As someone new to the Nintendo Switch, I was told that a controller would be a requirement for getting the most out of the system. The included Joycon grip, as it turned out, is a crime against ergonomics, and I was quickly on the hunt for a controller to actually make use of the Switch in docked mode.
There are so many options out there that finding a good one is challenging nowadays. You could certainly go for Nintendo’s own first party Pro controller, but $90 Canadian dollars for a controller I didn’t like the layout of to begin with, seemed like a raw deal to me. I went looking through third party options, until I finally settled on the 8bitdo Pro 2. Let’s get into why, and why you should give this one a look, if you’re wanting a good controller for your Switch and don’t care for Nintendo’s first party offering.
Build Quality
The Pro 2 in full.
One thing that 8bitdo has been constantly improving on is the quality of their materials along with fit and finish. Early on, their controllers were good, but it was clear that they were a new company, still getting their eye in as far as manufacturing and design went. Now, several years into their run, 8bitdo is producing some of the best controllers out there, not just for Switch, but in general.
The Pro 2 feels solid in the hands, the textured plastic finish looks good, and it reminds me of the texture of Nintendo’s own first party SNES controller. It’s offered in a variety of colors, including a very nice gray, which is what I ended up going with.
It is a wireless controller so that means a battery, and 8bitdo has opted to go with a replaceable battery pack. With companies doing internal batteries that can’t be replaced, this is a really nice feature, and frankly, it should be standard practice.
Layout and Responsiveness
Unlike Nintendo’s Pro controller with its offset analog sticks, the 8bitdo Pro 2 uses a symmetrical stick layout, meaning the analog sticks are next to each other, and the d-pad is on the left hand side of the controller. While some people might just call this a matter of preference, it really isn’t. Depending on what kind of games you play, one layout may be better than another.
For me, fighting games, arcade games, and retro compilations are the main things I intend to play on my Switch, and all of these play better with the d-pad than they do with an analog stick. Having the d-pad on the left helps with hand fatigue, as your grip will be different depending on what part of the controller you’re aiming for. It might not seem like much to shift your thumb to the right a bit to use a d-pad instead of the analog stick, but it does make a difference. Your thumb wants to rest near the side of the controller so it’s more relaxed when you’re playing. So, I want the d-pad right where my thumb is going to be. If you play a lot of FPS or games with a lot of 3D movement where the analog stick is beneficial, you’d want the analog stick there. It’s not a religious war, or me trying to tell you what’s better. It’s just a matter of using the right tool for the job.
The back of the Pro 2
I very much like the Pro 2’s layout, with good spacing for the face buttons, the d-pad is exactly where it should be, and the shoulder buttons and triggers are in easy reach. The – and + buttons occupy the center of the controller, keeping them out of the way, but they’re large enough to press when you need to.
The only thing I could really fault is the Screenshot and Home buttons located on the left and right of the controllers, below the d-pad and face buttons. They are small, and are not very tall. It keeps them out of the way, so you shouldn’t hit them by accident. You have to deliberately move your thumb to get to them. For most people, this is not an issue, but I make use of the Switch’s built in Zoom function, which requires you to tap the Home button twice to activate and deactivate it.
This controller has three other buttons, a Swap button at the bottom center of the controller, and two P paddles on the underside of the controller. Using the 8bitdo Ultimate Software, you’re able to map these two paddles and save them as a Profile that you can use by pressing the Swap button. So, I was able to map the Home button to one of these paddles, and make it easier on myself to use the Zoom function. This is just a really nice detail that I appreciate, as it shows that the folks making this product actually have an idea of how people might want to use the controller. So top marks there for providing the option. Being able to map the button on the fly would’ve been nice, but this works just as well.
Playing the Games
This controller just works very well. The d-pad is responsive and has just the right amount of pivot on the center, making it easy to do moves in fighting games. It also has the traditional Cross layout, complete with inset directional arrows. The analog sticks are miles ahead of Nintendo’s stock Joycons, and thus far, drift has not been an issue. The face buttons have a nice pronounced click to them, and they feel solid. This applies to the shoulder buttons, which have enough resistance to avoid accidental presses when you rest your fingers on them. The analog triggers are likewise firm, yet very smooth in their actuation. In a lot of ways, this controller is more of a Nintendo controller than Nintendo’s own Pro controller is.
