UPDATE! So I missed a dumb obvious thing, turns out the controller has to be shaken to make it wake up the Switch. Not a huge fan of that vs a simple button press, BUT it does mean the controller does allow for consistently waking up the Switch as opposed to what I say in video about having trouble waking the system. Good to know hah.

One big plus to this controller is that they have hall effect joysticks, no worries of drifting for the life of the product.

I’ve been having trouble finding a comfortable switch controller that doesn’t feel cheap as hell. I’ll definitely be picking this one up, thanks again Kevin! 👍

Wow I’m sold, the amount of customization choices on that app is crazy. Left Stick on Dpad sounds great for Link’s Awakening. Not many videos on this controller and none of them went thru the customization option like you did. Thanks for the great vid as always! Edit: You can turn on the switch by pressing the home button and shaking the controller. I just seen the Q&A on Amazon.

Surprised you didn't mention the Hall Effect joysticks in the Switch controller specifically (not the Xbox button model) for zero to no stick drift and maximum response. All in all, though, I love your videos and this is just one more that may convince me to get this not only as a Switch controller, but potentially a main driver for my PC gaming as well.

8bitdo seems to make some of the best 3rd party controllers for the switch. I have a pro2 myself and it is one of my favorite controllers ever. I think 8bitdo should try their hand at making a set of pro joycons that are similar in design to the hori split pad pro's but with gyro controls, rumble, etc.

You just convinced me to pick this up. I've had an official pro controller for right about 5 years now, and I think its one of the best purchases I've ever made for the switch. Even though mine is still in good condition, I've been kinda wanting something new just to shake things up a bit. I've heard a lot of good things about 8bitdo, but have yet to get one of their controllers. The included charging dock pretty much sold me on this controller (as well as it being white, to match my OLED model). :D

I've watched several reviews of this controller recently, and you're the first one to mention the USB pass-thru for the 2.4 receiver. Awesome!

THANK YOU for mentioning that the USB dock acts as a USB extender/passthrough for the dongle. No other reviewer has mentioned this, and I wanted to know.

Was waiting for this review to come out before purchasing and I think you've convinced me to go ahead and buy it!

I already have, and really love, my 8bitdo pro2. Not for switch so much (I'm happy with the 1st party pro control, and I've already got a charging stand for that which also keeps my spare joycons charged), but the pro2 is the main control I use with my steam deck while docked. Despite having no complaints about the pro2, I am sorely tempted to pick this up as a replacement. It looks great, and I'm a sucker for charging docks - they keep controllers topped up and give them a discrete place to live so you never have to fumble around looking for them.

People mentioned the hall effect sticks in other comments, but what interesting is that 8BitDo licensed the design from another company, Gulikit, who makes their own Switch pro controller in the King Kong Pro 2. The ergonomics are MUCH more in line with an XBox controllers, down to an Xbox controller fitting inside the hard shell case that the KKP2 comes in (the bottom half, anyway. The hard shell won't close around it). If you're willing to give up some of the creature comforts of the 8BitDo software and the back paddles, you'll find that it has all the features of turbo buttons, sensitivity tuning, gyro controls, waking from sleep, and even a macro recording function built in, plus it has NFC for Amiibo compatibility.

Mine is coming today. I am pumped. It also has Hall Effect joysticks that are the same ones from the Gulikit KingKong 2 Pro. I have that controller and it is pretty darn good as well.

I would LOVE to see a side by side comparison video between this and the GuliKit King Kong Pro 2. Both of them seem like the new Switch titans as far as controllers go

You forgot to mention the Hall Effect sensors. That's a HUGE feature and makes a big difference in both the lifespan and reliability of the controller. I'd love to see you bring this up so people won't overlook such a key feature!! Might be trading in my Pro Controller to get one of these.

8bitdo's controllers are great in general, I'd not be surprised

The “wake function” works by shaking the controller. It’s a feature that they added and they’ve mentioned in Q&As! It’s just a bit of a different way that isn’t obvious at first to turn on the switch

I bought an AfterGlow pro controller the other day for a party, but it suffered drift out the box lol. Excited to give this one a try!

