8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller for Windows PC and Android, with 1000 Hz Polling Rate, Hall Effect Joysticks and Triggers, and Remappable L4/R4 Bumpers (Mint)

I'm not often compelled to write a review, but I feel like I should for this controller. This is genuinely the best controller I've ever used. The fact that it can work with pretty much any device and connect via wired connection, usb dongle, or bluetooth is amazing. Personally, the reason I got this controller is because i recently converted my PC to Linux, which was not very friendly with my old Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. I also could not go very far IRL with my Pro Controller's wireless connection, otherwise I'd start getting issues with input delay and disconnection. The 8BitDo fixes all those issues because it has AMAZING wireless range whether you use Bluetooth or the USB dongle. I can even cover up the controller underneath my blanket and it still works flawlessly. It has a long battery life and thus far I have not had any issues with it shutting off during gameplay. And of course, THE PRICE! IT'S LIKE HALF THE PRICE OF A NEW XBOX CONTROLLER AND YET IT WORKS SO MUCH BETTER. There's a turbo mode too, AND you can remap controls without software! Genuinely the only con of this controller is that the charging wire is very short. So if you plan to use it wired rather than wirelessly, get yourself a longer USB C wire.

This is a really great controller overall. The aesthetics are excellent—the colors look great, and the design is clean and modern. It also grips nicely in my hands, making it comfortable to use for long gaming sessions. Everything works exactly as advertised. The controller feels very sturdy, with good-quality materials throughout. Even though the body is plastic, it doesn’t feel cheap at all. The buttons feel nice and responsive, and the analog sticks are smooth and precise. They feel solid despite being plastic, and overall control feels tight and reliable. I’m very satisfied with this purchase. Great build quality, great looks, and solid performance—easy recommendation if you’re looking for a reliable wireless controller for PC or Android.

Took a minute to understand the home controls, since it works with both an Xbox and a PS controller. However, works and plays smoothly. I like the matte finish and webbed control sticks for better grip. It's Bluetooth as well, but I prefer USB, as it will do anything. The controls are still the same (A is A, B is B, RT is RT, etc.). There are other control buttons on the controller that I am not familiar with (not a hardcore gamer), but might be interesting to others, as seen in the photos below. It DOES NOT have batteries; it is a rechargeable controller. It comes as a C-Cable, but any C-cable will work. For battery life, I cannot confirm. I have played Skyrim with this (which we all know we can play hours without noticing the time with that game) and did not show low battery or died on me. The reason I do not know the battery life as it's a habit of mine to charge things right away (otherwise I will forget). I will agree it has a long battery life. I have had this controller for a few months now, and it has worn out as I expected it would. Again, not a hardcore gamer, so it may not be durable to others. In a general use where button-mashing isn't a key component, the product is good. It does not come with a case (as seen in the photos), but I also got it on Amazon for relatively cheap (around $10-$15), and it has been good to me. All in all, a relatively sturdy controller with smooth play and long battery life.

Purchased 2 of these for my wife and I and man are they nice. For the price they feel really sturdy and the quality (So far) has far surpassed the asking price. Controller seems responsive and has no issues connecting through BT or the 2.4ghz dongle. I use mine constantly and the Battery also seems to last a good long amount (a good full day on a full charge) Color options are also pretty stellar.

I’ve had mixed experiences with 8BitDo controllers over time, but the Ultimate 2C Bluetooth controller I recently purchased has been solid so far. This particular controller works correctly on Windows PC using Bluetooth, the 2.4GHz dongle, and wired USB, and it worked out of the box with no firmware updates required. The Hall effect analog sticks are incredibly smooth, precise, and feel noticeably better than standard sticks, especially for platformers and casual PC games. Battery life has been strong, lasting multiple days depending on use, and the controller fits smaller hands very well, which makes it a great option for kids. That said, my past experience with other 8BitDo models included inconsistent wireless pairing and one controller that only worked reliably on Switch, despite being advertised more broadly. Because of that, I strongly recommend confirming the exact model’s platform support before purchasing. When it works, the hardware quality is excellent — just make sure you’re buying the right version for your setup.

