#8bitdo

8BitDo Retro 108 Teclado Mecánico N Edition

Este teclado mecánico con diseño retro y numérico integrado es perfecto para el setup gamer o de escritorio. Tiene conexión Bluetooth, 2.4G y USB-C, y switches hot-swap para personalizar. Ideal para Windows y Android. ¡Muy recomendado! Échale un ojo al enlace.

I did say I was going to write about whatever things I like, didn’t I? Well one of ‘em is this: A couple of bluetooth controllers that I’ve been using for a couple years now, both by the brand 8BitDo, A Chinese game peripheral manufacturer that’s become quite the talk of the town for being a good 3rd party peripheral manufacturer that’s cheap and good at the same time. And after being a satisfied customer for about 2 years now, I’m ready to voice my opinions and shout it into the internet pipes about how much I love it.

First of all, here’s something I just realized about myself: I love playing with the controller even though I’ve been a strictly-PC gamer for many many years now. I do love the precise movement and aiming with a mouse, but some games are just designed with the controller in mind. Take for example, the first PC game that made me buy my first XBOX controller: Dark Souls.

"Yes I know it's a ported console game, but shut up"

Using the analog stick to move and having all the buttons you need right at your fingertips just makes it a better experience than using the mouse and keyboard. That’s what makes me believe that using the controller is how the game is meant to be played.

"some people would debate that claim"

But enough about my experience with controllers in general, let’s talk about the two joysticks that I have: the 8BitDo Lite 2 and the 8BitDo Ultimate 2C.

8BitDo Lite 2 – the tiny portable controller with full capabilities

"what a little cutie"

I bought this one in October 2024. So it’s been almost two years since I’ve been using it. I bought this one because it’s small and portable so I thought it’ll be a good pair for my tablet since I loaded it full of old console emulators. My plan was to make the two inseparable. I was going to chuck the two in a bag for playing while traveling, or to leave the controller in the office so I have something to play during the downtimes at work. The plan… did not proceed as expected.

The controller has two analog sticks so there’s a risk of breaking it if I just wantonly chucked it into a bag. To avoid this issue you can use 3D printed cases for it, or you can even go with one of those cases you use for external drives, but I find them to be a bit too bulky for my bag, and it left a big unsightly bulge on the side of my bag. As for the other plan of leaving it in the office… I find it a bit too precious to just do so. The controller isn’t very expensive at $24.99 (bought at IDR 350k) considering other options are above the $50 price range, but I still find it a bit too valuable to just leave collecting dust in the office drawer.

But now let’s talk about the controller itself, I’ll start with the main characteristic of the controller: the size. It’s tiny! It’s roughly the size of my palm, and roughly the same size as my iPhone 13. And yet, it’s surprisingly still comfortable to use and hold. All the buttons feel good enough that you just don’t mind using it to play full size PC games. I had my doubts when using it to play Monster Hunter: Rise, but after a hunt or two I genuinely forgot I was using the controller that looks like a goddamn toy. For something that’s designed to be tiny, it sure feels whole and complete instead of just being half a controller with the size being an excuse.

But of course, it’s not without its limitations. In fact, looking back at it after learning more about controllers, I feel like the Lite 2 is actually very limited. First thing in mind for me is because the Lite 2 is actually designed to be used with the Nintendo Switch (hence the Lite name and the color scheme). It’s supposed to be a player 2 controller for the Switch Lite, or just a controller for when you don’t wanna use the whole handheld.

"Looking at the controller might’ve been a dead giveaway honestly"

While it’s not a problem on PC, it's a bit of a problem on android . I’m not a Nintendo player so everything’s flipped from how I’m used to. I keep pressing A when I want to press B, and the same with X and Y. I’m just not used to it. And it’s also not perfect on PC cause it uses D-input instead of X-input, so you have to install a wrapper program like X360Ce and that’s a bit more kerfuffling than the usual plug and play controllers. But thankfully it’s mostly mitigated because Steam has its own support for 3rd party controllers. Yay steam.

As for my last little gripe, it’s gonna be the analog sticks. It’s small, it’s stubby, and it’s still on potentiometer. Long story short, it’s old tech that might wear out with frequent use and it’s the main cause for the dreaded “stick drift”. Which means it might just cack on you after 3-4 years of daily use.

That’s about it for my Lite 2. The more I think and feel it, the more complaints about the controller seem to come out of me. Doesn’t mean I hate it though, I rather love it actually. But I still can’t recommend it as a whole. Only get this if you really need a full-feature controller that’s portable, and is mainly used for Switch/Nintendo games. Otherwise, there’s actually lots of portable controllers like the Lite 2 that have the XBOX style layout.

8BitDo Ultimate 2C – the ultimate controller

Bought this one in 2025 so I’ve only had it for a year plus actually. But it’s been stellar in the time I’ve been using it. It feels great in my hands, the buttons are rather nice, and connection is as simple as plugging the dongle. Unlike the Lite 2, the Ultimate 2C is a full size controller which means it’s not portable but it makes up for it by being comfortable and loaded with features

"First thing you’ll notice? Extra buttons"

Yeah not gonna lie, I was actually turned off by the extra buttons at first. Like yo, who needs turbo these days? And the L4 and R4? Ugh what kind of tryhard needs that? Turns out I do. I mean I still don’t use the turbos but the L4 and R4 sure does come in handy. It’s an extra button that you can map as any button on the controller. I mainly use it for the L3/R3 button so I don’t have to press the analog sticks. The only downside to it is that you can only map buttons that’s already on the controller. It’s not like a keyboard macro where you can customize anything as anything, no sir. But it does the job! Two extras are still extras!