So excited for this. My only gripe is I want four buttons on the back so I can have them all for face buttons. I'm very used to using all the paddles on my xbox elite controller, and I'd love to have that same option on the switch while having the quality of an 8bitdo controller.

Great preview! Any chance you do a follow-up for those hall-effect sticks? Would be really interesting to see if it's possible to reduce the dead zone compared to the regular Pro Controller. Would be great for FPS games...

8bitdo are awesome. I still use their Bluetooth dongle adapter for my switch to use controllers from different platforms.

One weird thing about the controller is the way it interacts with Splatoon 2/3 very specifically. Since the entire game's camera is built around the gyro (which honestly feels slightly better in this controller than the Pro), Splatoon uses a lot of subtle HD rumble which means this controller translates it to classic rumble - this causes the camera to essentially rumble when you're swimming through ink and whatnot - I can't tell if I like it or find it disorienting but it doesn't quite mess up the gameplay. If the rumble for the controller can be toggled down in intensity though, that might totally alleviate the issue, I haven't messed around with that yet!

Loving the Ben Rector background music

For $70 I really wish they had included NFC as well, especially since the Gulikit does have NFC. Other than that my only other complaint would be no X-Input over Bluetooth on PC, just the dongle. If they could allow it via an update later, that would be amazing.

I'm kind of mixed on this because I liked being able to potentially replace an aging rechargeable battery easily on the previous 8bitdo offerings so the controller actually lasts into the future when the built in rechargeable battery eventually goes bad in some few years or so. But you get hall effect sticks on the bt+2.4g version, which is an interesting tradeoff. I'm still probably going to go with the Pro 2 in the future but I really want to see hall effect analog sticks and triggers become a mainstay so people don't have to worry about potentiometer-based wear and subsequent drifting caused by that wear.

You sold it to me! I hope it doesnt get drift sticks, i am gonna buy it, nice review man!

I just bought a Nintendo Switch and I'm really liking it so far, some of the games I've bought for it are SMM2, Mega Man 11 and I'm also able to play NES and SNES games which I'm really loving so far. I just bought it last week so I don't have that many games but I will eventually get more games for and will get SMO2 (Super Mario Odessey 2) whenever it comes out.

I have the wired version for Switch/PC and love it. I would definitely get this wireless since the Pro controller d pad is hard and not soft.

I know Nintendo isn't planning to drop the ZR ZL convention, but I at least wish they could move the Z's to the end making it RZ and LZ, that way controller itself could use an ambiguous font where it didn't matter whether it's RZ/LZ or R2/L2 since they'd look the same.

White Elite controller 2 with a Brook Xbox One SE that plugs into the bottom is also a good solution and all I've been using for the switch.

Been tossing up between the Pro 2 and this model. My main gripe with the Switch Pro is the dpad, so curious if either model is better for mostly dpad-focused games in your opinion. But, in my heart I'm waiting for the day they'll slap on the M30's Saturn-style dpad onto a pro controller. A man can dream.

Interested in how this compares to the Gullikit Kingkong 2 Pro! Would love to see a video about that one next

Would definitely consider one if I didn't already own like 5 switch controllers. Hall effect joystick are probably the best feature as it wont drift in the controllers (and probably our) lifetime!

One thing I've always been interested in with controllers like that is if on PC if those back buttons are independent buttons by default? Ever since I got used to the grips on the Steam Controller I've been a big fan of this option on PC as it lets you easily use the grips as modifier buttons or multi button presses for whatever you're doing. Like for example if I'm use a primarily keyboard and mouse game on the steam controller I'll often put shift and ctrl on the grips as they can easily be held while operating the face buttons and the trackpads. They're also good for mode shifting where you hold down the grip and temporarily switch some buttons to another action layer or action set. If the back buttons can only mimic face buttons then you lose that functionality. I know Steam has some enhanced drivers for the Xbox elite controllers but I'm not sure they'd work with something like this, and to be honest I really would like this being done by default on PC. (Though there's lots of things I'd like by default on PC. Like having gyro as part of the xinput standard so I can stop having to emulate a PS4/PS5 controller to get analog triggers and gyro.

