8BitDo Ultimate Controller review – holy bit

Almost six years into the Nintendo Change’s life, the marketplace for third-party controllers continues to go from power to power, and 8BitDo is among the finest corporations main the cost. For those who love retro gaming and desire a dependable d-pad for video games like Tetris, or the Capcom Preventing Assortment, then beforehand, the 8BitDo Professional 2 was your finest wager, a stunning retro-styled controller that’s a giant hit with fans because of that beautiful d-pad.

Nicely, it appears that evidently 8BitDo is now aiming to nook the professional controller market as properly with its newest launch, however has the corporate succeeded? Our 8BitDo Final Controller evaluation is right here with every little thing you’ll want to know, however to start with, sure, it does characteristic the identical d-pad. Priced at $62.99/£59.99, this clearly goals for a similar market because the first-party Nintendo Change Professional Controller, and it even contains a very related thick however glossy design.

Nevertheless, there are a number of unbelievable options that assist the 8BitDo Final Bluetooth controller to set itself aside from the official competitors, together with the flexibility to work with Nintendo Change, Home windows PC, iOS, and Android video games. It’s very simple to swap between the compatibility because of a swap on the again of the controller, and out of the field, it even comes with a 2.4ghz dongle if you happen to desire to keep away from Bluetooth. It’s tremendous simple to arrange with Nintendo Change simply by inserting the USB dongle within the Change’s port, permitting for a superior connection velocity with much less lag for all of the aggressive gamers on the market.

The precise controller is available in black or white, although we got the black model for evaluation. It feels comparable in weight to the Change Professional Controller, however it has a tough texture on the again that goals to assist together with your grip, although fortunately, it additionally feels good to relaxation in opposition to. The 8BitDo Final Controller additionally options programmable again paddles, however extra on these later. For those who primarily use it for Change, there’s help for vibration and movement controls, however no NFC connection right here, sadly.

The buttons come out in a convex means, and the again triggers particularly stick out properly. The D-pad can be the identical one as talked about within the 8BitDo Professional 2, which means it feels good to press in, with a fantastic pop backup. It additionally appears to work extra constantly and precisely than the Change Professional controller d-pad, which has at all times been a little bit of a nightmare for me personally.

Normally, the Final feels unbelievable within the fingers and has in all probability simply the proper weight to really feel prefer it’s made solidly, however nonetheless snug for longer play classes. It does really feel similar to the Change Professional Controller and I’m positive that’s by design, however that textured again and the distinction within the d-pad make a giant distinction, to not point out the addition of the again paddle buttons. The analogue sticks additionally really feel nice, sitting a bit deep into the controller, however they’ve a pleasant texture that forestalls an excessive amount of motion.

One of many major promoting factors right here although is that the 8BitDo Final controller additionally comes with a useful USB-C charging dock. The charging pins are on the underside of the controller, making it very simple to position it within the dock once you end enjoying. I plugged it into the USB slot on my Change dock, and simply popped it again after I was completed. Whereas I didn’t really check the battery life, 8BitDo mentions that it contains a rechargeable 1000mAh li-on battery, with round 22 hours of play after simply two or three hours of charging. This definitely felt proper in my time with it, even after switching between units.

One other factor that units the 8BitDo Final Controller aside is 8BitDo’s Final software program. For those who join your controller to a Home windows machine, you may open the suite and program as much as three completely different profiles for the controller. Right here you may set the capabilities of the again paddles, assign turbo inputs (nice if you happen to simply need to mash A in Pokémon or Animal Crossing), or program macro inputs if you happen to want to assign extra sophisticated shortcuts.

For example, if you happen to needed to assign a full button mixture for a preventing sport to a single press of a button, you could possibly. This will solely be finished inside the Final Software program although, so whereas some controllers allow you to document the button mixture on the gamepad itself, you may’t do this right here.

Throughout the Final Software program, you too can change the depth of vibration, the set off rigidity (how far again you’ll want to push the set off to register an enter), full button mapping, and the analogue stick precision. For those who bounce between enjoying video games in your Change to shooters in your cell, it could possibly be tremendous useful to have your whole settings ready for you on the controller, particularly since every profile is discovered with a press of a button on the face of the controller itself.

It’s as much as each particular person how a lot they’ll get out of this, however with the good really feel of the machine itself, this could possibly be a fantastic choice for aggressive play, and even for folks simply trying to make their gaming a bit simpler. Nevertheless, for many who solely use Change as properly, the precise format of the house and photograph buttons isn’t fairly the place you prefer to it, with the house button on prime and in the course of the face of the controller and the photograph button under. Clearly, you may’t transfer the buttons, however it’s very simple to vary the mapping to one thing else if that fits you higher.

Importantly, in my time really enjoying with the controller, it felt nice. I reviewed the GuliKit King Kong Professional 2 machine lately, and that’s a really comparable third-party controller. I might say that the 8BitDo Final Controller feels a bit nicer to carry, thanks principally to the great texture of the controller and the supplies used feeling strong. It doesn’t characteristic the NFC help of the GuliKit, however I don’t suppose that’s a deal breaker for most individuals.

The Final additionally makes use of a really related corridor impact know-how within the analogue sticks to the Gulikit King Kong Professional 2, which guarantees to get rid of drift because of the magnet-based tech. It definitely feels responsive, although it’s exhausting to check for drift after only some weeks. I attempted out the Final with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (these new tracks are nice), Tremendous Smash Bros Final, Monster Hunter Rise on Change, Vampire Survivors on iPhone and iPad, and Genshin Affect on iPad as properly.

In every case, response time felt nice, and the controller itself by no means missed an enter. The d-pad definitely feels extra dependable than a Change Professional Controller, and anybody who makes use of the 8BitDo Professional 2 shall be happy that this carries over. It actually might be one of the best d-pad in the marketplace for Change, so anybody who actually cares about their retro video games must be proud of this. Couple that with a tool that now feels markedly extra premium than the 8BitDo Professional 2, in addition to the various different capabilities on the controller, the dock, and the included 2.4ghz USB dongle, and that is simply one of the best controller 8BitDo have ever launched.

For those who already personal the 8BitDo Professional 2, the Final is a little bit of a more durable promote, however for anybody simply trying to get an honest controller for Nintendo Change that additionally works with Home windows, iOS, or Android, the 8BitDo Final is now among the best third-party units in the marketplace. It appears and feels nice to carry, it’s responsive, comes with a useful (and glossy) dock, and for anybody who needs to get into the weeds of management enter, the Final Software program is a dream come true.

The Nintendo Change Professional Controller in the end nonetheless feels the tiniest bit extra premium, however if you happen to care in any respect in regards to the d-pad, again paddle inputs, turbo or macro controls, or getting to make use of the two.4ghz reference to different units, that is completely no-brainer. The 8BitDo Final is one of the best controller in a protracted line of nice controllers, and on the value level, it’s a really viable choice for any gaming fanatic on the market.