The other great thing about this is the analog sticks, which unlike the Lite 2 that’s still on the ancient tech, this one’s using the Hall Effect sticks. Long story short, it’s reading analog signals using magnets and stuff so there’s less physical contact; therefore less wear and tear in general. It’s touted to have a longer life overall, and avoid the aforementioned “stick drift” issue. Fun fact I actually bought this controller because my DS4s actually suffered stick drift. I serviced it for like $5 and it encountered the same issue only after 3 months of use. Sucks

But for me, the best part about the controller isn’t the features, the quality, or the Hall Effect thingy. For me, the best thing about it is because it’s priced reasonably for everything I mentioned above. It’s $30 (Bought it for IDR 421k in 2025)! At the point where Hall Effect sticks could net you $80 or above! I’m satisfied! If anything I’m a bit mad because there’s only so little price difference between this and the Lite 2. It made the Lite 2 feel way overpriced in comparison. Dammit 8BitDo!

Now that I’ve raved about it, I still have to mention the negatives that I feel from the Ultimate 2C. First of all, it came with a 2.4GHz plug and play dongle. What great news! No kerfuffling with bluetooth. But what I found out later is that the power drain is faster when using the dongle compared to bluetooth. For example, I feel like I charged this controller far more than I’ve charged the Lite 2, which is weird considering how the Lite 2 is like half its size. Oh and a free idea for 8BitDo, can I have clips on the body so I can attach the dongle to the controller in case I wanna carry it somewhere? I mean I can just buy a 3D printed thingy so uhhh yeah maybe scratch that.

One thing I’d like to add is that you have to update the controller through the 8BitDo software to change it into X-input I think? Updating it makes sure your controller can be recognized as an XBOX input by any games without the help of third party programs or steam. I recommend you do it, but be warned: dabbling with the 8BitDo software is easily the least enjoyable part of owning these controllers. I got an antivirus alert while downloading and using it, so that’s your warning.

In Brief

Yes I do like both controllers. I use 'em interchangeably almost daily at this point. I recommend the Ultimate 2C over the Lite 2 for PC or couch gaming, and only get the Lite 2 if you require a full-featured controller with portability in mind. Remember that there’s many more controllers out there that might suit you or your hands more. I’m just a satisfied customer that wants to talk about the stuff I bought, and maybe gaslight myself into thinking I got more than my money’s worth with these two purchases.

If I had money, this is the order of things I would buy, from most wanted to least wanted in the short term (ie before I go to uni in september). Summer clothes don't count although I do need to buy some very soon cause that 1 polo shirt from the local charity shop isn't gonna make it through June.

I have the matching keyboard from 8bitdo and it's very high quality. My current mouse, which was the 2.4g mouse that came with my PC, is starting to annoy me with it's weird scrolling thing it's recently started doing. Also it's kinda ugly and I want a matching keyboard and mouse damn it! I like how 8bitdo gives wired, 2.4g and bluetooth wireless options for the PC peripherals like my keyboard and this mouse. I imagine I'll end up shopping for that brand quite a bit throughout my life as they make some good stuff with some sleek designs.

I want a psvita cause it has a good library of japanese and indie games, but I'm split on if I should get an original 1000 (I really like it's classy design) or a pink and white 2000, which I'd have to import but the black 2000s look weird to me, like they're on ozempic or something. Either way I'd look like a larper when playing on the bus but I have an unhealthy amount of video game knowlege so I'd be happy to be in a situation like that where I can flex my superiority over the so called "true gamers".

Here's some games I wanna play on psvita (I also have a ps4 but when it comes to cross gen games, I'm mostly deciding based on if it has handheld vibes):

It's not the most nuanced list, I know the vita has a lot more to offer, but I don't know a lot on the vita currently, especially it's collection regarding nicher titles, so feel free to drop any suggestions.

Doki doki universe I'm probably gonna have to pirate cause I can't find any physical copies on ebay so I assume it was online only, and I can only find it on the American playstation store so I assume it was discontinued in britain (I know it had to have been sold here at some point cause I found out this game through a british youtuber back in like 2015). I can't be asked to homebrew my ps4 cause I like holding discs and keeping a nice stack of games but handhelds I'm more willing to have digital games on. I know gravity rush is on ps4 too, and is probably better on ps4, but like I said, my ps4 is strictly physical games only and the physical copies of gravity rush on ebay are selling for half a kidney. I wish persona 5 was on vita too to complete the trilogy of "persona games people actually talk about" but I believe with persona 3 reload, you can have that collection on ps4. Eh, I don't know what it is, but something about persona being on a vita that just works for me in the vibes department. Same with danganronpa, although the first 2 were designed for PSP (which is very obvious in their UI) so maybe that's why. And katamari because I don't have a ps2 or ps3 (yet) and idk it looks interesting.

And lastly, stuff for my iPod mini cause it's complaining about it's hard drive being older than myself:

(just compactflash cards in general, jesus christ they're expensive)

These 2 aren't mandatory but there's an ebay seller that makes custom ipod mini shells and I love this shade of purple! I was also considering doing a screen mod, where because it's an LCD, you can just put transparent sheets of plastic under it and have a coloured backlight like the second image. I think pink would make a nice combo.