8Bitdo have grown into one of the most unassuming heroes of the controller world in recent years. They’re not flashy or hyper premium, but they continue to top many a gamer’s peripheral list. There’s something unequivocally cosy about a company whose output is consistently brilliant, wrapped up in iconic, often retro-inspired designs, but that do so without fanfare or glitzy campaigns or placements. Their latest is a serious dose of modern controller design though, and the 8Bitdo Ultimate 2 line up has all the hallmarks of a modern pro controller, infused with 8Bitdo’s inimitable charm.
The Ultimate 2 Wireless is (quite shockingly) a 2.4Ghz wireless and Bluetooth-equipped controller, designed for use across PC with a USB-C dongle, and Mobile with Bluetooth. But it’s also a controller with a secret, because a swift update to the latest firmware means it’s also able to play with the Nintendo Switch 2 as well, so long as you accept that this really isn’t designed with Switch in mind.
The Ultimate 2 Wireless bears all the hallmarks of an 8Bitdo controller. It feels incredibly solid in the hand, with good-quality plastics that reminded me of my beloved Xbox 360 Elite controller. It apes that asymmetrical stick layout of the Xbox and Switch controllers, and its form factor sits somewhere between the Xbox Official Controller and the Nintendo Pro Controller as well. It’s slightly narrower than those designs, though, which feels as though it’s tailored towards smaller hands, and my 14 year old son thought it was perfect. Personally, I think it’s a very comfortable controller to hold, but if you have extremely large hands it may feel more cramped.
It manages to be both understated and eye-catching at the same time. Each analogue stick features an RGB ring around it, and out of the box it’s setup to light up different sectors of the opposing analogue stick depending on the direction you’re pressing. It’s a neat effect, and it combines with a smart light strip at the bottom of the included charging stand to great effect. The lighting makes the Ultimate 2 Wireless a really enjoyable controller to interact with, and it looks cool on your desk too.
Otherwise, the black colourway is as minimal as possible. The main ABXY buttons have the traditional Xbox colouring, but if you turn the RGB off, this is a controller that makes close to as little fuss as possible.
In action though, this is a top performer. The two analogue sticks feature magnetic TMR tech, which will make them both accurate and long-lasting, stamping out the possibility of stick drift. In the modern controller sphere, it’s practically essential, and alongside the metal stems and wear-resistant ring guards, it’ll certainly save you from replacing your controller too early. They feel excellent in use too, and they’ve stood up to an unending month of Nightreign punishment, consistently helping to keep me alive in the crunch.
You’ve then got an interesting mix of button tech, with the central buttons, pro inputs in the grip and the D-pad all housing traditional membrane switches. The shoulder buttons however have the distinct click of a mechanical input, and where the main inputs feel responsive, there’s the sense that the shoulder buttons have the distinct edge.
The triggers are also up to suitable pro standards, and there’s my favourite controller tech here in the shape of trigger lockouts. These catches allow you to shorten the distance of travel and they’ll make your reaction time ever so slightly faster than that stinking Zenyatta I keep coming up against in Overwatch 2.
Further pro inclusions include two programmable back buttons in the grips, and a further two set just beyond the shoulder buttons and triggers. While the grip buttons are a decent size, and sit well beneath your fingers, the third input next to the shoulder buttons are small and in a weird, less-intuitive place. Still, we won’t complain too much about having more options.
Whether the Ultimate 2 Wireless suit your hands or not, you can fully customise all the inputs, as both traditional inputs or macros, giving you a huge advantage over those without. The 8Bitdo software doesn’t stop there either, and its clear and intuitive interface gives you access to a full spectrum of tweaking and tailoring for deadspots and response curves. It brings the Ultimate 2 Wireless as close to your personal idea of perfection as possible, and you’ll undoubtedly be able to find your own performance sweet-spot.
This is also where you can update your controller’s firmware, with 8Bitdo having a good track record in that regard. It’s through the latest firmware update that the secret Switch mode was added, and while it’s great to have, it doesn’t help the confusion around the Ultimate 2 lineup. The Ultimate 2 Wireless has the Xbox button layout, you see, while the Ultimate 2 Bluetooth has the Nintendo button layout and Switch 1 support out of the box, and then there’s cheaper Ultimate 2C versions of both. But now that Switch 2 support is included via firmware updates for everything? It’s all a bit of a muddle.
To get this controller working with Switch 2, you don’t just need to update the firmware, but then also need to turn it on while pressing Y. If Switch and Switch 2 gaming is your main goal, get the Ultimate 2 Bluetooth or the newly announced 8bitdo Pro 3 Bluetooth, but this is handy in a pinch when you just really need an extra Switch pad, and does at least function with both rumble (not of the HD variety), and gyro operating as expected.