Which Controllers Have a Gyroscope? Full List

Short version: PlayStation and Nintendo controllers have gyroscopes and have for years, Valve's hardware has excellent ones, Microsoft's first party pads have never included one, and the third party market is a mess of pads that technically have a gyro but only expose it on certain platforms.

That last category is where people waste money. A box that says "6-axis motion" tells you the chip is in there. It does not tell you whether the gyro works on the console you actually own. Here is the full picture, brand by brand.

The quick answer

ControllerGyroscopeNotesDualSense / DualSense EdgeYes6-axis IMU, works on PS5, PS4 and PCDualShock 4Yes6-axis, still one of the better sensorsDualShock 3 / SIXAXISPartial3-axis accelerometer, single-axis gyro (yaw only)Switch Pro ControllerYes6-axisJoy-Con and Joy-Con 2YesJoy-Con 2 uses upgraded sensorsSwitch 2 Pro ControllerYesImproved over the originalWii U GamePadYesWii U Pro Controller has noneXbox controllers (all first party)NoIncluding Elite Series 2Steam Deck LCD and OLEDYesPlus capacitive stick activationSteam Controller (2026)Yes6-axis IMU with Grip SenseSteam Controller (2015)Yes3-axis gyro only

PlayStation

Sony has shipped motion sensing in every controller since the PS3, though the quality has varied enormously.

The DualShock 3 and its rumble-free SIXAXIS predecessor are the odd ones out. They carry a three axis accelerometer but only a single axis gyroscope, measuring yaw. That was enough for tilt-steering novelties and nothing like enough for aiming. If you are running PS3 pads on PC through emulation, this is why your gyro setup will not behave. You can confirm what your pad reports through our PS3 controller tester.

The DualShock 4 was the real turning point. Full three axis gyro plus three axis accelerometer, decent sensor quality, and it remains a popular choice for PC gyro aiming a decade after release. Sony wasted most of its potential on the PS4 itself, where motion aiming appeared in only a handful of games. Check yours with the PS4 controller tester.

The DualSense and DualSense Edge carry six axis IMUs that the gyro community consistently rates among the best available in a mainstream pad. Low noise, stable output, high sample rate. The frustration is software rather than hardware: PS5 has no system-wide gyro layer, so support is entirely up to individual developers, and plenty of major PS5 releases still skip it.

Worth knowing that the DualSense and DualShock 4 both expose motion over USB on PC without any special drivers, and both are supported by Steam Input, DS4Windows and reWASD.

Nintendo

Nintendo has treated motion as a default rather than a bonus since 2017, and it shows in how many Switch games support gyro aiming natively.

Joy-Con each contain their own accelerometer and gyroscope, which is how a single Joy-Con can work as a standalone motion controller. Joy-Con 2 for Switch 2 upgrades the sensors and adds the mouse mode that lets you slide the controller on a flat surface, while keeping full motion tracking active.

The Switch Pro Controller has a six axis IMU and is the pad most competitive Splatoon players use. The Switch 2 Pro Controller carries improved sensors along with the new C button. Both work over Bluetooth on PC, though motion support outside Steam Input can be patchy.

Going back further: the Wii U GamePad had a full gyroscope, which is why Splatoon on Wii U played the way it did. The Wii U Pro Controller did not, which surprised a lot of people. The original Wii Remote shipped with an accelerometer only, and the gyroscope arrived as the separate MotionPlus dongle before being built into later units.

If you are choosing between Nintendo's options, our Switch controller buying guide goes through the trade-offs in more detail.

Xbox

No official Microsoft controller has ever included a gyroscope. Not the Xbox One pad, not the Series X and S controller, not the Elite Series 1 or Series 2. There is no gyro aiming on an Xbox console, full stop, and no accessory changes that.

The reasons are historical. Microsoft bet on Kinect for motion during the Xbox One era, and after Kinect failed the company simply never revisited controller-based motion. Court documents from the Activision Blizzard case in 2023 revealed a planned controller codenamed Sebile that included an accelerometer, which raised hopes, but that hardware never shipped in the form described. Reports through 2026 point to new Xbox controllers including an Elite Series 3, with cloud-focused connectivity as the headline feature. Nothing about gyro has been confirmed.

