8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller for Android devices, Bluetooth Mobile Game Controller with Hall Effect Joysticks and Hall Triggers (Black)

Great battery life, great hand feel. Feels premium. Buttons and triggers feel good, sticks are smooth. The dpad could be a little less squishy, but not a deal breaker. Love the extra back buttons, I have them mapped to save and load my emulator save states. The latency has been fine and unnoticeable in my experience but I'm mostly playing my old N64 and GameBoy games. Unsure how well it would perform with a multiplayer twitch shooter.

I like it better than the Backbone. It's a lot more sturdy, which is very nice. I ended up getting the 8BitDo because my right stick broke on my backbone after having it for only 2 months. I believe it's just the plastic part of the joystick and I'm pretty sure it's just cracked. The joystick still actually has a little tension like it is moving but I can't click the stick and I hear more cracking each time. The 8bitDo feels like an actual game controller in my hand. It's comfortable. The sticks feel sturdy. The buttons feel nice. It reminds me of an Xbox controller. There's a couple of things I liked on the backbone over this one. Biggest thing was the backbone actually connected through my USB C port. I like the actual hardware connection but after using the 8BitDo for a day, I've had no problems with the Bluetooth connection. It was pretty easy to pair. The battery on the 8BitDo is good. I've been playing all day without having to charge it yet. I haven't tested it but I'm probably never going to . Manual says 10 hours of play but there's no way I'm playing 10 hours straight so I'm perfectly fine with that. Now the backbone has no battery but it doesn't need one. Draws the power it needs from the phone. To me, that really doesn't matter that much at all though. There's two paddle buttons on the back of the 8BitDo which means it has two more buttons than the backbone. One of the things I really like on the 8BitDo is the fact that you can leave your case on your phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy a54 with a OtterBox Defender Series case. It fits right in with about a quarter inch to spare. it's approximately 6 and 15/16 inches fully expanded. In conclusion, if I would have been able to test out the 8BitDo and the backbone before I made a purchase I definitely would have went with the 8BitDo in the first place.

I've owned 8BitDo products before. Those were of excellent quality and function, but this controller? More of the same. A lot more. First, the unboxing. The packaging is nothing terribly fancy - nothing like, say, the absolutely extravagant experience of a ROG Phone 8 - but it is well-presented. Remove the slipcover and slide off the top and the controller is presented front and center within a clear baggie. The charging cable and minimalist documentation lay just under a thin tray. Next, build quality. This thing is put together very well and feels even better. It's all plastic, but the plastic is thick and durable-feeling; it gives off Xbox controller vibes (vibes amplified by my chosen white colorway). The hall-effect triggers and sticks (which ARE, in fact, held up on metal stems) are snappy and give just the right amount of resistance. The d-pad doesnt wobble and has adequate give. The face buttons feel good - again, think Xbox controller. The shoulder and back buttons are my only complaint, and its a small thing. The shoulders are very clicks, but they don't travel far. The back buttons are a bit easy to hit, but careful finger training can alleviate this. Finally, the telescoping - its so smooth. Glides apart easily, and gently snaps back to normal length. Finally, function. This controller is Bluetooth, which might turn some people off but I assure you - its just as responsive as a wired controller. I tested this on multiple emulators, including Dolphin and NetherSX2 and response was very similar to a console controller. There are also some handy features - the ability to digitally hot-swap the face buttons is a literal game-changer. In terms of negatives, there are few. The fit is one of them. Dont get me wrong, its fine - my S25 Ultra fit well inside a slim Spigen case, but I often had to push one end into place. It helps that there is a small lip near the front of the cradle, but I worry that larger cases might slip out. Finally, accessory availability is an issue. There are really no carry cases or grip cases made for this. It's a small thing, but I travel with a pretty loaded day bag and I'd rather the thing not get damaged bopping around in it. Overall, this is an excellent and - oh, right - AFFORDABLE mobile controller. It's made very well and functions very similarly to a console controller - kindle days feels like one, too. Do t let the Bluetooth connectivity throw you off - this thing will keep you gaming for a while.

I picked this up to pair with my Motorola Android phone (about 6.7" screen), and it works surprisingly well. The controller stretches to fit the phone snugly—even with a case on—and I’ve had zero issues with it slipping out. The soft-touch rubber backing helps keep everything secure and scratch-free. Pairing via Bluetooth was easy, and I’ve had no problem remapping the buttons in different emulators or gaming apps. Everything from the triggers to the face buttons works as expected. It’s not quite the build quality of something like an Xbox controller, but it’s lightweight and super portable—perfect for tossing in a bag without thinking twice. USB-C charging is convenient, and battery life hasn’t been an issue for me (I usually charge it after each session anyway). My only real complaints are the lack of a headphone jack which would’ve been nice, as it's bluetooth it would have been possible but could have increased the price. Overall, it’s a solid product for the price. If you’re looking to turn your phone into a gaming handheld without spending a fortune, this gets the job done.

