in audio. Higher bitness means more distinct positions the stick can register, leading to smoother and more accurate control. Lower bitness can result in 'stepping' or less fluid movement, especially noticeable in slow, precise actions like aiming.

Unlike declared digital resolution, our True Bitness metric is derived from actual physical stick movement, reflecting the usable positions the stick can produce in practice. For the Amazon Luna Controller, the movement-based True Bitness is 7.9 bits on both sticks. Lower bitness may cause noticeable stepping in precision-focused titles.

This corresponds to a measured Step Resolution of 0.00837 on both sticks, with about 119 SFC (Steps From Center) on each side, meaning roughly 119 distinct positions from the center to one edge.

For comparison, many budget gamepads have around 8 bits, while premium ones often exceed 10 bits for superior accuracy.

Want to learn more? Check out our video explanation of how Stick Bitness affects control. It is important to note that the video specifies the resolution of the stick, not the bit depth; the higher the bit depth, the higher the resolution.

Stick Centering

Stick Centering measures how accurately the joystick returns to its neutral (center) position after you release it. A good Stick Centering value prevents stick drift—a common issue where your character or camera moves slightly in a game, even when you're not touching the stick. The lower the percentage, the better the centering, and the less likely you are to experience drift.

For the Amazon Luna Controller, the Stick Centering is 0% for the left joystick and 0% for the right stick. These are excellent results, as most high-quality gamepads typically have values below 2%. This means the Amazon Luna Controller is unlikely to have any drift, making it a great choice for games requiring precise control, like shooters or racing titles.

This test methodology intentionally employs a more rigorous approach by implementing small-angle deflection and release, which produces the most challenging conditions for stick re-centering. This technique differs from the conventional maximum-deflection method where the stick is pulled to its full range and released, as small-angle deflection better simulates the micro-adjustments typically executed during actual gameplay scenarios, providing more representative data on potential stick drift occurrence during normal use.

Warning: The Stick Centering appears to be ideal (extremely low values, close to 0%), but this may be misleading due to the presence of an Inner Dead Zone (rated as 'low'). The Inner Dead Zone prevents small movements from being registered, which can mask potential drift and make the centering seem better than it actually is. This could affect micro-control in precision-heavy games, such as competitive shooters.

Want to learn more? Check out our video explanation of how Stick Centering works.

Axis Magnet

Axis Magnet is a form of stick processing where movement tends to 'snap' or cling to the X or Y axis when the stick passes close to it within a certain part of its travel. This can make pure horizontal or vertical movement feel cleaner, but it also alters the real stick path and can distort diagonal or subtle player input.

The Amazon Luna Controller shows no Axis Magnet. That means the stick does not artificially cling to the horizontal or vertical axes, so your real movement path is preserved more accurately. This is the preferable behavior for consistent aiming and natural analog control.

Want to learn more? Check out our video explanation of how Axis Magnet affects stick behavior.

Polling Rate

Polling Rate describes how often the controller sends stick data to the system, measured in Hertz (Hz). Higher values mean the controller reports its position more frequently, which can reduce the time between updates and make input feel more responsive.

The Amazon Luna Controller does not have a saved polling-rate value for this test entry, so the field is shown as N/A. This usually means the measurement was not captured together with the stick data, not necessarily that the controller performs poorly.

Polling Rate is measured separately from latency, so it is best used as supporting information rather than a standalone quality verdict. In addition, this reading is approximate: Stick Tracer is not a specialized tool for precise polling-rate measurement, so some margin of error is expected.

Center Skip

Center Skip, also known as Stick Skipping, is a rare behavior where the joystick does not begin moving smoothly from its neutral position. Instead of a gradual response, it suddenly jumps to a noticeable deflection as soon as movement starts, which makes fine control much harder.

The Amazon Luna Controller exhibits this issue, which is a serious drawback. This behavior can significantly affect aiming and other precision-heavy actions, because the stick may jump too far when you try to make a tiny correction.

For comparison, this problem is more common in cheaper or older controllers, while well-tuned premium gamepads usually provide a smoother and more gradual response from the center position.

Note: If you notice this behavior in practice, recalibration or firmware tools may help in some cases, but it can also point to a hardware limitation or defect.

Want to learn more? Check out our video explanation of how Stick Skipping affects performance.

Disclaimer

We tested the Amazon Luna Controller gamepad using a single unit, so keep in mind that other units of this model might perform slightly better or worse. In most cases, these differences are minor and shouldn’t affect your experience significantly. The results were obtained with the Stick Tracer program, and some values might vary if you use different software or testing methods.

Testing conditions, such as the gamepad’s firmware version (FW: ) or connection type, can also influence the results. If you have this gamepad, we’d love for you to share your own test results! This will help us build a more comprehensive picture of the Amazon Luna Controller’s performance across different units.

Full test results can be viewed on the test page.