Sony Dualshock 4 | Gamepad Latency Tester

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Sony Dualshock 4 input lag comparison

The latency measurement was performed using a GPDL device.
This device is connected directly to the gamepad pins and allows you to get accurate and true calculations of the real latency.
The test was made by users of the site and its verification is not official.

#	Connection	Mode	Min.	Avg.	Max.	Polling rate	Jitter	OS	FW
Sony Dualshock 4 -
1	Cable	PS4 Controller	1.86	6.76	18.78	250 Hz	3.56	Win 10	---
Sony Dualshock 4 -
2	Bluetooth	PS4 Controller	3.23	5.9	16	199.06 of 250 Hz	1.77	Win 10	---
Sony Dualshock 4 - Button Latency
3	Cable	PS4 Controller	12.12	13.87	16.41	72.07 of 125 Hz	1.25	Win 11 10.0.22631	---
4	Cable	PS4 Controller	12.19	14.33	16.92	69.76 of 125 Hz	1.19	Win 11 10.0.22631	---
5	Cable	PS4 Controller	15.14	17.26	19.68	57.09 of 125 Hz	1.15	Win 11 10.0.22631	---
6	Cable	PS4 Controller	15.99	18.2	20.82	250 Hz	1.16	Win 11 10.0.22631	---

Other tests

#	Connection	Mode	Min.	Avg.	Max.	Polling rate	Jitter	OS	FW
Sony Dualshock 4 - Button Latency
7	Cable	PS4 Controller	15.42	17.52	19.81	57.09 of 125 Hz	1.15	Win 11 10.0.22631	---
Sony Dualshock 4 - Polling Rate
8	Cable	Dualshock 4	3 *	3.96 *	4.51 *	252.72 of 250 Hz	0.32	Win 11	---
9	Cable OC	PS4 Controller	0.52 *	1 *	2.07 *	997.78 of 1000 Hz	0.15	Win 11 10.0.22621	---
10	Cable OC	PS4 Controller	0.5 *	1.05 *	2.01 *	955.96 of 1000 Hz	0.24	Win 10 10.0.19045	---
11	Cable OC	PS4 Controller	0.96 *	1.12 *	3.01 *	893.44 of 1000 Hz	0.3	Win 11 10.0.22631	---
12	Cable OC	PS4 Controller	0.97 *	1.14 *	3.02 *	878.98 of 1000 Hz	0.32	Win 11 10.0.22631	---
13	Cable OC	PS4 Controller	0.96 *	1.16 *	3.57 *	864.23 of 1000 Hz	0.35	Win 11 10.0.22631	---
14	Cable	PS4 Controller	3 *	3.93 *	5 *	254.16 of 250 Hz	0.27	Win 10 10.0.19045	1.1.5
15	Cable	PS4 Controller	3 *	3.95 *	4.65 *	253.44 of 250 Hz	0.46	Win 11 10.0.22631	---
16	Cable	PS4 Controller	3.03 *	3.99 *	7.98 *	250.56 of 250 Hz	0.21	Win 11 10	1.0.9
17	Cable	PS4 Controller	2.99 *	3.99 *	7.49 *	250.9 of 250 Hz	0.43	Win 11 10.0.22631	---
18	Cable	PS4 Controller	3 *	4 *	5 *	250.17 of 250 Hz	0.46	Win 11	---
19	Cable	PS4 Controller	2.99 *	4.32 *	20 *	231.36 of 250 Hz	1.79	Win 11 10.0.22631	---
20	Bluetooth	Dualshock	0.97 *	1.24 *	5.01 *	804.22 of 1000 Hz	0.56	Windows	---
21	Bluetooth	Dualshock 4	2 *	5.02 *	11.51 *	199.06 of 250 Hz	2.12	Win 11	---
22	Bluetooth	PS4 Controller	0.96 *	5.4 *	34.9 *	185.21 of 250 Hz	6.67	Win 11 10	1.0.9
23	Bluetooth	PS4 Controller	0.96 *	5.73 *	31.91 *	174.64 of 250 Hz	7.46	Win 11 10	1.0.9
24	Bluetooth	PS4 Controller	0.96 *	5.85 *	28.94 *	171.04 of 250 Hz	7.43	Win 11 10	1.0.9

*Note: Latency with an asterisk are based on polling rate and do not represent actual input-lag.

More information

Latency

This chart shows how quickly your gamepad responds to button presses. Each point on the graph represents a test result.

The horizontal axis (X-axis) measures the time that has passed from pressing the button to the game responding. This time is called "latency".
The vertical axis (Y-axis) shows how often we got such a result, in percentages.

If you hover over a point on the graph, you'll see how long the latency was and how often it occurred.