I'd say the Hall effect joysticks are a huge part of the user experience. No mention of them? So many have suffered stick drift with this device, it's a huge, if not the main, selling point.

I started useing 8bit's controllers cause I am a Switch and PC gamer and they were all convention for keeping paired to both these platforms specifically without needing to re pair. But this controller is just nice. In my case I leave the Dock plugged in to my PC, keeping the 2.4hz options for my PC and then I keep the Bluetooth mod paired to my Switch.

Got it for $50 since our store had it confused with the 2.4g wireless for a day. It's pretty nice, hefty and the grip is 👌 tho I suggest buying a grip for the analogs cause they smooth af

Please no more accessories for the Switch…I have too many! “Maybe just one more…?”

Finding old weird madcatz controllers or accessories would be a interesting video to!!

I wonder if it fits the Fixture? That would make this a must buy for me.

I absolutely love 8bitdo controllers, i am hoping this one next! (Also heyo!)

8bitdo is my favoured 3rd party controller maker besides hori. Excellent quality and haptic. Please put the hall sensor sticks in the wired version of the ultimate for series x/s. Instant buy. ☮️

Hey bro I love your video I just wanted to give you a little hint. This controller has a secret function where if you shake it back and forth in a wide range it will automatically wake up your switch if you shake it back and forth thanks for the great videos long time subscriber 😎🙏

I would love to see a video that compares king kong pro 2 with this controller. They are the only two controllers in the market with hall effect sensors. I just want to know which one feels better on hand

I would love for 8bitdo to make a joycon version of this controller!

It includes the dongle, that makes it a no brainer for people like me that don't have it, and also means I get to use some controllers that I have lying about on the switch, or on PC If need be, I'm completely sold

This controller seems really cool and I kinda wanna get it just to play around with it. I like the two extra buttons on the back. If only it could do Amiibo and had electromagnetic joysticks.

Got to get one of these to replace my third-party Chinese controller which works perfectly well I just don’t care for the stiffness of the D pad or the buttons plus the thumb stick seem to have a larger than normal dead zone. All my research points to this being the 🐐 of Nintendo switch controllers 🎮🏆

The sticks are amazing and claim to have fixed the drift issue

If I'm not mistaken, the controller dock also acts as a usb passthrough for the dongle.

Great video! on how many devices can it be synced at the same time? one bluetooth and one 2.4g? something i like about the 8bitdo pro 2 is that it can be synced with 4 devices thanks to the switch on the back, it makes easier to change between NS, PC or android.

The that I don't have to worry about stick drift (something the Switch Joysticks are infamous for, and a word I didn't even knew before the Switch came out), makes the cost of this worth it, plus it includes a charging station which the Switch Pro controller does not

How does 8bitdo knock it out of the park everytime for these controllers, with so many options and nice build quality. I think it is the most versatile 3rd party controller we have for switch.

If possible, do a review later on down the line. Switch pro controllers tend to drift a lot for me, so I'm hopeful for this controller.

I was sold by the back paddles on the Pro 2, and now I'm gonna have to save up again to get this one because my Pro 2 is starting to drift. For players who intensely use the L3 and R3, for example for playing Apex Legends, mapping those keys to the back paddles will help you in the long run because you won't be repeatedly putting pressure on your thumb joints. Trust me, I've lost my left from pressing L3 so much. LOL. There is a constant dull pain on my left thumb joint now, it feels weak and hurts more even from just lifting a glass of water.

Can you compare this to the Gulikit King Kong Pro 2? It also uses Hall effect sensors for the joysticks, while using more of an XBox controller form factor.

My only issue with it is no HD rumble. I'd love to have a controller with paddles that I can use for Splatoon 3, but I rely heavily on the nuanced haptic cues that the game provides.

I definitely like the location of that capture button because I am ever accidentally hitting the capture button thinking can I hit the minus button

Built in back buttons for less than $100...AND hall effect sticks... I'm getting this.

