Guide All 8BitDo Controllers & Accessories - Which Should I Buy?

i have the pro+ and the m30 and now i just need the stick and the neogeo pad for my life to be complete.

and ill take that sweet keyboard too, thanks 👍

EDIT - I would contend that unless you are emulating alot of old Xbox games, the sn30 pro+ is "Perhaps the ideal pad for emulation fans who like to play their favourite ROMs on PC or mobile," over the ultimate controller.

seriously, between the pro+ and m80, youve pretty much got the entire retro gaming world covered besides xbox, n64, and gamecube. ✌️

I cannot find a perfect controller for the Steam Deck. PS4 and Xbox controllers via Bluetooth disconnect randomly. 8bitdo Pro 2 controller shows the Xbox input buttons but it has the Switch ones printed on it and also disconnects randomly. The wireless USB adapter is advertised as working with the Deck but it doesn't.

I am open to suggestions. I really prefer symmetrical sticks since I play a lot of retro content and I want Steam to display the actual buttons I have to press...

I wonder with Analogue now taking pre-orders for the Analogue Duo, will they also sell the 8BitDo Duo 30 controller too or do you had to buy the clone console to get one?

@belmont Bluetooth connection to your Steam Deck may be unstable or you're running the Deck on the Beta firmware. Make sure to go check your firmware to see if you're running the Stable firmware. Next make sure you're at the latest firmware update, Steam Deck update every once in a while so it's good to check when you got the chance. Also make sure to also check your bluetooth settings as well so that there's no other bluetooth devices also running on the Deck.

Having too many devices connecting to bluetooth also cause disconnection issue too as the signal may had difficulty trying to run all devices at once. Before you connect another controller to your Deck make sure the ones you are not using are disconnected and not running.

I have a Pro 2 controller that I mostly use for emulated games on my PC (and the Super Console X-Pro I have hooked up to my TV). For more modern games I prefer Xbox or Switch Pro controllers and I have one of each.

The reason for my preference is the placement of the left stick and d-pad, most modern games assume you'll be using the stick as your primary input and as such both the Xbox and Switch controllers place it closer to the edge of the controller, making it more comfortable to use, but most retro console games from the NES up to the Saturn and PS1 weren't really made with a joystick in mind so I like having the 8bitdo controller with the d-pad in the more prominent place closer to the edge for those games.

My experience with 8bitdo controllers:

-SN30 Pro - a solid controller, but it feels too noisy after some time of gameplay

-SN30 Pro + - a huge improvement over the SN30 pro. Very comfortable, perfect buttons, great for both retro games and Switch games. The position of the D-pad and left analog stick feel more comfortable to me than the Switch Pro Controller, which I also have, but use less than my 8bitdos

-SN30 Pro 2 - bought it because of how incredible the Pro+ was to me. If you're happy with the Pro+ there's nothing much better in this one, but as I like a good joystick, having one more wouldn't hurt, so I'm very happy it too

-M30 - an awesome controller for retro games! Not useful for new games because it lacks L2 and R2 buttons, but great for the goal it is supposed to achieve

Now I'm interested in a Neo Geo model. I hope I can buy it soon

On the MiSTer FPGA I mainly use my SF30 2.4g "SNES" controller (for everything but Sega) and my M30 "Mega Drive" controller. I had a RetroBit Genesis controller, but I think the M30 feels better in my hands. Especially as I didn't play much Mega Drive in my childhood.

The SF30 Pro 2 is my favorite controller for old classics on PC, emulation (on PC) and 2D games. For modern 3D games I find the analogue sticks too wobbly, so I use my XBox Series controller then (which has a terrible d-pad). If I had to buy again, I would replace both with the 8Bitdo Ultimate.

Something missing in the article: In the official 8bitdo store, you can buy replacement buttons for the SF30 Pro2 and Ultimate. This way you can have an XBox button layout, even if you buy the Bluetooth variant.

The 8bitdo sn30 pro is still my nr1 controller ever.
The Dpad is amazing.
Use it for both the switch and for PC.
Their service is also topnotch.
When i broke my left shoulder button after my son dropped it on concrete..
They send me new buttons and gave me instructions how i can do it myself, or send the controller to them.
Its really user friendly.

@Serpenterror Thanks for the information ! I don't use beta and I only connect the controllers and they still disconnect randomly. I thought the USB Adapter would solve the issues but it doesn't. The controllers work fine wired though but I may have to invest in a 2.4 Ghz controller but all have asymmetrical sticks. In any case the problem that most 8bitdo controllers have the Nintendo Switch layout remains.

