8BitDo has a long and enviable reputation when it comes to third-party accessories, having produced some of the best controllers we've seen in the past few years. A short while back it released the superb 8BitDo Pro+, a Switch Pro Controller rival that mixed the design language of the SNES and PlayStation pads to create one of the most comfortable and responsive interface options money could buy.
Fast forward to the present, the 8BitDo is releasing a new version of the pad. On the outside, it looks rather similar to the original, but it offers some significant upgrades over the previous model. The most obvious is the inclusion of two additional 'paddle' buttons on the back of the controller, located where your fingers 'rest'. These can be programmed (more on that in a second) with custom inputs, giving you even more control over the in-game action (Hori's excellent Split Pad has a similar feature).
Another big advantage the Pro 2 has over its older sibling is the ability to quickly toggle modes (Switch, Android, D-input, X-input) using a mechanical switch, rather than having to hold various buttons when powering the device on. This is handy because the Pro 2 can be used on other systems, such as your smartphone or PC.
The next big update relates to software rather than hardware. Like the original 8BitDo Pro+, this new model can be re-mapped and tinkered with using software – however, rather than having to be near a computer, you can now use the Android or iOS app on your smart device. As well as changing which button does what, you can adjust the sensitivity of the sticks and triggers (analogue trigger support is not present on Switch, though, for obvious reasons) and have multiple button and directional inputs mapped to a single button – so, for example, you could have the combination for Ryu's fireball special move in Street Fighter II mapped to a single button press. You can create custom profiles for any configurations you cook up, and switch between them at the touch of a button.
Outside of those changes, the Pro 2 isn't massively different from the original Pro+ – and that's a good thing as the first model was (and still is) comfortable to use. A textured surface has been added to the underside of the pad, but that's about the only other difference. Like the original Pro+, the 1000mAh Li-on rechargeable battery (20 play hours on a 4-hour charge) can be removed in the event of it refusing to hold any juice, which is good from a sustainability perspective – there's no need to bin the entire pad when the battery dies. Rumble is included (not HD Rumble, however) and it has gyro support as well.
Should you upgrade if you already have the original 8BitDo Pro+? That's a tricky question to answer, because while the improvements are welcome, it's not like they radically change things. The ability to toggle between modes is fantastic, as the button combinations on the original pad were difficult to remember, while the gripper texture and additional paddles are genuinely decent improvements – as is the ability to re-map buttons via a smartphone rather than a computer. However, the 'feel' of the controller remains largely unchanged, and, like the Pro+, there's no NFC support.
If you've yet to take the plunge and are looking for a decent Pro Controller replacement, then we'd heartily recommend this pad, though.
The 8BitDo Pro 2 launches on April 12th in North America and April 30th in Europe. Thanks to 8BtiDo for supplying the unit used in this review.
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Comments 83
I already have mine on preorder! Can't wait for it to arrive!
This review doesn't mention that the Pro+ (and presumably Pro2) support rumble and gyro features.
I've been using the Pro+ a ton recently and it's still one of my favourite controllers for ergonomics and reliable button inputs. The A button on my particular unit isn't as responsive as the other face buttons, that could be due to being an early unit with build quality not quite perfected yet.
I have the SN30 pro, and never felt the need to get the plus, as my pro works just fine. This is starting to become tempting though...
I have 2 pro controllers and never got one of these. I might just get one to replace a Nintendo-branded pro controller... just to see how great it is.
The left thumbstick should be where the D-pad is
I may get it some time. I like how both this and the previous ones are somehow the same price but this one is better...
I can't wait to get mine!
I love the SN30 Pro+, and I can't wait to mess around with the profile and back button features!
My current SN30 Pro+ is my weapon when playing Tetris 99.
I’m sure it’s great, but man, I hate controllers with that positioning for the left stick.
I need to pick up one of these. But I also want a GameCube style pro controller as my next replacement...
I’m trying to get the 2.4ghz NES original but they seem to be no supply right now
I have the regular SN30 pro. Love it.
