8BitDo Reveals Cute And Portable Controller Designed For Nintendo Switch Lite

haha those are cute and charming, but one too many d-pads if you ask me

Drift problems solved. Now wait for inevtable TV out device - 'but it couldn't be done' they cried.

Man I don't even have a Switch lite and I'm tempted, that's a perfect controller to have on the road if it works well. Hopefully the D-Pads are good.

They're adorable, and more importantly, affordable. I'll pick one up after I get my Switch Lite.

@link3710 This! Well, if it's lagless to Android.

@boxyguy Sure, but the best alternative for portability since Slide Pads continue to go unused.

I kinda want it! I wonder how it feels to play with dpads instead of sticks...

I'll wait for know reviewers to get this hardware and test for both the Switch and Switch Lite. That will be the review I want to see.

Looks like a random assortment of parts exploded onto the front of those controllers.

I genuinely don't understand who this is aimed at. The Lite already has a D-Pad for 2D games.

Liking that a lot.

Already have 13 controllers for switch - 15 if you count a pair of Joy cons as two...

Not sure I need all I have let alone more

Fugly! Why make this abomination? I don't even understand it? Why?

I don't have a switch lite and I want this

I want but I definitely don't need it. Love the look.

@Ralizah this controller actually reverts the dpad to buttons... The dpads here are replacing the joysticks!

I can see this being perfect for traveling: since you don’t need to worry about the sticks getting pressed, you can just throw it in your backpack.

But how effective it is on certain games remains to be seen.

Wow that's actually a neat design for a portable controller to toss in the bag. They work with Switch and mobile (and pretty much anything that supports x input) so not a bad option to have around with a Switch/lite. Also great price.

Only thing that isn't clear is do the dpads count as analog sticks?

Personally, I find these controllers to look horrible. Double dpad? What were they thinking? Why not just make dual 3ds control sticks?

@Lordplops It's definetely possible with a hardware modification to get tv out, though that wouldn't be very accessible to the masses and probably too extreme for many.

i love 8bitdo but this looks weird...

I'd rather just....play on the system itself, lol.

Nintendo: releases new, cheaper, more compact version of the Switch for those who want portability above all else.

Third parties: immediately release peripherals to make the new, cheaper, more compact Switch less portable and nearly as expensive as the regular Switch.

Sure, this makes sense.

8bitdo what Nintendon't.

@StableInvadeel The sticks are integrated into the Switch Lite. You're going to be traveling with it anyway. So I just... don't get it. Wouldn't someone get the Lite because they want to play in handheld mode?

To me, the original Switch with its bigger screen makes more sense for tabletop play.

Besides, I imagine games designed primarily for the use of analog sticks probably don't play well with D-Pads.

I just... don't get it. At all.

No grey option? Boo! It seems like the grey Switch Lite is being passed over for a good handful of color matched accessories...

@Ralizah well, it’s designed to look like a lite, but it isn’t like... Just for the lite?

It’s a regular switch/windows controller. Like their SN30pro controllers.

@Averagewriter Then vg probably would not have gotten a start really, since they're nothing more but mini joysticks.

They're cute, but surely a bit pointless? Are they analogue d-pads?

These should work with regular switch too right?

no complaints here if they enhance my fighting game and tetris experience!!!

Would they work on the standard switch?

Well old is better for me cause if you have a drift you can buy a new controller unlike those you have to buy the WHOLE THING!

They look soooo cute.

@JedRock Yes. ALL controllers that work with the regular Switch also work with the lite. (And vice versa)

Hmm, with the dual Dpads it looks like it's designed for two people to share each controller (one Dpad, one ser of buttons each)?

I guess for people desperate for some retro gaming this could be cool.

You are trying too hard 8bitdo, stick re-imagining old controllers! Had this not been September I would have thought it was April fools lol.

Looks cool. Maybe I'll get one for my regular switch. It's not hard to out-design the joycons...

@Ralizah for original Switch owners ?

Dual D-pads? What kind of witchcraft is this?!?

Looking at that, hurts my brain.

