Haptics
OmniControl gives you direct control over controller haptics: independent left and right motor levels, preset effects, and custom vibration patterns you can test live. Rumble and haptics are free, and every setting saves with your profile.
Overview
Haptics is the vibration layer of OmniControl. Most controllers carry two rumble motors, a heavy one on the left and a lighter one on the right, and the game normally drives them. OmniControl lets you set those motors yourself: dial each side, pick a preset effect, or design a custom vibration with its own duration. You can play the result on your connected pad before you commit it, then keep it as part of the profile.
Haptics is a free feature. There is no account requirement and no trial gate on the vibration controls. It works alongside the rest of your setup, so a profile can hold your remaps, stick and trigger tuning, lighting, and your haptics together.
How it works
Windows exposes each controller's two rumble motors, and OmniControl writes levels straight to them. The left motor is the low-frequency, high-amplitude one you feel as a deep shake; the right motor is higher-frequency and lighter. Setting the two sides at different levels changes the character of the vibration, from a soft buzz to a heavy thud.
Preset effects are short vibration shapes with defined behavior over time. A custom vibration lets you set your own motor levels and a duration, so the pattern runs for a fixed length and then stops. Live testing sends whatever you have configured to the physical controller immediately, which is how you tune by feel rather than by guessing at numbers.
Rumble over emulation is separate from these controls. When you present your controller to a game through Emulation, the game's own rumble passes through to your pad. The haptics controls here are for shaping and testing vibration inside OmniControl.
Getting started
Connect a controller
Plug in or pair a supported controller. Confirm it is reading correctly in the Live Viewer so you know the pad and its motors are active.
Open Haptics
Go to the Haptics page. You will see separate controls for the left and right vibration motors.
Set left and right levels
Adjust the left and right motor levels independently. The left side gives the deep, heavy shake; the right side gives the lighter, higher buzz.
Pick a preset or build a custom vibration
Choose a preset effect for a ready-made pattern, or create a custom vibration and set its duration so it runs for a fixed length.
Test it live
Send the effect to your controller and feel it. Adjust the levels or duration and test again until it feels right.
Save to your profile
Your haptics settings save per profile, so they load with the rest of that profile's configuration.
Common use cases
- Balance a pad that rumbles too hard by lowering both motor levels to a comfortable strength.
- Emphasize one motor over the other to change the feel of vibration from a deep thud to a light buzz.
- Build a short custom vibration as a confirmation cue you can trigger and recognize by feel.
- Test a controller's motors after a repair or a new purchase to confirm both sides respond.
- Keep a distinct haptics feel per game by saving different settings in each game's profile.
Best practices
Set levels by feel, not by number. Play the effect live while you adjust so you tune to what your hand registers, which varies between controller models and even between two units of the same model.
Treat the left and right motors as separate tools. A change that reads well as a heavy rumble on the left can feel harsh if you push the right motor to match, so move them independently.
Give custom vibrations a clear duration. A short, defined pattern is easier to recognize and less tiring than a long one, and a fixed duration keeps the motors from running longer than you intend.
Save into the right profile. Because haptics settings are stored per profile, decide which game or setup an effect belongs to before you save, and use separate profiles when you want different feels. See Profiles for how a profile bundles your settings.
Tips
Tip
Use live testing as your main tuning method. Numbers alone do not tell you how a motor feels, and rumble strength differs across controller models. Play the effect, adjust the left and right levels, and play it again until it matches what you want. It costs nothing and it is far faster than tuning blind.
If you also run Trigger customization or the DualSense Adaptive Triggers editor, tune haptics alongside them so the vibration and the trigger feel work together instead of competing for your attention.
Troubleshooting
No vibration when I test. Confirm the controller is connected and reading in the Live Viewer. Some pads only rumble over USB, so try a wired connection if a wireless one is silent. Check that both motor levels are not set to zero.
Only one side vibrates. The two motors are different by design. The left motor produces a heavy low shake and the right a lighter buzz, so at low levels one side can feel absent. Raise the quiet side to confirm it responds, and if it never does, the motor itself may be faulty.
In-game rumble feels wrong even though my test worked. In-game rumble comes from the game through Emulation, not from these haptics controls. Confirm Emulation is running and that the game's own vibration setting is on.
My settings did not carry over. Haptics settings save per profile. If you switched profiles, the new one has its own haptics, which is expected. Reopen the profile you tuned to get its settings back.
Anti-cheat and fair play
OmniControl is built for single-player and controller-friendly games. It does not defeat anti-cheat, and kernel-level competitive shooters are out of scope by design. Haptics only drives your controller's vibration motors and does not touch a game process, but that never exempts any title's rules. If a game restricts what OmniControl can do, that limit stands, and OmniControl does not work around it.
FAQ
Is haptics free?
Yes. Left and right vibration control, preset effects, custom vibration with duration, and live testing are all free, with no account needed.
What is the difference between the left and right motors?
The left motor is low-frequency and high-amplitude, felt as a deep, heavy shake. The right motor is higher-frequency and lighter, felt as a finer buzz. Setting them at different levels changes the character of the vibration.
Does this control in-game rumble?
No. In-game rumble comes from the game and passes through to your pad via Emulation. The haptics controls here shape and test vibration inside OmniControl.
Do my haptics settings follow the controller or the game?
They save per profile. Keep one profile per game and each game gets its own haptics feel. See Profiles.
Why does a custom vibration have a duration?
A duration sets how long the pattern runs before it stops. A fixed length makes a custom effect easier to recognize by feel and keeps the motors from running longer than you want.
Can I test an effect before saving it?
Yes. Live testing sends the current effect to your connected controller right away, so you can feel it and adjust the left and right levels or the duration before you save.