There are a couple of drawbacks, though. These apply to every third party controller that I’ve come across thus far. Firstly, you can’t wake your Switch up with this controller. You’ll have to use the Home button on a Joycon for that, or the power button on the Switch itself. It also does not feature HD rumble. For some folks, this last one may be a deal breaker, but for the types of games I plan to play on the Switch, it’s not a huge bother. It’s just something you should be aware of before buying.
Software & Firmware
8bitdo’s Ultimate Software is available on Android, Windows, and Mac, and allows you to customize the way your controller works. You can customize the sensitivity of the analog sticks, the triggers, vibration, and many other aspects of the controller and then save these as a Profile. You can store up to three of these on your controller. The software works well and is intuitive to figure out. I had no issues with this software. The issues I ran into happened with the firmware updater.
I saw that there was a firmware update available for the controller, and downloaded the update tool to apply it. However, somehow during the update process, something went wrong. My controller was left completely inoperable. So, that’s it, right, zero out of five stars. The controller bricked during the update and now I can’t use it. Well, no. I re-ran the firmware update tool, and this time it was unable to determine the type of controller that was plugged in. It prompted me to select the controller, and then let me install the firmware to it. I don’t know what went wrong the first time, but this time it worked, and my Pro 2 was up and running again.
So, it’s fair to say I am very pleased that 8bitdo took disaster recovery into account with updates. It’s something a lot of company do not get right, if they even think of it at all.
On the whole, the 8bitdo Pro 2 is an excellent choice if you want a controller for more traditional d-pad focused games. With excellent build quality, a great feel, intuitive software with features that make sense, it’s hard to find fault with 8bitdo’s Pro 2. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using it, and it’s my main controller for the Switch. 8Bitdo also has an Ultimate controller, but for most people, this will be everything they need.
As someone new to the Nintendo Switch, I was told that a controller would be a requirement for getting the most out of the system. The included Joycon grip, as it turned out, is a crime against ergonomics, and I…
As someone new to the Nintendo Switch, I was told that a controller would be a requirement for getting the most out of the system. The included Joycon grip, as it turned out, is a crime against ergonomics, and I was quickly on the hunt for a controller to actually make use of the Switch in docked mode.
There are so many options out there that finding a good one is challenging nowadays. You could certainly go for Nintendo’s own first party Pro controller, but $90 Canadian dollars for a controller I didn’t like the layout of to begin with, seemed like a raw deal to me. I went looking through third party options, until I finally settled on the 8bitdo Pro 2. Let’s get into why, and why you should give this one a look, if you’re wanting a good controller for your Switch and don’t care for Nintendo’s first party offering.
Build Quality
The Pro 2 in full.
One thing that 8bitdo has been constantly improving on is the quality of their materials along with fit and finish. Early on, their controllers were good, but it was clear that they were a new company, still getting their eye in as far as manufacturing and design went. Now, several years into their run, 8bitdo is producing some of the best controllers out there, not just for Switch, but in general.
The Pro 2 feels solid in the hands, the textured plastic finish looks good, and it reminds me of the texture of Nintendo’s own first party SNES controller. It’s offered in a variety of colors, including a very nice gray, which is what I ended up going with.
It is a wireless controller so that means a battery, and 8bitdo has opted to go with a replaceable battery pack. With companies doing internal batteries that can’t be replaced, this is a really nice feature, and frankly, it should be standard practice.
Layout and Responsiveness
Unlike Nintendo’s Pro controller with its offset analog sticks, the 8bitdo Pro 2 uses a symmetrical stick layout, meaning the analog sticks are next to each other, and the d-pad is on the left hand side of the controller. While some people might just call this a matter of preference, it really isn’t. Depending on what kind of games you play, one layout may be better than another.