@EasyDaRon It's probably for people who own a Switch Lite stand (or any other kind of stand that fits the Switch and other kinds of devices). Granted, I'm not sure how comfortable playing like that would be since the screen itself is smaller after all.

that looks confusing, no sticks and the place people usually want the dpads aren't the dpads

$25?! I’m all kinds of sold, especially cause it works with Windows. Really cool!

@sanderev oh, ummm.. ok... yea... I was already aware of that... I was talking about if it'll enhance, or more specifically, be more accurate with directional inputs... if you look online, the Pro Controller has a lot of complaints of Left and Right registering as Up... REEEEEAAAAALLLY gets in the way of Tetris 99 when you KNOW you didn't intentionally hard drop a piece

Could be good for emulating virtual boy?

These are cool, might want the turquoise one!

Looks nice, but seems highly impractical, especially since they don't seem to be marketing this with a console stand.

And the point of these controllers is?

I like the look of the controllers but honestly kinda wondering why they decided to do two Dpads when earlier models of the 8bitdo controllers had some very small sticks. I am not confident these will sell but I find them interesting nonetheless.

isn't the switch lite already portable what is the point in this controller?

@Gauchorino I was going to say that there is no way to use the switch lite and controller at the same time, at least when I use my phone and controller it has a Clamp to hold the phone up at the same time the switch lite already has face buttons so I don't see the point in this controller anyway.

How is this specifically designed for the Lite? Just because of the colours?
Too bad the Lite itself wasn't designed for this sort of thing, as it doesn't even have a kickstand so you need something else to prop it up if you even want to use this.

Only if was licensed by nintendo
I do understand some people cant afford official nintendo controllers so they go the cheap route. But i can so i stick with official

@boxyguy yeah that’s odd the 2 d pad Situation wasn’t addressed in the article. That’s probably the most obvious thing about the controller.

Out of stock eh?

But... does this add back in rumble?

I don't understand this at all. No analog sticks, presumably no rumble or gyro. Sure they're cheap and compact, but why would you want a controller so limited. If they wanted to keep the design relatively flat, instead of replacing the analog sticks with D-pads, they should have gone with the disc-style 3DS sticks.

Even though they updated it for this controller, 8bitdo's website STILL says their Zero 2 controller is "coming holiday 2018"

What is the point of these? Why would I want to pair up a controller to a portable device, especially one that already has a relatively solid d-pad?

This has no purpose... Well, it does have one.

If you wanted to play Zelda Link’s Awakening with a D-pad... here ya go. A D-pad that registers as an analog.

It means I can play Smash Ultimate using a D-pad instead of a stick so I'm in!

@huyi Yeah. It looks like they're only trying to cash in on the Lite's aesthetic, just because it's currently new. No one's going to buy this (and not return it, at least) if they have a Lite.

@Ralizah I was wondering myself how this controller could be anything but a crazy novelty. But then I thought about Smash Ultimate. In that game, I have trouble executing up-smash attacks (which often register as left or right smash attacks on my right Joy-Con's analog stick). I probably wouldn't have that issue on a right-side d-pad.

This controller seems perfect for the OG Switch actually. For even better portability, just leave the Joy-cons home and toss the Switch console (ideally in a protective sleeve) and this controller in your backpack/suitcase without any worry of analog sticks being pressed on.

In fact, OG Switch's tabletop kickstand seems perfect for this controller. Worried about Joy-con drift? Just store your Joy-cons in an airtight container and save them for when you absolutely have to use them (Super Mario Party?) and just use this instead. Cheap and presumably more durable.

Only thing that could make me hesitate is if they cut corners with middle tier bluetooth. The OG Joy-con's 3.0 Bluetooth feels way too laggy honestly, compared to Sony's Dualshock 4 bluetooth. Difference in latency is night and day between those two controllers.

What about games where you need to use analogue like SSB or Link's Awakening?

Cute? Someone got paid to say that.

Why does it have two D-pads and a set of directional buttons but no analog sticks? It looks nice and compact but that's a weird design choice