8Bitdo Ultimate Wireless Controller
- Stan@Voltage Castle
- Feb 20
- 6 min read
Updated: May 2
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Pro | Con |
|---|---|
Comfortable | Joysticks |
2.4G Receiver | Setup |
Pick Up & Play |
The Voltage:
The 8Bitdo Ultimate 2.4G Wireless Controller is a great gaming accessory that will help make your gaming experience more enjoyable. The 8Bitdo has amazing features from connectivity to Hall Effect Joysticks and more. It's comfortable in the hand and comes with a great magnetic charging dock that will tell you with one look if your controller is done charging or not. I've had a great time using the 8Bitdo and it will be a great addition to your gaming sessions. If you want to learn more about it please enjoy my in-depth review of The 8Bitdo Ultimate 2.4G Wireless Controller.
8Bitdo Ultimate 2.4G Wireless Controller
I've been looking to purchase a gaming controller to play with my Steam Deck in docked mode for a while now and then I came across the 8Bitdo Ultimate Wireless Controller. My first thought when I picked it up was Man it feels a little small, but that's probably because I got used to holding the much larger Steam Deck in my hands. The next thing I noticed was how slick the controller felt but the handheld areas had some nice texture on it to help with the grip. Join me as we dive deeper into the ins and outs of the 8Bitdo Ultimate 2.4G Wireless Controller!
My First Experience
My first experience with the 8Bitdo was a little frustrating because I wasn't able to connect it to my Steam Deck but come to find out it was more my fault because I didn't read the directions. It tells you to turn the back switch from X to D which toggles it from the 2.4G dongle or a wired connection to wireless. Then all you gotta do is pair it however, something else I learned the hard way is that once you get it connected restart your game.
I was trying to play my game with my new controller without restarting it and it would make me go through the configurations, I even downloaded some controller profiles to see if I could get it working. I finally got tired of playing around with it and tried restarting my game. Lo and behold once it restarted it went into the default layout for a game controller and I haven't had a problem since.
The 8Bitdo is a great controller and I love how it's easy to just pick it up from the charging dock and play whenever you want (once you get it connected). The controller feels good in my hands if not just a little too small for my preference. I got used to the size of it after a while, I think a lot of it is because I haven't played Consol for so long (PC Gamer For Life lol).
The only issue I noticed with the controller itself is that I could not get the joysticks to do some complex movements that it takes to unlock locks in certain games (I'm looking at you Kingdom Come: Deliverance). I don't know if it has something to do with the Hall Effect joysticks because I can do it with my Steam Deck Just fine.
Then comes the software, I haven't been able to test the software because when I tried to download it my pc freaks out and says there is a virus on it. So I haven't been able to play with the profiles. The star button is for turbo mode just keep in mind that it doesn't save the setting. This means that every time you turn your controller off or disconnect the controller the turbo will turn off as well.
With all that said and done, I must say I really have been enjoying the 8Bitdo controller during my gaming sessions. It's very comfortable and sleek and all the buttons have a very tactile feel. The ability to just pick up the controller from its dock and play my game at a moment's notice is a great feature to have especially if you only have a limited time per gaming session. The battery lasted my whole gaming session, but to be fair most of my sessions are only 3-5 hours so I haven't really stress-tested that at all.
Stand and Charging
The 8Bitdo Ultimate 2.4G Wireless Controller comes with a neat little charging dock that doesn't take up a lot of space and connects using a USB-C connector. It magnetically charges the controller so you don't have to worry about wires and plugging it in for it to charge. The way to know if your controller is in need of charging is the little LED light on top, if it is blinking it means it's low on battery.
Once you put the controller on the dock the little LED on the top of the controller should start blinking red which means it's charging and the dock should have a solid white LED strip on the bottom which is another indicator that the controller is charging. Once that white strip and the red LED lights go off it should be fully charged and ready to go.
The Good & The Bad
The Good:
Comfortable- The controller itself is very slick however, the grips have a very comfortable texture that makes it very nice to use. The buttons are all very easy to reach and I've never had to stretch out my hand to reach any of the buttons.
2.4G dongle- Though I don't use it that much it is a nice thing to have in case you want to connect it to a PC. The dongle is found on the bottom of the charging dock inside what looks like a battery door. The 2.4G connection is really easy to use, all you gotta do is connect the dongle to the PC, then make sure the controller switch on the back is set to X, and then hit the home button.
Pick up & Play- Once you get it connected all you gotta do is pick it up from the charging dock and you're good to go! you do not have to worry about reconnecting it or anything just pick up & play
Connect The Controller- You can connect this controller in just about any way you want. You have the option of connecting it with a wire, Bluetooth, or with a 2.4G Dongle.
Hall Effect Joysticks- The Hall Effect joysticks are great because they use magnets and electrical conductors to measure their positions which means it should completely eliminate stick drift and they should be more accurate.
The Bad:
The Joysticks- I've had a little bit of issues with the joysticks as I'm trying to do more complex movements it just doesn't seem to follow well. I don't know if it has something to do with the Hall Effect or not but I just can't use them under certain situations.
Setup- The initial setup was a bit of a pain in the rear end however, if you read the directions and remember to restart your game the first time you connect to controllers it should be pretty smooth sailing for you.
Features
Hall Effect Joysticks
15 Hour Battery
2.4G Dongle
Turbo Mode
3 Switchable Profiles
Rumble Vibrations
Bluetooth Connection
Charging Dock
Compatible with Steam Deck, PC, Apple, or Android
Wired Connection
Steam Deck Button Layout
Conclusion
The 8Bitdo Ultimate 2.4G Wireless Controller is a gaming accessory that has many great features with just a couple of issues however, I do have to say I think the good outweighs the bad on this one. The 8Bitdo allows you to connect in any way you desire through wireless Bluetooth, wired, or dongle. This controller also has a neat feature called the Hall Effect joysticks so it completely eliminates any stick drift and is a lot more accurate!
I have had a lot of fun using the 8Bitdo Ultimate 2.4G Wireless controller but remember the issues if you are looking to purchase this one for yourself. So if you're an avid gamer or just someone with likes to pick up a game from time to time I don't think you can't go wrong with The Bitdo Ultimate 2.4G Wireless Controller.
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