Recently, one of the buttons stopped working, so I try to fox it. And I discovered an awesome thing... The inner parts (buttons and rubbers) are 100% compatible with SNES original controllers!!!
I canibalized an old SNES control and fixed it!!!
You still can't wake the Switch remotely with these, right? That's still reserved for Nintendo Joycons and Pro Controllers only?
@BoFiS Yep
@MisterKorman other reviews (and the official product page on their site) mention that you can adjust the dead zones on the sticks using their app. Whether that would solve your issue with the sticks being too sensitive, I can't say for sure.
@BoFiS Yeah.
From what I'm aware of, all third party Switch controllers can't turn the system on.
I have 2 of the USB Bluetooth dongles, 2 SN30 Pro, an M30, and an N30 Pro. Love them all, excellent brand. The are amazing ony MiSTer FPGA.
Disappointing to see the 4677268th 3rd Party Switch controller not include a NFC feature. @_@
@NinChocolate Bluetooth is the way to go if you plan on using it elsewhere, they don't sell the 2.4 dongles separate which makes me sad.
@BoFiS Wireless PowerA controllers can wake it. So can some of the Chinese cheapies on Amazon, surprisingly, but that's probably not worth the quality trade-off.
Normally, when I hear "3rd Party Controllers" my mind immediately goes to all those cheap slick plastic MadCatz controllers I had for the N64 and GameCube, solely so that a 4th player could join Smash/Mariokart. I would much rather spend money on an official controller I can send to Nintendo under warranty.
But I got the SN30 Pro about a year ago, and it has easily become one of my favorite controllers to play on the Switch for side scrollers, 2D fighting games, and high precision puzzle games like Tetris. Its to the point where I will flat out prefer to wait for my SN30 controller to charge before I'd use my fully charged Nintendo Pro controller sitting right next to me.
Tl;dr: Picky fanboy wants knock off controller
Is this better than the Nintendo Pro Controller? Is it worth losing the HD rumble to get the extra's of the 8BitDo Pro 2?
@EmmatheBest I'm very certain that Nintendo won't give third parties the means to use NFC to prevent users from hacking the controller and duplicating NFC data to pirate Amiibos.
...which has already happened.
I have the previous model and although it is excellent overall there a 2 pretty annoying problems.
1: the D-pad doesn't register diagonal inputs consistently. Not sure if I have a faulty pad or if this is a common problem.
2: Xinput mode doesn't support Gyro and Switch mode doesn't support analogue triggers so if you want to use both at the same time you're outa luck.
@Ravenmaster That's basically what's keeping me from buying it to be honest...
@kickerofelves I haven't had problems with diagonals on my 8BitDo products. Plus the lack of Gyro is because X-Input (Be it 360/XBO/XBS) doesn't have gyro support.
@Krambo42 100% agree!
@SepticLemon you've reminded me that my 8bitdo m30 also doesn't register diagonals correctly
Nintendo needs to add analog triggers! Sheesh... It's a shame they left them out of the last three consoles.
@MisterKorman It doesnt really matter, because as they wrote on this article, you can adjust the sensitibity.
@Danrenfroe2016 Bizarrely the first Classic controller on the Wii has Analogue shoulder buttons that worked kinda like a GameCube controller's triggers. But there wasn't a game made that used them. That's when Nintendo gave up on it and used digital buttons from the Classic Pro controller and beyond.
Such a shame!
I love this design. I wish Nintendo never walked away from the SNES' design with their controllers.
The Pro controller is comfortable enough, but I've always felt Sony's controllers felt better than any other...thinking I might grab this to sub out the Pro Controller.
Looks pretty good all round. I actually think those paddles on the back should become standard on future controllers, and even function much like the grip buttons on modern VR controllers in particular uses cases.
@Dualmask Yeah, this design more true to Nintendo's own design legacy than its own Pro controller, and probably for the better imo.