Hi Kevin, can you do a comparison video to the gulikit king kong pro 2 ??

This may sound dumb, but hd rumble has become a huge feature for me. Nintendo makes some games that take it into account, but more importantly, all sony games that are being released on pc have the ps5’s rumble config. And for some reason the Magic Mayflash supports it. So whenever i play spiderman, horizon, god of war or any game that has haptic feedback, my pro controllers can pick it up from my pc, and the difference is huge. So much so that between that and battery life i almost never use my xbox one controller anymore

The dongle is amazing for smash tournaments! You don't need to worry about syncing and leaving it synced to someone else's switch but still get the wireless experience (which while slower than wired, has gotten fast enough that I don't notice on official pro controller). The thing I'm wondering about is the input lag and the reliability. All 3 of my 8bitdo controllers (2 sn30pro 1 pro2) have an issue where after a certain, shrinking length of time where they'll just stop working. Wired somehow accelerates the issue to a point where I've stopped using a wire entirely and I've bought a pro 2 wired hoping it was a QC issue, then I had to return it in 3 days because of this issue appearing in less than 12 hours of play. I really like this controller and want to get it but if this issue persists, I'm probably never going to buy an 8bitdo controller again.

I’ve been using the controller for about a month. I replaced joysticks in 3 of our joycons and they’ve already started acting up intermittently which is frustrating. I replaced the joycon sticks about a week or so before getting this controller. I’ve had zero issues out of it. I love that I don’t have to worry about drift. I have large sized hands so I wish the controller was just a smidge bigger. But it is comfortable enough and my kids ca ln use it no problem. The profile setups are nice but I haven’t figured out how to map the back triggers for profile 2 and 3. Currently only profile one has the back buttons mapped. Lastly, the back triggers have to travel very far to activate but that’s easy enough to correct by increasing their sensitivity. All in all, I love this controller and will use it for just about everything I play except maybe smash bros.

I knew this was going to be the best one on the market as soon as a found out.

I think it is the biggest form of flattery that every top controller copies the xbox controller design/form factor

Really surprised you didn't talk about the hall effect sticks

I bought one together with my Bayonetta 3 and the controller feels good. The dpad feels a bit stiff though, might need time to break in.

it also has Hall Effect Sensor thumbsticks!

this also have Magnetic Hall Sensors from Gulikit so the durability for your sticks is way better than other controllers on the market atm. this is by far the best 3rd party controller out there. it's also my Switch and Steamdeck Go to controller.

I have it and the only thing stopping me from giving it a 10/10 is lack of high quality rumble once you have felt hd rumble you can't really go back

How’d you land a Ben Rector song?? Killer vid!

Y'know what I want to see in a multi-system controller? LED face buttons that change their symbols to match whatever system you're using. How often have you been told to "press x" and momentarily forget that the "x" the game refers to is "y" or "a" or whatever on your controller?

I think I read somewhere that you need to shake the controller for it to wake the switch (as opposed to just pressing the buttons)

I think i buy it when my 8Bitdo pro 2 is broken :D but that Controller Sounds really cool

My pro controller is starting to drift so I honestly might pick this up although might also just wait for the next Nintendo console’s pro controller and use the joy cons until then

I want to see you do a review on joy cons that are made from a third-party company that have magnets in it that does everything Nintendo genie look almost identical

How about using this as a primary PC controller? Can I bind back buttons as a separate buttons or they can only copy/mimic input of face buttons?

How is the latency on Switch? I've heart the Pro 2 had really bad lag on Switch so I'm concerned

Thank you for this amazing review!! You convinced me to buy this beauty of a controller and I do not regret it! I just don't understand that "USB-Passthrough" thingy. Does that mean, that when I have the dock connected to the switch dock, I have to hold the controller WITH the dock in hand so that this USB-Passthrough can work? Or do I simply have to have the 8Bit dock and the switch dock connected, and I can remove the controller from its own dock for it to work? I hope someone can help me with this slight confusion hahahaha

Does it have the same old rubber pads under the buttons? I've kinda gone through a few 8bitdos controllers cuz they rip in time.