I bought this on impulse on pre-order, got it, connected it to my Pixel 8, used it once, and then found I didn't really know what I had purchased it for exactly. So I ended up putting it away for a while. I've never connected it to my PC or looked for any updates. I upgraded my phone to the Pixel 9, and then Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was ported to mobile, and it looked amazing. Charged this up, connected to my phone, loaded up the trial, completed the trial, bought the game, found a new travel companion in this controller. It's rock solid, I've noticed no lag, and this game is unforgiving on missed inputs but it's keeping up like it's wired. However, a few things of note: I don't have particularly large hands, but I noticed with the weight of the phone in the holder, it wears on your hands and makes it a little hard to get to the face buttons without accidentally jogging the right analog stick. This is more likely after some play time. Finding a position to sit it that takes some of the weight off my hands helped, and it's completely possible to simply use a stand for the phone and use the controller without the weight. I don't completely understand if I have an issue or not, but when I plug it in to charge, it looks like the controller powers on, and can stay on after I unplug it. This has led to several occasions I turn it on for the first time that day and it's at 85% battery instead of 100. I've found I can manually turn it off after taking it off the charger, which I think is odd behavior. I'm going to look for firmware updates today. I'm reading in other reviews that samsung phones with google keyboards are having trouble with this; all I can say is it's not exclusively the google keyboard, as that's standard on the Pixels and I have zero lag with this controller so far. I've made no changes or tweaks to my phone to get this controller to work, it just does.

I'm very surprised at how well this this controller is made. The controller is very responsive. I use an Google pixel 7 pro and wit fits my phone perfectly. I do have to remove my case but it's a simple thing to remove. Buttons are great except for the LB/RB. They are very clicky. Other than that the rest are very responsive little to no Lag. Connectivity was quick and easy. Just find the name of the controller on Bluetooth and it's setup. There is an app that you can download that gives you extra little features like displaying the battery life(helpful). There is a remapping tool if you want to take advantage of the back paddle buttons which can only be mapped the face buttons and directional. Just for reference I use it to play steam games using steam link.

8Bitdo has truely outdone themselves this time with this controller. This controller has not just hall-effect joysticks, but those joysticks have metal so that there is no grinding against the edge of the joystick's area. Much more important however is the D-pad, which is extraordinary. It has a tactile bump when pressed similar to what would be on a Playstation Vita, Gameboy advance SP, or 8Bitdo's own lite controller (the lite "1" to be specific). These kinds of clicky buttons are also on the L and R bumpers. The face buttons are rubber domes similar to basically any other controller, which is still good. Also the triggers are great, they have very short travel, so they are both analog for driving games, but also not annoying to press over and over like some other triggers. Syncing up has been fine, once you have done it you shouldn't have to do it again. Now for something that they didn't mention, it does in fact work on a computer via the USB C port, it comes up as just a generic controller. To put it simply, it worked with steam input, if that's useful to you. I didn't try going in with any software to do virtual mapping, and rebinding controls to the back buttons is easy. I think it is a bit of a shame that they didn't make it switch compatible, since it actually can fit a switch in it without any problems. If it just synced to it and was wireless still I wouldn't have minded. Overall this is one of the best controllers that I've ever used, I hope they use the buttons in this for a Micro2 at some point.

Before I write this, I should say I did not buy this to play phone games, rather to play emulated games on my phone, mainly PS2, DS, Gameboy, etc, and I think I've used it enough to give my honest opinion. I'll start with the fit. I have a OnePlus open, and I was nervous it wouldn't fit, but rest assured my fellow folding phone users, it fits like a glove. It extends pretty far, so it should fit about any fold, including the Xiaomi folds. Next, size. It's a little on the bigger side. Not big and hefty but too big for a pocket. It's about the size of a normal controller, but because of that, it's very comfortable. Ive used this for hours at a time, and no discomfort at all. Next, the button and grip feel. The grips are awesome on this thing. And slip resistant so it should fall out of your hands on its own. The buttons and triggers also feel great. I will say the shoulder buttons click a little too much for my liking but still not bad. It's mainly the loud sound they make is what gets me. And the start and select buttons press down too much for me, and if I'm not careful, my thumb will slip and press on my phone screen. Not a big deal, just kind of annoying sometimes. Another button issue I have is the dpad. It's a fantastic dpad. It feels great to use, However, it's very easy to miss input when pressing the right side. It'll sometimes trigger down and right at the same time. It doesn't happen often enough to be a big deal, but still annoying when it does happen, but that could also just be a problem with my particular unit. Other than that, all the other buttons are fantastic. The best I can compare it to is the buttons on a 360 controller. They just feel great to use. Now a common issue I see people talking about is delay and compatibility. Like I said, I can only say for emulation, but its great in that aspect. It's worked on every emulator I've chucked at it, and haven't noticed any delay. Again, I can only speak for emulation, but if that's what you plan to use this for, rest assured. It'll work flawless on emulators. Overall, I'm very happy with the product and do recommend it, especially to fellow fold phone users. For 50 dollars, the price is right.