For Xbox players who want motion, the practical options are a PlayStation or Nintendo pad on PC, or a third party Xbox-compatible controller whose gyro works on PC only. The GameSir G7 Pro is the usual recommendation in that category: it is licensed for Xbox, and its gyro functions through Steam Input on PC while doing nothing at all when plugged into the console.

Valve

Valve has arguably done more for gyro aiming than either Sony or Nintendo, because Steam Input makes motion work in games that never implemented it.

The 2015 Steam Controller had a three axis gyroscope and no accelerometer. It was ahead of its time, sold poorly, and its small user base has been evangelising gyro ever since.

The Steam Deck, both LCD and OLED models, includes a gyro plus capacitive touch sensing in the thumbsticks. That combination allows gyro to activate the moment your thumb touches the right stick, which solved the always-on versus button-activation problem elegantly.

The 2026 Steam Controller, released on 4 May 2026 at $99 in the US, £85 in the UK, CA$149 and AU$149, carries a full six axis IMU. Valve added Grip Sense, which uses capacitive sensors in the rear grips to enable gyro when you tighten your hold and disable it when you let go. The sticks use tunnel magnetoresistance sensors rather than potentiometers, which also makes stick drift far less likely. If you care about motion aiming on PC and you play primarily through Steam, this is the most complete implementation available. The catch is that most of its capability depends on Steam Input, so it is less useful for Game Pass or Epic titles without workarounds.

Third-party controllers with gyro

This category needs care, because "has a gyro" and "the gyro works on your platform" are different claims.

8BitDo Pro 2 and Ultimate 2 include motion sensors, but the gyro is exposed in Switch mode and through Steam Input on PC. In Xbox-style XInput mode it does nothing.

Nacon Revolution 5 Pro is built for PS5 and PC with motion sensors and Hall effect sticks, and it is one of the few premium pads marketed specifically at gyro players.

Flydigi Vader 4 Pro and GuliKit KingKong 3 Max both include gyro alongside drift-resistant stick technology, and both are popular in the enthusiast community for value.

GameSir G7 Pro is the Xbox-licensed option mentioned above, with PC-only gyro and TMR sticks.

Victrix Pro BFG in its PlayStation configuration includes motion support.

Handhelds are worth mentioning too. The ROG Ally, Legion Go, MSI Claw and various Android gaming handhelds all include IMUs, though software support for using them as aiming devices ranges from good to nonexistent depending on the device and the launcher you are using.

If your controller uses magnetic sticks alongside its gyro, our comparison of Hall effect versus traditional analog sticks explains what you are actually paying for.

How to check whether your controller has a working gyro

Specifications lie, especially on marketplace listings. The reliable method is to look at the raw data.

Connect the controller, open a gyro test in your browser, and rotate the pad slowly on each axis in turn. A working six axis unit will show independent pitch, yaw and roll values that respond to the matching rotation and return to near zero when you stop. A pad with only an accelerometer will show values that change with orientation but not with rotation speed. A single axis gyro, like the DualShock 3, will respond on yaw and stay flat on the other two.

Values that wander while the controller sits still mean the sensor works but needs recalibrating, which is a separate and generally fixable problem.

Which platform actually lets you use it

Owning a gyro controller and being able to use the gyro are not the same thing.

Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 have the best native support by a wide margin. Motion aiming is a normal expectation in Switch shooters.

PS5 and PS4 support gyro only where a developer implemented it. That list has grown but remains inconsistent, and there is no system-level fallback.

PC is the most capable platform, because Steam Input can convert gyro to mouse output in any game with mouse look. Outside Steam, DS4Windows, reWASD and JoyShockMapper cover the gap.

Xbox consoles have no gyro path whatsoever, regardless of which controller you plug in.

Steam Deck and SteamOS devices inherit everything Steam Input offers, with touch activation on top.

If you are buying a controller specifically for motion aiming and you play mostly on PC, a DualSense or the 2026 Steam Controller are the two obvious picks. On Switch, the Pro Controller is the default. On Xbox, buy a different console's pad and use it on PC, because Microsoft's hardware is not going to help you.