What was that about connecting the charger dock to the Switch dock, and using 2.4 signal?

To turn on the switch, press the heart button then gently shake the controller. Works like a charm 😊

Will this pair with a macbook air as well? 🙂 I'd love one controller I can carry around for both my NSW and MacBook air

I thought the dongle was only stored on the base of the dock, not actually plugged in and that it would actually be usable that way! Is it the same as their previous ones? I already have the "orange brick" one for using my switch with an Xbox or PS4 controller, but I could buy this and give the old dongle to a friend if I can use this controller via Bluetooth and then have another friend play with the other controller connected to the dongle.

So, when I do profile switching, would I be able to switch between consoles/devices? Or does it just change the button mapping?

Question. How accessible is the turbo functionality? I need a switch controller where I can press one button to turn rapid fire on and off very quickly

I got my unit yesterday. My main complaint is compatibility wise this controller is a massive step back compared to 8bitdo's previous models. Previous controllers had 4 modes and you could use them as you saw fit. With this controller, PC and android can only use it in Xbox mode with the 2.4ghz dongle. This makes it annoying if you want to use it with a tablet or laptop, since you can't use the Bluetooth built into the device, and since you can't pair it as a Switch controller you can't access the Gyro. When you try to use the bluetooth on a PC it constantly disconnects and shows up as an unknown controller. Additionally people how found that many devices, like the Steam Deck, don't work with it at all either via Bluetooth or 2.4ghz. Which is crazy as both Xbox and Switch first party controllers work completely fine on the Steam Deck. My secondary complaint is that they didn't include height adjustable sticks, or at least incorporate the mechanism and sell them as an addon, like Guilikit does. This could have been the ultimate "elite" controller if they added that. Now if you want hall effect for the no drift and smaller deadzones, you have to pick between a Gulikit controller, which has the adjustable sticks, or an 8bitdo ultimate, which has the paddles.

Hi, can you tell me if the feeling of the motion control is the same as with the official Pro controller please ? I'm a Splatoon player and my pro controller is drifting again so I'm interested in this controller but I don't to change my usual feeling of motion control

This is a great controller, although I would love to see native playstation support in their controllers. Kind of a controller and dongle meshed in one. Also what would be really great a controller that has all the great qualities of the switch pro, xbox and dualsense edge with their own 8-bit do twist. That would be an absolute miracle.

I wonder what kind of phone mount would work with this

Could I connect it to the xbox series s with the dongle? I already have the switch pro controller and the xbox controller come with the series s and I'm looking for another controller that could serve both? Thanks in advance I couldn't find the answer anywhere 😅

Hi, does this controller still has the issue of input lag as soon as you add a bluetooth headset to the Switch? Had that issue with the Pro 2.

What do the face buttons feel like? Are they hard and clicky like the Xbox? More soft and mushy like the Switch Pro Controller? Similar to other 8Bitdo models?

Why is the 2.4-only version pink? I hadn't noticed that in any other videos about these controllers.

I'm playing on Switch very occasionally, but I finally decided to sit down and play Breath of The Wild. I'll be playing it docked and I need to buy some traditional controller. What's best solution? Nintendo's Pro, this one or just buying the 8bitdo dongle and sync it up with DualSense/Dualshock/Xbox controllers (I allredy have them - then it would be the cheapest solution)?

Does anyone know if there’s input lag when amiibo scannings is possible? I have a 8bitdo pro 2 and it lags inputs in games like splatoon 2 & 3 when the gear menu is on for selecting outfits and stuff. I’m not hitting the “scan amiibo” option. That’s why I’m curious if this does that too.

How is this compared to the Gulikit Pro 2 controller? Nobody done a review of that so far.

Does the passthrough function also work when you plug it to a PC?

I always found the d-pad to has a pig problem with latency.

I wish this had the connection options that the pro 2 had. Pro 2 also had connection for Android and apple. (and windows via Bluetooth). I much prefer the ultimates Xbox style design and would like to get it but it bugs me they took out 2 connections