The 8BitDo Lite 2 is better than the first. It’s more portable and features stacked trigger buttons instead of parallel. Having all the shoulder buttons in a row is very confusing.

I see a lot of people say the Pro+ and Pro 2 controllers are better than the base SN30, but I disagree. While the added functionality on the Pro+ and Pro 2 are nice… I found the form on the Pro controllers uncomfortable, but I may have tiny hands.

Been buying their products since the first SNES style pad, and having been buying 3rd party stuff since the days of the Wico trackball, Speed King and Quickshot II, these guys make the best controllers out there. SNES for my Super NT gets a lot of use, but the M30 is the GOAT with that d-pad. White version arriving today.
The ultimate pad is close to perfect and while expensive it feels premium.
Only minor disappointment is the PC Engine/Turbo pads - don’t feel quite right. Tho part of that is the slight lag inout on the PCE mini. We’ll see how it goes on the Analogue Duo.
Love these guys and long may they keep taking my money.

@John_Deacon

The M30 does have L2 and R2 buttons. Because it has 6 face buttons C and Z are mapped as the bumpers or L1/R1 in PlayStation terms. The shoulder buttons are then mapped as the triggers.

It has 4 different pairing modes where the buttons are slightly different, if you go on the bit do site there is a manual explaining it all.

It is my favourite controller they sell, I have 3 of them. I bought one for my pc and one for my switch but after they released a white one with colour buttons I had to get that as well.

I really like the 8BitDo DIY kit for the NES dogbone controller. It still feels like I’m playing on an original controller but with wireless added. It’s particularly handy as the cords on the AV Famicom controller are really short!

Surprised you didn't include this, lol:

The SN30PRO is great for kids w small hands. It got my youngest to better use both sticks.

@Glassneedles I got one too, and it feels incredible...but the mapping is a nightmare so I don't use it.

@LikelySatan I’ve got one of mine connected to my switch but I’ve been playing that less and less since I upgraded my PC, now mainly use it for exclusives and those really work better with dual analogue sticks.

On my PC it’s connected by the D input option where C and Z are the bumpers and the shoulder buttons act like triggers as I said in my previous message. I’ve found this works super well for RPGs like Chained Echo and Jack Move so it’s my primary controller I use for 2D games on there.

I’ve got one of their ultimate controllers that I use for anything 3D. That’s replaced an Xbox Elite 2 controller which started to have issues with the bumpers after a few months. The build quality on them is shockingly bad especially for the price.

If you’re a Neo Geo fan I can’t recommend the Neo Geo CD controller enough. Not a great general purpose controller but if you play a lot of Neo Geo or NGPC it’s the best there is.

I really, really love the form factors of the SN30 Pro and the Pro 2, but I find the input lag to be a hindrance; if it's all you play with then you won't notice, but if you switch controllers regularly, then the input lag tends to stick out, at least to me.

I got the Bluetooth Ultimate controller on release, and it is a darn sight better on the lag front. Bluetooth Mode is great, the hall sensor sticks are sublime and the 2.4ghz mode on Switch and PC is flawless. I wish it was made out of the same materials as the Pro 2, but it still feels great in the hand.

That being said, I wish that 8bitDo would just bite the bullet and release a 2.4ghz variant of the Pro 2; now THAT would be my Ultimate controller!

@Glassneedles I've been using the Gulikit Kong 2 for my 3D games (great, great hall effect sticks) and usually the pro controller for 2D stuff. The Kong 2 handles platformers fine but I wouldnt use it for 2D fighters. I got the Saturnlike pad for fighters.

Honestly, I have bought almost all of their controllers, starting way back when they introduced their first, a Famicom style controller with mini USB (yes mini, not micro), and almost all of them suffer from bad dpads with the same issue as the Switch Pro controller, where they sometimes output a diagonal when you press a cardinal direction. So if you are a retro gamer that likes Contra or Tetris, you might want to pass on most of these.

The exception is the Pro 2 which on the 3 I have owned, all function well. Their Lite controllers have functional Dpads too, but the original Lite as such little depth to press in the dpad that its hard to get a feel for what you are doing. I haven't tried their Ultimate yet, so I can't speak on that. The M30 has noticeable input lag and doesn't have the diagonal problem, but when doing fighting game circle motions, it sometimes drops input directions.

Its really a shame they have really let the dpad issue plague them, because all of their controllers feel amazing in the hand. They seem not to care about fixing it either, because they just released a third revision of the SN30 Pro, now in translucent colors, and they still have that dpad issue.

