8Bitdo Pro 2 Bluetooth Controller for Switch, Hall Effect Joystick Update, Wireless Gaming Controller for Switch, PC, Android, and Steam Deck & Apple (G Classic Edition)

I bought this controller mainly to use with my PC and my iPad. I've been using it for about 5 months and it has been working really well.The battery life is great, the buttons and joysticks feel great to use, and the haptics work great as well. The software (also available as an app on iPad) is also pretty decent and lets me customize the buttons (including the back paddle buttons). I had to use it for my iPad since it was using the Nintendo Switch button scheme (with the A and B buttons swapped) instead of the Xbox input scheme I was used to from PC.The nice thing is that it remembers the last device that was connected to based on the switch on the back. For PC, you're supposed to use the 'X' option, and for iOS/iPadOS, the 'D' option. It remembers the device connected to for each of the different options, which is really nice so that I don't have to reconnect it from my Bluetooth settings over and over again.Overall, I'm really glad I bought this controller and would highly recommend it, especially for PC or iPad gaming. I haven't tried it with my Switch so I can't comment on that.

I have a lot of controllers... and I'm on a mission of reviewing every controller I own. Today, we'll review my second 8BitDo controller ever, the Pro 2.The main reason I bought this controller was... to upgrade my SN30 Pro+, the predecessor to this very controller. While that controller was pretty solid for me in playing dpad heavy games, there were some improvements that this one added that convinced me to upgrade. Apparently it was good enough, because I now own three of these... one of them I have button swapped the ABXY and use it exclusively on PC.Features:Face buttons are standard membrane.Start/Select (+/-) feel very old school SNES squishy.Bumper buttons are tactile, not microswitch.dpad is old school feeling membrane with center pivot.Profile switch, home, and share buttons are tactile.Triggers feel light to me (subjective)Controller generally looks and feels like a SNES controller with grip handles and joysticks. It ergonomically feels a little better than it's predecessor.Special Features:The standout features that attracted me to this controller over the old version were....- Selector switch for changing input mode- Remappable back buttonsThe old version relied on button combinations to change the input mode which were easy to forget, so you had to constantly look them up if you changed systems. This version added the switch to the back which made everything better. You can check my 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth review for my opinion on 8BitDo's macro functionality, but it's middling at best for the back buttons, so I ultimately do not use them at all.QC / Durability Concerns:I haven't had any issues with this controller at all, and I generally don't with 8BitDo.Functionality:In general, I have nothing to complain about as far as functionality. There aren't really any stand out performance features with this controller, but the layout puts the dpad in the natural resting spot for the thumb, which makes it more comfortable for extended sessions playing retro games, or games like Tetris (more on that soon) where the dpad is the primary method of movement input.The joysticks are fairly middling with resolution. Trying to set the time in Genshin impact probably skips minutes worse than any other controller I have tried this resolution test with. That being said, I didn't buy this for joystick games. Also note that this review is based on the ALPS version and it's possible the Hall Effect version is using joysticks with improved resolution.A staple of my controller reviews... the Tetris dpad test. I play games on Tetris at as fast of a pace as I can (I'm roughly a 1 minute sprinter in modern Tetris games) and see how many false hard drops I get. This controller has been my go-to for Tetris for roughly 3 years now, and the predecessor was the go to before that. Tetris is the game that put be on the journey for a dpad that wasn't terrible, and this controller ended up being the best compromise so far as far as thumb positioning, and registering a very low number of unintentional hard drops when I up the pace. It has been dethroned in accuracy by my Flydigi Apex 4 however, but I still prefer my resting thumb position with this controller and it would be less likely to fatigue me if I play for a long time. Ultimately, I'm still waiting for something to dethrone this controller as far as layout and functionality... and something may very well do so soon... and when I get that controller I'll review it too!In Conclusion:If you play retro games, or games that rely on the dpad more than the joystick, then I think you'll find yourself at home using this controller. Unfortunately today, there aren't a whole lot of options that use the PlayStation style symmetrical layout and a lot of the feature set is dated on most of them. Since you can now get a hall effect joystick on this controller, it's one of the best featured symmetrical layout options that you can get today, though some competition is finally brewing from another third party maker.That being said, 8BitDo has made some changes to the dpad in the Ultimate 2C which I have a feeling may eventually end up in a Pro 3 controller. I would be happy to give that a try in the future if it comes to pass.There's also another controller I'm waiting on that might dethrone this one for the champion of retro. Stay tuned in late October for a review of that one :)

I've been gaming since I was a toddler and have been both a PC and console user and this is one of the best controllers I've ever used. Not only does it work with the Switch, PC, and mobile, but it also has great rumble, a turbo function, and hall effect joysticks which prevent them from drifting. It comes with a rechargeable battery pack as well!10/10 will be buying another one soon.

So what can I say that hasn’t been already said about this?Well, there are pros and cons to this device, but I’m not sure if the cons are bad or the pros are goodSo let’s get the bad stuff out of the wayThe cons:– The joysticks are not hall effect but Alps (nothing is perfect)– It is not HD rumble– there is no NFC reader or writer for when you use it in the switch setting(which lets be fair, isn’t used often in most of the games, except a select few)And I have to say for cons they’re pretty minornow onto the pros– It’s ergonomic shape is similar to that of a PlayStation dual shock controller(whether that be PS1-3, 4, maybe not the five but still) which makes this great for PlayStation gamers-It has an app that can be used whether it be iOS or android, that helps you enable programs and set profiles for certain games which can be changed manually on the device (which means it’s easier to do macros for certain fighting games)-It comes with a “removable” battery pack, which means if you don’t wanna use the included battery pack or it starts to fail, you can just do what old-school third-party controllers did, and put in a couple of AA batteries which is a very nice touch-The D pad, lately a lot of controls haven’t had a very decent D pad(this includes switch and PlayStation) but this one satisfies a lot of people especially considering that the original SN 30 start it off as a remake of the super Nintendo entertainment system controller. As time went on. They had a joysticks. Then they added the grips, which makes sense considering Nintendo and PlayStation were once a team so it’s safe to say this controller honors both.-this is a bit of a bonus feature, but if you pair it with the PS1/PS2 receiver made by the same company. You literally have a perfect controller for PlayStation systems before PS3. (and because we don’t longer have RadioShack this is very helpful because there are not a lot of third-party controller support for the older game system anymore.) so this is a big Pro.Now, in all honesty, this is a very good controller the pros slightly outweigh the cons(unless you exclude that NFC con) either way this is a solid controller. That is very good and very compatible.Do I recommend it? Yes I do. (2022)But if you can get the Hall Effect versions that came out 2024