| OVERALL VERDICT Whilst the 8Bitdo isn’t as ultra moddable as the manufacturer claims this is still the best wireless arcade stick on the market and a definite improvement over its predecessor. |
|
| PROS + Great design + Hefty weight emphasizes quality + Easy to mod buttons + Great feeling joystick + 40 Hour battery life | CONS - Stock buttons may feel slightly mushy for veteran stick players - Difficult to modify joystick for beginners |
| Check on Amazon | |
There aren’t a ton of options when it comes to wireless arcade sticks. That’s because in fighting games especially, latency is everything and could be the difference between pulling off a successful combo or dropping it and losing the game.
In 2017, 8BitDo released the N30 Arcade Stick, aimed primarily at the Nintendo Switch platform.
While it was a great wireless alternative, it had a few issues, like the higher latency via the Bluetooth connection, the lack of mobility, and a lackluster design.
Fortunately, 8BitDo has aimed to fix these problems with its latest iteration, 8BitDo Arcade Stick.
Unboxing and setting up
Inside the box, you get the fightstick, a decently long USB-C cable, and the manual.
The 8Bitdo can be played on the Nintendo Switch, PC (Xinput), and Android devices.
Unfortunately, it can’t connect to any other console, and it also has some issues with IOS on iPhone devices, but a future software update may fix this.
Connecting to the platforms above is simple enough. However, you’ll first want to use the switch toggle in the top left-hand corner to determine your mode, depending on what platform you want to connect to.
For example, on the Nintendo Switch, you need to flick the button to ‘S’ mode; for PC and other devices, it’s ‘X’ mode.
The 8BitDo can connect wirelessly or wired, depending on what you prefer.
In wireless mode, the 8BitDo can connect via Bluetooth or with the 2.4 GHz USB dongle included with the stick. The stick pairs up fairly quickly with no problems on PC and Switch.
You also, of course, can connect the stick via the USB-C cable. This also charges the stick as well.
The design and feel of the fightstick
The design of the arcade stick is similar to 8Bitdo’s last stick. But, while the N30 looked like a carbon copy of the Mayflash F300, just with a different fightstick cover, 8Bitdo’s latest arcade stick looks a lot more unique.
For one, the rectangular shape of the case is a lot closer to the original NES controller, which is what it’s supposed to resemble. In addition, I like the colored function buttons and switches which add to the cool retro effect.
At 4 pounds, the stick feels reasonably weighty for its size, even though it’s smaller than its predecessor. It feels better in the lap than the previous version, which tended to move around a bit.
Overall, the 8Bitdo feels like a solid arcade stick, and the heavier weight reinforces its great build quality.
What does it feel like to play?
The buttons used in the 8Bitdo are pretty much standard, like its predecessor. So in that sense, they feel the same, which is slightly mushy. They are nice to touch, though.
It would have been nice if these were swapped for Sanwa buttons, but at this price point, it’s understandable. Besides, you can easily modify the stick to do this, which I will follow later.
The Joystick is also standard but surprisingly feels quite good. Almost similar to a Sanwa JLF, I daresay. This means that the arcade stick, as it is, is great for old retro-style games, less so for modern fighting games, however.
In terms of performance, I tested the stick on various games, both on the PC and Nintendo Switch. These were mostly on games like Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, Super Smash Bros, and Pokken.
Overall, it performed perfectly fine. On the 2.4GHZ wireless connection, there was little to no input lag. It was pretty much the same on the wired connection, which is supposed to provide better latency. I didn’t notice a huge difference between the two connections, which is impressive.
There isn’t anything else to complain about. The arcade stick functions as it should.
Yes, I would have preferred higher-quality buttons, but like the Mayflash F300, most casual players will get on perfectly fine with the standard setup.
Modding
If you’re not happy with the standard setup, you can easily modify the 8BitDo. This is how the stick is being marketed. How does it work in practice, however? Pretty good, but not as good as 8Bitdo claims.
One issue I ran into was trying to get the case open. You see, 8BitDo opted to use Torx screws to secure the case. Fortunately, I had a Torx screwdriver to open the arcade stick, but I realize that not everyone may have this.
Once the stick was open, however, changing the buttons, at first glance, seemed pretty easy. One thing to mention is that you’ll need to use snap-in buttons instead of screw-in ones due to the lack of space. Not really a dealbreaker but worth mentioning nonetheless.
Changing the Joystick is a little bit more difficult because the connectors are soldered on. You’ll have to desolder or cut the connectors to fit another joystick. 8BitDo also has a traditional 5-pin connection to which you can solder wires.
While it is not particularly difficult to do, it is hardly beginner-friendly and is an annoying extra step.
Finally, I think it’s worth mentioning the button mapping and macros you can set up on the 8Bitdo arcade stick.
8Bitdo, provide some software you can configure on your PC to map the buttons and record your macros.
It’s relatively easy to set up, and one cool thing I noticed when mapping the buttons is the labels, which are above the buttons, actually change depending on what platform you’re on. It’s a nice touch.
The Good
- Great design
- Hefty weight emphasizes quality
- Easy-to-mod buttons
- Great feeling joystick
- The wireless option provides little to no input lag
- Can modify button mapping and assign macros easily
- 40 Hour battery life
The Bad
- Stock buttons may feel slightly mushy for veteran stick players
- Difficult to modify Joystick for beginners
Overall Verdict
While the 8Bitdo isn’t as ultra-moddable as the manufacturer claims, this is still the best wireless arcade stick on the market and a definite improvement over its predecessor.
| OVERALL VERDICT Whilst the 8Bitdo isn’t as ultra moddable as the manufacturer claims this is still the best wireless arcade stick on the market and a definite improvement over its predecessor. |
|
| PROS + Great design + Hefty weight emphasizes quality + Easy to mod buttons + Great feeling joystick + 40 Hour battery life | CONS - Stock buttons may feel slightly mushy for veteran stick players - Difficult to modify joystick for beginners |
| Check on Amazon | |
8Bitdo Arcade Stick