@Hikingguy I have tried this and I know it is a nitpick but I don't want to see the Switch layout, having more experience with the Xbox controller it confuses me. Even in this mode the controller disconnected randomly while I was playing Resident Evil 4 Remake and it was not pleasant. I play only wired for the tine being.

Unfortunately, I never had the Wii U Pro controller. I have heard only positive things for it.

I've picked up a bunch of 8bitdo controllers. I started with one of their Famicom style pads back in 2015. I got one of their micro novelty controllers after that. I was pretty happy with those that I kept an eye on their stuff. I was planning to get an M30, but never did because they came out with the SN30 Pro+ before I was ready, so I bought that instead. That Pro+ was mostly amazing. I'll get to issues shortly.

An earlier commenter mentioned accidental diagonals. I can only speak about the pads I've bought and a couple of others I've used at a friend's place, but I haven't noticed that issue. I'm not saying it isn't an issue at all. It might even vary from person to person. I remember having that issue with Nintendo's Wii Classic Controller Pro design. I didn't hear a lot of people talk about that, so it might have been an issue of preference.

As far as impressions and issues, I liked my original FC30 and had no issues, but I do recall some people having their charging ports break. From what I can tell, 8bitdo improved that for later controllers. My SN30 Pro+ has been fantastic to use. The d-pad accuracy and response is top notch, and my gold standard is Sega's Saturn pads. The issue with it is that the rubber membrane is weak and will tear with some heavy use. I still have to purchase replacements. The Pro 2 seems to have a different membrane, so I don't know if it has the same issue or if they fixed it. I also recently bought the Ultimate C Wired controller. That one, unfortunately, is doing ghost inputs. I haven't had a chance to try a firmware update, so it might take care of it, or maybe a future update will fox it. So 8bitdo hasn't been perfect for me, and the ghost input issue is significant, but I do love their controllers right now. In some ways, their stuff is better than first-party controllers. The Pro+ d-pad works better for me on fighting games than the current Xbox controllers, which are okay for non-fighting games. I have been planning to pick up 8bitdo's Neo Geo CD controllers as they look fantastic and won't have any membrane issues. I just wanted to wait to hear some reviews and impressions. Hopefully, they hold up well over time.

Edit: Quick update on the ghost input issue. I typically use Linux setups, but just had a chance to test it on a Windows machine. No ghost inputs at all on Windows 10 with the Ultimate Wired C pad. I thought it was strange 8bitdo would have let that get past them, unless it was just plain a defective unit. But it seems to work perfectly in Windows which is good news. I'm going to keep looking for new firmware and also try it with newer Linux distros to see if that fixes it.

@Hikingguy Yeah, I know it is a nitpick but I hate the Switch layout. As for the rumble I will surely try it. I currently use the Pro 2 wired in my Deck but I don't think I will use it for long. The buttons are printed in the Switch layout. I was thinking to try the new Ultimate C with the 2.4 adapter that has the Xbox layout but it has asymmetrical sticks and I am not sure I should invest in a new one. The Pro 2 and the M30 and the USB adapter that I also have don't work as advertised.

Still thanks for the rumble tip. I will check it with both the Pro 2 and the Xbox One controller.

I wonder if the Pro+ is being discontinued, since there's the Pro 2, which is the same form factor, but with a more convenient mode switching mechanism (no need to hold a face button while powering on to select a mode) and two back buttons.

@farrgazer

I was thinking about the pro2 but already have the previous version. Whats the difference between the two?

@The-Chosen-one I don’t own the 2, and used to own the Pro+.

From what I know, the biggest differences are:

• two extra buttons - each behind the grip, around where you’d rest your middle or ring fingers depending on grip style. You can map this to whatever you want - whether it’s a macro or another button
• different mode switching mechanism. With the P+, you need to hold one of the BAYX buttons while turning it on to enable a pairing mode. With the P2, you have a switch you can snap to a mode.
• Ultimate Software support. The P+ needs to be mapped on Windows or MacOS, but the P2 can be paired via Bluetooth with the corresponding phone app.

@Hikingguy I knew about it. I was hesitant to order because they ship from China and I am in EU and I don't want to bother with custom office, import and custom fees etc.

However, I use the controller in the deck, even If I use it wired and the controller works vial Bluetooth on my PC so I ordered them, thanks for reminding me! From 3$ they may cost up to 20€ though.

Still the Xbox layout and the symmetrical sticks are nitpicks, but I want them in my controllers. Too bad 8bitdo hasn't made a 2.4Ghz version of Pro 2.