Am I wrong or do the 8BitDo controllers almost all have inbuilt batteries of unusual capacities? They could just build them to use standard AAA or AA rechargeables, but instead they do proprietary batteries which 8BitDo happily sell replacements for - sure seems like a path to more e-waste.
Help, I can’t tell the difference between the different varieties. Between the “Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller” and the “Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller,” which one do I want for gaming on Linux (both Steam on my desktop and RetroPie on my Raspberry Pi)? Or which do I want between the “2C Bluetooth” and “2C Wireless,” for that matter?
(Damn it, 8bitdo, would it kill you to put a fucking comparison matrix on your website‽)
The only difference I could find is that the bluetooth one is officially switch compatible and the other one isn’t. I have the old wireless one with hall effect sticks and had no issues with it on pc, android or steamdeck.
Sometimes they have hall effect sticks, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they have back paddles, sometimes they have extra bumpers instead. Which is which? no clue
I can’t tell the difference between the different varieties. Between the “Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller” and the “Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller,”
The wireless controller uses a wireless USB dongle for connectivity, which supposedly has way less input delay than standard bluetooth. I couldn’t comment on that personally tho cause I have an older one which is Bluetooth and works fine for me
But both models say they have Bluetooth, wired, and 2.4Ghz connectivity. They both include a USB-C 2.4Ghz dongle, and both explicitly call out Bluetooth as a way to connect to certain devices, so must both have transmitters for that, too. The “Wireless” version calls its wireless protocol “8Speed” and lists its low latency as a feature, but the “Bluetooth” product page doesn’t say anything that would imply its non-bluetooth wireless is different. It merely doesn’t discuss it.
The only real hardware differences I’ve been able to discern so far are that:
- the “Ultimate 2 Wireless” version shows colored labels on the ABXY buttons, while on the “Ultimate 2 Bluetooth” version the labels appear to be white.
- the “Ultimate 2 Wireless” comes in black, white, and purple while the “Bluetooth” version only comes in black and white.
- the “Ultimate 2C Wireless” comes in mint, peach, green, and purple while the “2C Wireless” version comes in blue, pink, and dark blue.
It looks like they’re each compatible with different devices maybe
I have 2C wireless and there is no Bluetooth to be found.
Ugh. I hate this timeline.
My 8bitdo story, back when they’re we’re just starting to put joysticks on their SNES style controllers, I used mine to the point that the joysticks were falling apart. I sent them a support email, and even though it wasn’t covered by any warranty or anything, a very nice Chinese person working there sent me a spare set of joysticks in the mail, plus words of encouragement (in somewhat broken English) since I wasn’t shy about fixing the thing myself.
Can’t imagine that today, but it was a nice gesture and I’m glad they’re still making stuff today.
The worst part about growing companies are the almost impossible ways for those small interactions.
That’s the line. The line is crossed. Time to riot.
Dude…the line was crossed like 7 years ago when ICE agents just started raiding innocent peoples homes, and kidnapping them in unmarked vans.
THIS is so far past the line we csn’t even see the line. The line is a dot from here.
Whoooooosh
No, the line is when you interfere with muh Capitalism. /s
Mannnnn that sucks. 8BitDo has some of the best 3rd party controllers :(
The best gamepads. It’ll be a wasteland again once again once stock runs out
Gamesir seems to be vying for that crown of late - their price to feature ratio is impressive.
Edit: Yes, they’ll face the same tariff pressures - I’m just noting that 8BitDo isn’t the clear market leader the way they were 3-5 years ago.
https://gamesir.com/pages/brand-story
2013 Founding of GameSir by Yao Ma and the establishing of headquarter in Guangzhou, China.
I would assume that GameSir would also be affected by tariffs on China if 8bitdo is.
Ahh ya gamesir. I have a gamesir gamepad for my phone. Really good. They’ll have trouble with tariffs pricing too though
i picked up a gamesir g3s like 10 years ago and it still works pretty good. i need to replace the thumb pads, but other than that it’s in good shape.
I mean I completely understand.
So does that mean we’re going to see Coyotes snuggling equipment over the border now?
snuggling
Awww!
Well it is cramped in that van after all.
Hopefully they still can ship direct to Canada.
I literally got my Ultimate 2 two weeks ago after a month delay. Great controller, glad I got in before this crap.
If you thought of getting one do it now before they go on eBay for $100 each
Just ordered a second Ultimate 2c just in case on this news. Was considering the Ultimate 2 for gyro support but 8bitdo’s offering there is confusing and it’s unclear if it would actually work with my Steam Deck (apparently gyro only works in Switch mode?).
Correct, you will need to pair as a Switch controller (or usb dongle) for the Steam Deck to be able to see the gyro . I find I use the gyro less since it doesn’t have the capacitive thumpsticks for triggering gyro input.
Just got a purple 2 last week. 🥹
I have a minature gamepad for my daughter’s tiny hands, but my favourite product is actually their mechanical keyboard.
My Ultimate 2C is being delivered today and I’m very excited.
I just bough a couple of these myself. They are excellent.
Mine arrived and I am pleased with how quality it feels.
D-pad is better than I expected. No more stick drift. Cost half as much as an Xbox controller. You can’t go wrong.
Man, just in time for them to release the 108 version of their keyboard…