@kickerofelves That's so odd. I wonder why that is because I've never had those problems before. Typically, stuff like that happens because the pivot in the middle and under the dpad isn't big enough, and causes a problem where diagonals can't be actuated. The early PSP models suffered from this a lot; I had to cut up a sheet of plastic from an NES cart sleeve to act as a buffer to make the dpad taller and more pronounced to actuate diagonals better.
But I never experienced that with the 8BitDo stuff. It might be worth opening up your SN30 Pro and a SNES controller and swap out the plastic DPad and silicone membranes from a first-party SNES pad into the 8BitDo to see if it's any better. I'm pretty sure they both use the same mould.
I have the 8BitDo Pro Plus and I'm really disappointed. I bought it to play Switch, PC and Android. Yes, I can play in all my devices, but it's a pain to change between them I sincronize with one of each and it should stay that way (that's different modes, so I would only need to change the type to sync with the previous device) but I need resync every single time.
@RCGamer You're aware that turning the controller on with a face button gives you a different Bluetooth profile, right?
Start + Y is Switch
Start + X is X-Input
Start + B is D-Input
Start + A is MacOS controller input
Providing that you turn the controller off, and then turn it back one with a button combo, you can change the Bluetooth profile without having to manually pair each time.
Plus, it's always a good thing to update the controller's firmware that you can get from 8BitDo's website. I remember with the classic SN30 pad would forget its pairing each time you turned if off. You would have to leave it on until it turned itself off to keep the pairing information. But they fixed that a while back.
@MisterKorman it’s probably exactly the same sensitivity. I dont notice much on switch games, but i got the sn 30 pro+ to use for PC too, and because of the ultra sensitive sticks i dont use it. I play Rocket League on pc and you can adjust the sensitivity in-game, but its incredibly difficult to get it just right.
Where-as my hori switch controller the stick sensitivity is perfect. Basically the same as DS4.
The only other thing i dont like about my 8bitdo controller is it doesnt work via usb. Bluetooth only, which is a bummer sometimes.
I've tried a number of third party controllers over the years, and I think 8bitdo offers the best bang for your buck. Other controllers in the same price range don't have the same build quality and reliability.
I see a number of people here saying they have problems with their controllers, including sensitivity issues. I wonder if they know they can try to update their controllers' firmware? Regular firmware updates is one of 8bitdo's best features and really separates them from the rest of the pack.
@SepticLemon Yes, I know and that's exactly why I thought It should be automatically sync with my switch when I put the Switch Profile. But when I go to other profile and go back I need to resync again. It happend all the time with the Switch and my Phone. Now I use the controller almost exclusivelly with my phone because of this (I have a original Switch pro Controller too)
Oh by the way, for anyone who's looking for a 3rd party controller that can wake the Switch, I recommend this one: https://youtu.be/MnLwMIwCP8c
It also has amiibo reading functionality, which is amazing considering the price I got it (about USD20 - not sure if it's still so cheap now).
Its triggers are way too sensitive though, and I haven't found any way to adjust it.
As soon as they have the SNES or Super Famicom color buttons I'll get one. Until then it looks...generic.
@BetterThanVegas The SN30 and SF30 had the SNES coloured buttons. But I'm very certain that 8BitDo can't do that anymore due to copyright and intellectual property reasons.
Not to mention that they work as X-Input devices too, the SNES and Xbox buttons don't match. It would be easier to make it generic rather than confuse people with button colours.
@RCGamer Very odd, I've never had any issues with the Bluetooth profiles. This is how I set my controller up...
Start + Y Switch = Switch
Start + X X-Input = PC
Start + B D-Input = Mobile
Start + A MacOS = 8BitDo Retro receiver (This surprisingly works with MacOS input)
Then, when I want to use a different system, I turn on the controller with said button combo.
@Jokerwolf Thing is 2.4Ghz has less latency than Bluetooth. So if you're a fighting game fan, you'd want 2.4Ghz over Bluetooth if you go wireless. Otherwise, you'd just go for wired controllers/Joysticks for fighting games.
@SepticLemon depends on the device you're plugging into and whether it's emulation or not. if you're plugging into a device that's not using emulation Bluetooth is just as fast.
