8Bitdo Pro 2 gamepad review: A $ 50 bargain for cool features, killer performance

What is the best all-around gamepad you can buy for most video games? You would think in the year 2021, the answer would be simple. But between the consoles, computers and smartphones, even the most comfortable, affordable and sturdy built gamepads have a compatibility measure.

In my 25 years of writing about video games, I took a test very of the controllers, and my current favorite-and-performance favorite is the Xbox Wireless Gamepad (MSRP: $ 65, which can vary by year and color). But it only officially works on Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android. You can buy third-party adapters to sync with platforms like PlayStation or Switch, but this is not necessarily ideal. There’s also an entire console-specific control market, ranging from entry-level blocks to expensive “pro” variants, but I generally see nothing in the weed of nichey compatibility.

8 Bitdo Pro 2

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I have made an exception in the past for 8Bitdo controllers, especially their retro-specific gems (and one bizarre, extremely tiny curio). Still, I was hesitant to recommend the company’s mainstream-oriented “Pro” range of gamepads, which bolster modern delicacies on the Super Nintendo archetype. My tune has changed significantly thanks to next week’s $ 50 8Bitdo Pro 2, the hardware manufacturer’s fourth generation controller for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Switch and Raspberry Pi which launches on Tuesday 12 April.

It’s a lovely gamepad in isolation, surpassing Nintendo’s official Switch Pro Controller in terms of functionality, design and options – at $ 20 less. If you’ve been looking for a great Bluetooth controller, 8Bitdo is now officially neck and neck with Xbox’s standard of $ 65.

An 8Bitdo backing

The 8Bitdo Pro 2 can trace its legacy to the 2017 SN30 gamepad, designed to work on original Super Nintendo consoles. Not only was it almost identical to Nintendo’s officially discontinued gamepad, even with similar rubber membranes, but it also contained a radius of 2.4 GHz wireless receiver, intended for an SNES-shaped port. (Its launch was conveniently determined with the Analogue Super NT, which requires real SNES gamepads.)

Shortly afterwards, 8Bitdo ran with the template and created an updated Bluetooth version called SN30 Pro. If you compare them side by side, it’s almost comical how 8Bitdo mutated the SN30 to add two analog sticks and a few more clever index finger buttons; the latter mimics the archetype “two triggers, two bumpers” found on most modern game blocks. It was a cool Bluetooth option, but ended up feeling cramped, so I was pleased that the SN30 Pro + was introduced in 2020 with a welcome leap in size and new grips.

I liked the SN30 Pro + well, although he did not send me over the threshold to wholeheartedly recommend it, and the Pro 2 (no longer ‘SN30’) marks his strengths. The design language divides the difference between an SNES controller and the original PlayStation 1 DualShock. The d-pad and other buttons are very similar to taking the SNES, while the handles and symmetrically-arranged joysticks are more in keeping with the PS1 era. Both the Pro + and Pro 2 contain link-specific shortcut buttons for ‘home’ and ‘share’, along with the same standard assignment of buttons for console-friendly video games. And both have a removable 1000 mAh rechargeable battery for about 20 hours of play per charge. (And yes, this battery is removable. Thanks.)

As good as before – and then some

Some Pro 2 aspects compare almost the same with other SN30 products. The d-pad still looks a lot like the SNES pad – again the same rubber membrane foundation – so it’s firm and responsive, as opposed to the loose, smooth and satisfying operation of a Sega Genesis game pad or the clicky, jumpy genius of the latest Xbox options. Although I end up preferring the feel of the latter two, I like the tight action of the Pro 2 – especially in the general use case of claiming 2D rates on a Pro 2 compatible system. It is ideal for platform players, ‘shmups’ and puzzle games. (Unlike the Switch Pro Controller, you do not have to take the Pro 2 apart and insert a piece of tape to guarantee the response on its d-path.)

What 8Bitdo did with the Pro + joysticks, face buttons and bumpers left it good enough for this review. The face buttons are big, flat and react like hell. The joysticks are an ideal balance between tension and convenience. And 8Bitdo’s buffer buttons stand out in a way I’ve always preferred, as opposed to smaller or in the control design on other game blocks.

This week’s Pro 2, however, goes a few steps further than the Pro +, and every change is for the better. The handles contain a slightly redesigned curve that fits better in my palms. The pressure-sensitive triggers (L2 / R2 on PlayStation, or LT / RT on Xbox) have been adjusted to require a little less pressure to print, but still a little to them. The back of the plastic cover now has a slight texture, which I’ve never felt on an 8Bitdo pad – and I’m a fan of, especially since it’s quite subtle. (Anyone whose hands get sweaty in the middle of the game will appreciate extra greyness wherever they can get it.) And if you go from the controller’s “Xinput” protocol (for Windows computers) to Android, iOS / To switch to MacOS or Switch, you no longer have to memorize and press strange button combinations. This gamepad contains a physical switch to change from mode to mode.