8BitDo Ultimate Controller Review: Perfection on a Budget?

If you’re tired of your controllers getting stick drift and having to swap them out every three months? The answer might lie in getting a controller with Hall Effect joysticks. 8BitDo is one of the more established companies that makes Hall Effect joystick controllers, and their Ultimate Controller packs quite a punch for its price. 

Watch the 8BitDo Ultimate Controller review in English below, or continue reading the article.

Also read: Xbox Series X|S controller Windows 11 review

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First Impressions

On the surface, you get what seems like a usual Xbox-style controller. However, the box has a few exciting things inside. You get a controller, a charging dock, a USB dongle that’s plugged inside of said dock, and a type C cable to connect the dock to your PC which charges the controller while also acting as a passthrough for the controller. 

So you just take the dock out of the box, plug it into your PC, put the controller on the dock and it’ll start charging immediately. When you’re ready to play, just lift the controller up from the dock and you’re good to go. Why every major controller brand doesn’t already do this baffles me to this day. 

The controller gives you a slight vibration to tell you it is connected, and the whole process takes only a couple of seconds. But it’s really one of those features that make the controller stand out from the competition. 

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Build Quality

Aside from that, I’d say the controller has a unique ergonomic design. Coming from the Xbox Series X controller, I was sceptical that it might not be very comfortable to hold, but I’m happy to report that it’s just as comfy as some of the most ergonomic controllers on the market (no, not you, DualSense 5). 

The plastic shell feels identical to the Xbox controller in terms of material, but it has a different and slightly softer grip texture. The face buttons are slightly firmer than those on an Xbox controller, but they feel good when pressed. The D-pad, unfortunately, is nothing to write home about. It works, that’s about all I can say. 

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Buttons and Joysticks

Now, on to the joysticks. They’re easy to move around, and there’s not too much pressure snapping them back, so you’ll have to fight every movement. They’re also much smoother than joysticks on something like the Xbox controller or even DualSense 5 or 4, mostly thanks to less friction in the internally moving parts. 

The hall effect part of the joysticks can’t be measured in the short term. It’s claimed to last for multiple years, so that’s something only time will tell. But the movement accuracy is pretty good, and it starts with practically no deadzones. 

The triggers are a bit too weighty for my taste. They feel a bit too heavy to move, but the travel is just enough not to tire your fingers. Still, you might find yourself cracking knuckles after a tense FC25 match. 

The shoulder buttons are average as well. It’s not so good as to wow you, but it’s not bad either. Finally, you can customise two programmable buttons at the bottom of the 8BitDo software. They aren’t great, but you get used to them fairly quickly. If you haven’t used a controller with paddle buttons before, you will accidentally hit these initially.

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Software and Connectivity 

However, the software is leagues ahead of everyone else. You can fine-tune your joysticks, customize button configurations, and create multiple profiles that can easily be switched with a dedicated button. 

Connectivity-wise, you get 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, and wired modes. 2.4GHz with the dongle plugged into the dock and Bluetooth both work great, although the latency is far lower on the 2.4GHz connection as you’d expect. It works with PC and Android/iOS, so you’re good to go regardless of your device. 

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Battery Life 

Battery life is also great, and with the charging dock, you’ll hardly be worried about charging the controller as it is always charged when you’re starting to play. I did get about six hours of battery life before the controller hit the low battery warning, so extended play sessions shouldn’t be a problem either. 

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Price

The best part is that you get all this for as low as $50. That’s the same price at which Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo sell their controllers. And you get sub-par controllers that need frequent replacing or repairing. 8BitDo has hit it out of the park with this one, and their subsequent versions, like the Ultimate 2C, only enhance on what’s a very strong base with this one. 

Also read: Review: Maono WM821 dual wireless microphone system