I just can't justify buying another controller for my Switch at this point - I already have 4 pro, 4 sets of joycon, and 2 different 8Bitdo controllers.
But I have to say having the physical switch for different modes instead of the button combinations is a huge step in the right direction! I like that so much more!
@Heavyarms55 That switch will make a huge difference!
Not to mention that the profiles and grip buttons will be fun to mess with!
I just wish it would work with PS4/PS5/XBO/XBSX too.
@MisterKorman Sorry to hear that, does your Pro have the option to tune the sensitivity settings like the others mentioned? I know the Pro+ does and that's been quite helpful for me.
@Jokerwolf True to a certain degree. But I could whittle on about how displays respond to putting an image up on screen compared to player input. It's a reason why Smash Bros fans salivate over CRT displays as they're still the most responsive compared to flat panel displays.
@SuperCharr Oh yeah, this new Pro 2 will make the Pro+ a bit redundant. If you haven't got the Pro+ yet, preorder the Pro 2!
@SepticLemon I have a crt for my MiSTer now lol.
@Jokerwolf
@MisterKorman This is the thing with all alternative controllers. If the analogue stick isn’t mapped perfectly to the original then it doesn’t matter how good the controller is. Even the fabled hori pad for the N64 is too sensitive.
@MisterKorman I found my SF30 Pro to be exactly the same! Add in the Bluetooth lag, and I wasn't able to use it for my Switch, which was the worst because I loved the controller.
HOWEVER - I recently decided to update the firmware and I feel everything has been fixed. The lag has been fixed, and I can menu scroll as fast and fluidly as with a Pro Controller, and the stick sensitivity has gotten much, MUCH better! It's still a liiiiiiittle more sensitive than a Pro Controller, but not enough to stop me from using it as my main pad any more. I struggled with FPS and Racing Games before, but now it handles everything perfectly. I even use it for Blue Fire!
I have enough pro controllers and gc style controllers for my switch. Also spent money on joy cons (most of which are now drift cons). I would have probably bought this had it come out earlier or if I knew it existed earlier.
Insane number of different types of controller options for the Switch.
I have the original pro. It is, as the kids might say, “clutch.”
They still need to switch the positions of the D-Pad and left analog stick to truly perfect this thing.
@SepticLemon That's because the Wii Classic Controller had to also be compatible with GameCube games like the Wii itself was. After that, there was no reason to include them, since no games could use them. Blame Nintendo for not including support for analog triggers for the systems themselves (Wii, Wii U, and Switch) rather than the controllers.
@SepticLemon I think 8BitDo have an adapter that lets their controllers work with those systems... Or maybe it was an adapter that lets us use controllers from those systems on Switch. I don't remember. It was something like that.
Dont have the older model but love my m30 and sf30 controllers
The accessories are nice like the adapter for sega mega drive that let's me use my 6 button m30 on it, and 8bitdo bluetooth receiver to use on loads of things too
@Heavyarms55 The 8BitDo USB adapter is only for PCs, Macs, Switch, PS1 Classic (this is only on the grey model for some reason,) MegaDrive Classic and the Raspberry Pi. It doesn't have PS4, PS5, XBox360/One/SeriesX-S support.
https://www.8bitdo.com/usb-adapter-ps1-classic/
There's also the MayFlash Adapter. There is a MayFlash Pro adapter that has PS4 support, but no PS5 and XBox support.
https://mayflash.com/Products/NINTENDOWiiU/MAGIC-S%20PRO.html
@BulbasaurusRex "That's because the Wii Classic Controller had to also be compatible with GameCube games like the Wii itself was."
But GameCube backward compatibility on the Wii needed GameCube controllers plugged into the GameCube ports on the Top of the system. It doesn't use the Wii Remote and Classic controller. My guess is that Nintendo wanted to make some games that were more on the lines of the GameCube, but as motion controls were the new hot thing, Nintendo would ditch the need for analogue triggers and focus more on motion-controlled games.
