How Padcraft works

What happens between your controller and your stream?

Every modern browser includes the Gamepad API, a web standard that lets a page read a connected controller: which buttons are pressed, how far each trigger is pulled, where each stick points. OBS uses the same browser engine for its Browser Sources, so the overlay works there exactly as it does in Chrome or Edge.

Padcraft's rendering engine takes those raw inputs and turns them into your design. It handles the controller models, the pressure on the triggers, the travel of the sticks, and every layer you add in the configurator: colors, skins, text, light strips, effects and animations. The result is drawn on a transparent background, so only the controller appears in your scene.

1. Your controller sends its inputs to your PC, by cable or wireless.
2. The browser exposes them through the Gamepad API.
3. Padcraft's engine draws your design, frame after frame.
4. OBS places that transparent page on top of your gameplay and sends it to Twitch, Kick, YouTube or TikTok.

No software runs on your PC besides the browser that OBS already includes. That is also why the overlay behaves the same on every streaming platform: it is part of your video before it leaves your computer.

How do I go from a design to my stream?

1. Design it. Open the configurator, pick your controller and customize it, or start from a design in the shop. Plug in your controller to preview every input live.
2. Generate your link. When the design is ready, generate your overlay link from your account.
3. Add it to OBS. Paste the link in a Browser Source. The setup guide covers OBS, Streamlabs and TikTok LIVE Studio.
4. Update it later. Change the design and apply it to the same link: your scene updates without touching OBS.

What does my overlay link contain?

• Your design. It is saved with the link, so the overlay looks the same every time you go live, on any PC.
• A transparent background. Nothing to key out or crop in OBS.
• Up to 2 devices. The link is personal: use it on your main streaming setup and a spare.
• Changes. A Standard link includes 5 changes. A change counts only when you apply it; previewing and editing are free. After the fifth, the link keeps working with its last design. Premium and Creator plans let you edit generated links at any time.

What is free and what is paid?

Prices can change. The pricing page always shows the current rates.

Where do shop designs fit in?

The shop lists designs made by the Padcraft community. Pick one, adjust it in the configurator if you like, then generate your link as usual. Creators earn a share of every sale, which is what keeps new designs coming.

What does the overlay not do?

• It does not touch your game. The overlay only reads the controller, like a spectator. Your game receives exactly the same inputs, with or without it.
• It does not add input lag. Reading the controller in a browser page does not slow down what the game receives.
• It does not read your keyboard or mouse. Only controllers are read.
• It needs no install or update. The link always loads the current version of the engine and of your design.
• It adds nothing else to your stream. No watermark, no status text: only your controller on a transparent background.

What does a first setup look like?

A typical first setup, with a DualSense and OBS, takes about fifteen minutes:

1. Minutes 0 to 5. Open the configurator, plug the controller in by USB and press a button. Pick the PS5 model: the preview reacts to every input.
2. Minutes 5 to 12. Set the shell and button colors, add your logo in the Elements tab, then check the Preview tab to see the exact output.
3. Minute 12. Generate your link: $1.99 on the Free plan, or included with Premium and Creator.
4. Minutes 12 to 15. In OBS, add a Browser Source with the link, place it in the bottom left corner and record a short test.
5. Later. Adjust stick movement or dead zones in your link settings. The scene in OBS does not change.

FAQ