How to Calibrate a Joystick

Computer joysticks, while not as popular as in years past, are still fairly commonly used for a multitude of games and applications. Joysticks are excellent for certain games such as some first-person shooters and flight simulators, where a keyboard and mouse can feel too confusing or unnatural for smooth gameplay. However, joysticks tend to loosen up over time, and may not center correctly when released. This can cause "The Club" syndrome: when the joystick seems to be constantly pulling in one direction. Additionally, users have reported problems adapting old joysticks to Microsoft Windows 7. Calibrating your joystick will recenter it, and improve game play.

Note: There are no joysticks made specifically for Mac OSX, and they generally do not run well on recent Macs. There may be variations in set up and calibration dependent on the model and age of the joystick. These steps apply most readily to Microsoft Windows 7.