You can throw a bunch of, would'a-could'a-should'a, stuff with Nintendo where maybe Nintendo should've included more internal memory on the Wii to accommodate downloadable GameCube games, or maybe there could've been more control options for games, etc. But Nintendo is a business and they kept it simple to avoid going berserk on stuff that they may have not needed. Then again, they did make the balance board and there was going to be a heart rate monitor for the Wii, so Nintendo isn't exactly perfect in that remark.
Still! I would love to see a revised new Joycon with improved sticks and analogue triggers to make racing games more enjoyable on the system!
I wish I could get a wireless Pro controller with a headphone jack, I'd like to play Hellblade on the big screen while also losing my ***** with my Steelseries on
I have to original and it's great. What i'd want change/add is a dedicated turbo button instead of replacing the screenshot button. Another change is to replace select and start with ABXY style buttons. Playing a lot of ACNH means pressing a lot of start/select and it really doesn't feel good.
I want to get this and not having the wake feature and HD rumble is a concern but not having a drift concern on the joysticks might outweigh that.
I wonder how much 8BitDo pay @nintendolife to say that.
The Verge had a similar headline and it's simply not true.
Kind of wish they had a Super Famicom color version, like they did with the SF30 Pro.
@SepticLemon That's really convenient and useful thank you. I love my Switch Pro Controller but reading positive comments on this article.. will get one soon hopefully.
@Miu Sorry, which comment are you replying to? I wrote a lot here, and NL's notifications don't tell you which comment people reply to.
@SepticLemon That button combo to use different Bluetooth profiles.. really convenient imo.
@Miu Ah ha!
That's for the Pro+. The Pro 2 (The controller reviewed here) will use a handy physical switch that will make things easier and faster to switch between different Bluetooth profiles without having to turn the controller off and on again.
@SepticLemon Ahhh thank you so much. I should read this article first before commenting lol.. I will buy Pro 2 then.
@SepticLemon Oh, that's right. You couldn't use them that way. There's an adapter that lets you use a GameCube controller as a Wii controller (connecting to a Wiimote) but not the other way around.
In that case, I don't know why the Wii Classic Controller had analog triggers, since they were entirely pointless. It was still the Wii, etc. themselves that dropped analog trigger support, so Nintendo couldn't just start making games or adding new control options for it later on after they dropped support for it on a system-wide level.
@Miu Yeah, if you haven't got a Pro+, you might as well wait for the Pro 2, it's clearly an improvement over the Plus.
Not only do you have the physical switch, but you have the programmable grip buttons, button profiles, and you can set that up with an Android app without the need to hook it up to a PC or laptop.
Plus, you have the new matted grip, similar to the new Xbox controllers.
Does this fix the ghost input issue with the SN30 Pro+? It works perfectly the majority of the time but always gets to a point where releasing the stick creates a small movement in one direction but for that I'd say this is better than the Pro controller.
Oh and the sticks are perfect where they are, mainly so that using it for SNES and 2d games the dpad is then perfectly placed
I have the 8bitdo SN30 pro+
Serious, its the best controller i ever had. Especially the DPad.
I use this controller alot for PC gaming.
@shani Or perhaps two professional gaming sites simply came to the same conclusion?
@Ravenmaster
No, i hate it that Way
That is the only Series of Controllers, besides the Dual Shock, that keeps that Design.
It is just better for Plattformers etc.
Vice versa it makes no difference where the Stick lies for me and many other.
I was okay with the semetrical sticks back when these was pretending to be SNES pads, still use mine on the switch, and for gamepass streaming but at this point they are long past their cos play stage, and for me, it's time for them to have a asymmetric layout
@SepticLemon
not true
@SepticLemon The Orange/Brown USB Adapter also works on the PS Classic, it has almost since the launch of the PS Classic. It just needed a firmware update.
@BoFiS I have two HORI gamepads (Zelda and Mario versions both are certified by Nintendo) and i can wake up my console w/o any issues.
@Damo Actually you can by using HORI certified gamepads.
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