For me, fighting games, arcade games, and retro compilations are the main things I intend to play on my Switch, and all of these play better with the d-pad than they do with an analog stick. Having the d-pad on the left helps with hand fatigue, as your grip will be different depending on what part of the controller you’re aiming for. It might not seem like much to shift your thumb to the right a bit to use a d-pad instead of the analog stick, but it does make a difference. Your thumb wants to rest near the side of the controller so it’s more relaxed when you’re playing. So, I want the d-pad right where my thumb is going to be. If you play a lot of FPS or games with a lot of 3D movement where the analog stick is beneficial, you’d want the analog stick there. It’s not a religious war, or me trying to tell you what’s better. It’s just a matter of using the right tool for the job.
The back of the Pro 2
I very much like the Pro 2’s layout, with good spacing for the face buttons, the d-pad is exactly where it should be, and the shoulder buttons and triggers are in easy reach. The – and + buttons occupy the center of the controller, keeping them out of the way, but they’re large enough to press when you need to.
The only thing I could really fault is the Screenshot and Home buttons located on the left and right of the controllers, below the d-pad and face buttons. They are small, and are not very tall. It keeps them out of the way, so you shouldn’t hit them by accident. You have to deliberately move your thumb to get to them. For most people, this is not an issue, but I make use of the Switch’s built in Zoom function, which requires you to tap the Home button twice to activate and deactivate it.
This controller has three other buttons, a Swap button at the bottom center of the controller, and two P paddles on the underside of the controller. Using the 8bitdo Ultimate Software, you’re able to map these two paddles and save them as a Profile that you can use by pressing the Swap button. So, I was able to map the Home button to one of these paddles, and make it easier on myself to use the Zoom function. This is just a really nice detail that I appreciate, as it shows that the folks making this product actually have an idea of how people might want to use the controller. So top marks there for providing the option. Being able to map the button on the fly would’ve been nice, but this works just as well.
Playing the Games
This controller just works very well. The d-pad is responsive and has just the right amount of pivot on the center, making it easy to do moves in fighting games. It also has the traditional Cross layout, complete with inset directional arrows. The analog sticks are miles ahead of Nintendo’s stock Joycons, and thus far, drift has not been an issue. The face buttons have a nice pronounced click to them, and they feel solid. This applies to the shoulder buttons, which have enough resistance to avoid accidental presses when you rest your fingers on them. The analog triggers are likewise firm, yet very smooth in their actuation. In a lot of ways, this controller is more of a Nintendo controller than Nintendo’s own Pro controller is.
There are a couple of drawbacks, though. These apply to every third party controller that I’ve come across thus far. Firstly, you can’t wake your Switch up with this controller. You’ll have to use the Home button on a Joycon for that, or the power button on the Switch itself. It also does not feature HD rumble. For some folks, this last one may be a deal breaker, but for the types of games I plan to play on the Switch, it’s not a huge bother. It’s just something you should be aware of before buying.
Software & Firmware
8bitdo’s Ultimate Software is available on Android, Windows, and Mac, and allows you to customize the way your controller works. You can customize the sensitivity of the analog sticks, the triggers, vibration, and many other aspects of the controller and then save these as a Profile. You can store up to three of these on your controller. The software works well and is intuitive to figure out. I had no issues with this software. The issues I ran into happened with the firmware updater.
I saw that there was a firmware update available for the controller, and downloaded the update tool to apply it. However, somehow during the update process, something went wrong. My controller was left completely inoperable. So, that’s it, right, zero out of five stars. The controller bricked during the update and now I can’t use it. Well, no. I re-ran the firmware update tool, and this time it was unable to determine the type of controller that was plugged in. It prompted me to select the controller, and then let me install the firmware to it. I don’t know what went wrong the first time, but this time it worked, and my Pro 2 was up and running again.
So, it’s fair to say I am very pleased that 8bitdo took disaster recovery into account with updates. It’s something a lot of company do not get right, if they even think of it at all.
On the whole, the 8bitdo Pro 2 is an excellent choice if you want a controller for more traditional d-pad focused games. With excellent build quality, a great feel, intuitive software with features that make sense, it’s hard to find fault with 8bitdo’s Pro 2. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using it, and it’s my main controller for the Switch. 8Bitdo also has an Ultimate controller, but for most people, this will be everything they need.
by Filippo Dinolfo