The smaller the latency, the better. In an ideal world, as soon as you press a button on the gamepad, the action happens instantly in the game. If there's a large delay, you might press the button, but the action only happens some time later. In fast-paced games where every second counts, a high latency can become a problem.

Use this chart to figure out how fast your gamepad reacts.

Polling rate

The polling rate (also known as the report rate) in gamepads refers to how often the controller sends input information to the console or computer. It's measured in Hertz (Hz), which translates to the number of times per second the device reports its status to the computer.

For example, a gamepad with a polling rate of 125 Hz sends its status to the computer 125 times per second, or every 8 milliseconds.

The polling rate is essential in gaming for two reasons:

Responsiveness: A higher polling rate means the controller communicates its state to the computer more frequently, resulting in faster and more responsive gameplay. In fast-paced or competitive games, even a slight increase in responsiveness can give players an advantage.
Accuracy: A higher polling rate can also increase the accuracy of the controller. This is particularly important for devices like gaming mice, where precise movements can be critical, but it can also impact gamepads, especially in games that require accurate inputs.

However, it's important to note that a higher polling rate can also put more strain on the computer's CPU, as it needs to process inputs more frequently. Moreover, beyond a certain point, increases in polling rate may not yield noticeable improvements due to limitations in human reaction time and display refresh rates.

Jitter

Jitter is a measure of how much the gamepad's latency varies during testing. It is calculated as the standard deviation of the recorded delay times. A lower jitter value indicates more consistent latency, while a higher jitter suggests unstable performance. Low jitter is important for a smooth, responsive gaming experience.

Inner Dead Zone

The inner dead zone is an important parameter for stick control. It helps avoid drift or accidental movement, but if this zone is larger than the necessary minimum, it can significantly impact aiming accuracy in games. Therefore, it is better when the inner dead zone is minimal or absent.

Gamepad Sony Dualshock 4 has no inner deadzones, which has which has a positive effect on aiming accuracy and micro control.

Outer Dead Zone

The outer dead zone indicates the extent to which there is an area where stick movement is not registered when fully deflected. If it's small, it indicates high stick calibration accuracy. In the case of a large outer dead zone, it significantly limits the useful range of motion and can have a negative impact on control.

The Sony Dualshock 4 gamepad has normal external stick dead zones (0.6mm). Its significant presence does not limit the range of motion and does not have a negative impact on control.

Asymmetry Index

The Asymmetry Index parameter indicates the discrepancy in joystick deflection to the left and right. For example, if you move the joystick 80% to the left and get a deflection value of 0.780, then move it 80% to the right and get a value of 0.788, the difference is 0.008 which will be equal to 0.8% asymmetric index. This means the Sony Dualshock 4 joystick movements are perfect! With such a small difference, movements in games will be less predictable and easier to control.

Stick Resolution

The stick resolution of the Sony Dualshock 4 gamepad has a motion resolution of 0.00784. This means that it can register 128 positions from the center point of the stick to its outermost edge. This is similar to the resolution of a monitor, where more pixels provide a clearer image. In the case of gamepad sticks, higher resolution ensures smoother and more precise control. As a rule, 125 positions are more than enough for a comfortable game.

It is important to know that some gamepads do not have a constant resolution and give out 0.0078 or 0.0150 (for example). Therefore, the number of end positions may differ from the real ones.

Axis magnet

The Axis Magnet parameter indicates whether the movement of the stick is bound to the central intersection of the X and Y axes. If this parameter is present, aiming or camera movement along the vertical or horizontal axis becomes more rail-like. This can have both positive and negative effects, depending on the game and your preferences. Most players consider this binding undesirable, as high-end popular gamepads typically do not have this feature.

However, the Sony Dualshock 4 has no Axis Magnet.

Central Accuracy

The stick centering parameter indicates how well the stick returns to the central position after the player releases it. This characteristic is responsible for stick drift: the lower the Central Accuracy value, the better.

In the case of the Sony Dualshock 4, the Central Accuracy is 0.020, which is an acceptable result.

Circle Error

The "Circle Error" parameter determines the behavior of the stick at its extreme diagonal positions. With the Joystick Tester program, you can check how accurately the gamepad stick draws a circle in its movement. The lower the error value, the better. The Sony Dualshock 4 gamepad has 8.6% circle error.

Disclaimer

For the Sony Dualshock 4 gamepad stick tests, the stick with the worst performance is used in the calculations. All conclusions are based on a single gamepad, which does not rule out the possibility that other units of this model may perform better or worse. However, this variation is usually insignificant. The test data was obtained using hardwaretester.com, and some parameters may differ in other programs.

Tested, by John Punch