8Bitdo Ultimate 2C Bluetooth Controller

Hardware Type: Controller

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Review:

(Note: This product was received at no cost for review via the Amazon Vine program.)

Wow, it has been quite a while since I reviewed an 8Bitdo controller. 8Bitdo was once a force to be reckoned with on the Nintendo Switch with controllers like the 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ and the 8Bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller, but the Nintendo Switch controller competition has really heated up in what are presumably the final years of the hybrid console’s life, with truly great controllers like the NYXI Master P1 2.4G Wireless PC Controller, the GameSir Tarantula Pro Wireless Controller, and the newly-crowned winner of the 2024 eShopperReviews Game Awards Best Hardware Award, the ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller (ES01). With this being the case, I was extremely curious what 8Bitdo would do to keep up with the competition.

One of the major trends I saw in 2024 was high-quality feature-rich wireless Pro-style controllers at a budget price, and 8Bitdo Ultimate 2C Bluetooth Controller seems intended to compete in that area. At $30, it’s a bit on the high end of what I’d consider a “budget” controller, approaching mid-range, but knowing 8Bitdo’s reputation for quality, I still felt there was a good opportunity for them to deliver something truly worth the price here.

Just looking at the face of the controller, this actually looks pretty similar to the 8Bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller, albeit with a different arrangement of the secondary face buttons. As with many of the Pro-style controllers released for Nintendo Switch, the Ultimate 2C is pretty comparable in size and shape to Nintendo’s own Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, with a mostly-comparable button layout, and asymmetrical analog stick placement. The form factor is extremely similar to the Ultimate Bluetooth Controller, although this arguably feels just slightly nicer thanks to some lightly-textured grips.

Like Nintendo’s Pro Controller, the analog sticks on the Ultimate 2C use a convex top with a rim at the edge. These sticks are also hall effect sticks, which means they shouldn’t suffer from “drift”.

The D-Pad in this controller is a bit clicky, but thankfully not loud, while the face buttons are somewhere between clicky and squishy (perhaps a bit closer to the clicky side of the spectrum). The L and R shoulder buttons are very clicky, and just a bit loud. No major complaints here so far. As for the ZL and ZR trigger buttons, these are digital buttons, which is fine on Nintendo Switch as the Nintendo Switch cannot recognize analog trigger inputs.

The secondary face buttons are mostly the same as Nintendo’s Pro Controller layout, albeit with one change – the Home button (now bearing 8Bitdo’s heart icon) has been moved to the top-center of the controller, and in its place is a star button, used in conjunction with the other buttons as a turbo button (which works in the same way that sort of button usually does), as well as to configure the other major new feature of this controller, which I’ll get to in a bit.

When it comes to the other features of Nintendo Switch controllers, this controller includes the ability to wirelessly wake the Nintendo Switch from sleep mode (as with the Ultimate Bluetooth Controller, this once again oddly requires players to shake the controller), has good gyroscopic motion control, and has standard rumble (not HD rumble or adjustable rumble). And while it has no Amiibo functionality, this is rare in third-party Nintendo Switch controllers so I don’t hold that against it.

Then there’s the other major new feature of this controller, additional custom shoulder buttons, labeled here as L4 and R4. While the placement of these may seem odd, they’re fairly easy to reach and don’t seem like the sort of thing you’ll accidentally press, and players can set each of these two buttons to mirror one of the other buttons on the controller, or even mirror two pressed at once. It’s a nice extra addition that works really well, and I hope to see more controllers adding this.

Unfortunately, while these custom shoulder buttons add something new to the Ultimate 2C, there is so much else that is removed here, when compared to the Ultimate Bluetooth Controller. No multiplatform support for PC and Android, no macro buttons, no app support. This really is a stripped-down version of the Ultimate Bluetooth Controller, just with the extra shoulder buttons added.

And, you know, maybe a few years ago that would have made for a good low-cost alternative to the Ultimate Bluetooth Controller, but it doesn’t quite cut it when there are more alternatives on the market now. The ECHTPower Wireless Switch Controller (ES01) is cheaper than this, includes macro buttons, and features PC and Android compatibility, and while it doesn’t have the extra shoulder buttons, I think it still offers far more for less compared to the Ultimate 2C.

Don’t get me wrong, the 8Bitdo Ultimate 2C Bluetooth Controller is still a well-made Nintendo Switch controller with some good features, and it is absolutely a respectable effort at making a budget-priced alternative to the Ultimate Bluetooth Controller. It just can’t compete with other controllers now in this price range, either in price or features. And while I don’t think you’ll be terribly disappointed in this controller, I do think you have better options.

tl;dr – The 8Bitdo Ultimate 2C Bluetooth Controller is a Pro-style controller that takes the form factor of the 8Bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller, removes multiple features, adds a pair of additional custom shoulder buttons, and sells for a relatively low price. It’s a pretty good controller, but there are numerous controllers in this price range with more features and a lower price, meaning that even though this is overall a good controller, it’s hard to recommend when its competition is in many ways better.

Grade: B

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