My kid uses this for his steamdeck. I haven't used it myself but (1) it worked with his steamdeck immediately and easily and (2) he says its better than all his other controllers (including those for the nintindo switch). He says it has all the right buttons and is perfect .... I think he watched a bunch of youtube videos before he picked this one out. I thought the packaging was simple enough to figure out, but my son couldn't find the USB dongle. It's kind of embedded into the box - if you don't see it, break down all the cardboard and you'll find it.

Fantastic controller. I've been playing fighting games for decades and Street Fighter is my go to. I would love to play charge characs,but I'm notoriously bad at using them,especially Guile. I've used many gamepads,including Hori's 6 button facing one's but none feel as good and natural as this one. It has a textured,Nintendo controller feel on the body,but the buttons feel very nice and substantial and the weight is very good. Plus the directional pad feels peeeeeeeeeeerrrfect. I know because i used Guile in training mode for Street Fighter 6 and made myself practice doing 10+ sonic booms (charge move) in a row and did it on 2nd try. And the analog sticks are very nice. This was all done on the 2.5 ghz mode. I haven't tried wired mode and I probably won't try Bluetooth on a pc because Windows Bluetooth stack is garbage. But i would definitely recommend this game pad for any pc gamers,or any of there console counterparts as well,especially considering how much more those respective gamepads cost.

The controller itself is excellent—what we've come to expect from 8BitDo products. Buttons are snappy and accurate, joysticks feel great, good build quality, attractive to look at, etc. The issue with this product, and why it receives only 3 stars from me, is the ATROCIOUS software experience with the "8BitDo Ultimate Software V2." Where do I even begin... First off, when you attempt to launch the software you'll have to bypass a warning from Windows telling you that the product might be a virus and you shouldn't launch it. Which is fine honestly—Windows does this with a lot of driver and firmware type programs, so that's just a minor bugaboo. But once you get into the program, your troubles have only just begun. When you attempt to update the firmware on the 2.4G wireless receiver, the program will not recognize it when you plug it in. You have to plug in the controller first, then the dongle, but make sure the controller is in Bluetooth mode—because if it's in 2.4G mode it's going to try to connect to the dongle even though it's plugged into the computer via USB and mess up your firmware update. But wait, there's so much more! Even once you figure that out (oh and just as a quick aside, this process is not explained ANYWHERE in the manual or on the 8BitDo website—you're just meant to stumble along in the dark yourself and figure it out), you'll be excited to find out that when you select the latest firmware update on the wireless receiver, nothing will happen. The screen will switch to say "Updating" but it will just sit there eternally as there is no process actually taking place. So then you might think, "Oh, well... I should check to make sure that this wonderful 'Ultimate Software V2' is fully updated," so after you force quit the software worrying that you've maybe just bricked your new controller, you go into the settings menu and go to "About" and click "check for updates," to which you will receive the message "up-to-date!" But here's the thing: it's not. It's not up to date at all, you're being lied to—the program is just awful and unable to determine it's version and properly fetch the latest update. So here's what you will need to do: Go to the directory where you extracted the Ultimate Software V2 folder from the zip file and go into it. Then navigate to the "Data" folder. Inside the data folder, double click the "Autoupdate" application. This will successfully update the software (thanks Reddit). Then you can go back into the software. Upon launch you will get a bunch of error messages, so close the software again and then this time run it as an administrator. NOW you can update your receiver and your controller to the latest firmware. Yay! Now, as 8BitDo says, "You can use it to configure keys, macros and a series of other professional-grade features as per preference." Except you can't. It won't do any of that on the 2C Ultimate Wireless Controller. Literally none of it. You'll still get the same screen when you plug the controller in that will allow you to update the software and nothing else. None of these advanced features are available. All that having been said, the controller is fully working now in RetroPie running on an RPi 3B, both 2.4G mode as well as Bluetooth mode (although you will not get vibration in Bluetooth mode, unfortunately). The experience of playing games with the controller is excellent, but this software should NEVER have shipped like this—it is atrocious and I can't imagine most users being willing or able to figure all this stuff out. 8BitDo has A LOT of work to do to make configuration and updates easier for the end users, and until they do, I cannot go above a 3 star rating. I hope this review is able to help someone else who is struggling with this garbage software.