Latest news with #8BitDo
CNET
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
This Retro Gaming Keyboard Hits All the Right Nostalgia Vibes and It's a Great Keyboard
As a child of the '90s few things get my nerd brain tingling like good ol' Super Mario. Even hearing my best friend's Mario-themed phone notifications take me back to a simpler time. So it's no surprise that I completely nerded out when I saw 8BitDo's Retro Mechanical Keyboard decked out in Mario colors. A solid mechanical keyboard with a heavy dose of nostalgia? Count me in. If the Mario theme isn't up your alley, the Retro is available in a few different versions, each pulling something from the gaming and computing archives. I love seeing something a bit (pun intended) different out of keyboard designs rather than just fancy lighting. Best of all, the Retro has the hardware to back up its great looks. What I like about the 8BitDo Retro mechanical keyboard CNET/Jason Cockerham The fun theme is far from the only original thing about these Retro keyboards. 8BitDo makes three different accessories for the keyboards that will set your inner nerd-child's heart racing. There are four Super Buttons -- a set of two comes in the box -- each meant to act as a single "A," "B," "X" or "Y" button from the consoles of yesteryear. They're color matched to the theme as well being available in bright yellow, green or blue. If you'd rather not break out the Super Buttons, there are two large "A" and "B" buttons on the bottom of the keyboard you can use There are also a Super Joystick and Super ABXY accessories. The former matches the retro style of the keyboard, of course. The latter has four keyboard keys colored and labeled to match "ABXY" buttons from a controller. Not only are these fun to use, they can be customized with whatever macros you choose, aside from just gaming. The Super Buttons are $10 each and the Super Stick and ABXY are $15, though there are some packages that include one more of these accessories with the keyboard. It types great too CNET/Jason Cockerham If the design alone wasn't enough to sell you, it also types great. The Kailh Box White V2 switches offer plenty of tactility and responsiveness. Best of all, the board is hot-swappable, so you can quickly change out the switches for others if you desire. The keycaps are Dye-Sub PBT which gives them a solid feel and means they should last quite a long time before showing any wear. Overall, I enjoyed typing on it. CNET/Jason Cockerham Everything else you'd expect from a good mechanical keyboard is here too, like Bluetooth and 2.5GHz wireless connectivity, solid battery life and robust software support. There's also an optional external numpad that matches the aesthetic of your keyboard for about $45. Or if you want to have it built in, 8BitDo has full 108-key versions of the N and Fami Editions for $120. What I don't like about the 8BitDo Retro mechanical keyboard CNET/Jason Cockerham There's not much I don't like about the 8BitDo Retro keyboard. The design is awesome, the build quality is superb and the functionality is useful and fun. If I had to be picky, I do wish the included cable had some sort of retro theming as well. The 2.4GHz dongle does, so it would make sense for the cable to as well. The same goes for the cable attached to the Super Buttons. It would be cool if it somehow matched the aesthetic of the keyboard, especially as it might clutter up your desk if most of your other peripherals are wireless. I might end up switching out the Kalih switches, but that's purely personal preference. That said, having at least a few different switch options at checkout would be nice. Should I buy the 8BitDo Retro mechanical keyboard? Yes. The build quality is solid, the design is one of the best retro-themed ones I've seen on a keyboard, and the added functionality adds a lot of fun. Most importantly, the price is great. This version retails for $100, but I've often seen it on sale for $90. There's also the The Fami version, which has a maroon Famicom computer aesthetic, and a brown-on-brown "Commodore 64" C64 version. The most expensive version is the green officially-licensed Xbox one, but at $120 it's not that much more than the others.
Tom's Guide
5 days ago
- Tom's Guide
Forget Joy-Cons — this $20 accessory brings PS5/Xbox controller support to the Switch 2
A few years ago, with the release of Tears of the Kingdom on Nintendo Switch, I made the decision to finally stop using Joy-Cons. Because if I wasn't in handheld mode, Nintendo's half-palm-sized controllers just weren't performing well enough to get stuff done. Rather than buying an official Pro controller, or some other licensed gamepad, I opted for something a little different. 8BitDo's USB Wireless Adapter 2 lets Switch owners use just about any Bluetooth controller they like —including ones built for Xbox or PlayStation consoles. I'm happy to confirm that the adapter also works with the Nintendo Switch 2 — but you will need to do a little bit of tinkering to get it working. Thankfully, it takes less than 5 minutes to sort out. I've made no secret that I struggle with Joy-Cons. They hurt my hands over extended periods of time, and even the Switch 2's larger controllers haven't really fixed that problem. In fact, they seem to have made the whole thing worse. Get your non-Nintendo controllers running on the Switch 2 with 8BitDo's second generation USB Wireless Adapter. Normally costing just $20, but with 5% off if you tick the coupon box, it's the perfect way to get Xbox, PlayStation or other kinds of controllers running on your new console. The 8BitDo adapter meant that I was able to avoid this problem on the first Switch, at least when it was in TV mode. All you needed to do was plug it into the dock, pair it with a new console, and make sure one particular toggle was switched on in the settings. In my case, I had an Xbox controller paired to the adapter and was able to use it to play all my favorite Switch games. All with the comfort of a controller that was designed for actual human hands, and didn't feel like it was built with complete disregard for ergonomics. The only downside was that Nintendo and Microsoft reversed their lettered buttons. So hitting A on the Xbox button is actually telling the Switch you hit B — which can cause issues. I've been primarily playing with Xbox controllers for the better part of 24 years, and believe me that muscle memory is rather hard to override. Oh, and there's no home or capture buttons, because those are unique to Switch controllers. Unless you're using something like the Xbox Elite Controller or Dualsense Edge, there just aren't enough buttons to account for them. Still, I'll take the occasional mis-pressed button over cramping hands any day. So imagine my disappointment when I plugged the adapter into my Switch 2, and found that it didn't work. I wasn't keen on having to buy a new Switch 2-friendly adapter, or a different controller. But thankfully, the solution was much easier on my wallet. While there are plenty of Switch 1 accessories that work with Switch 2, it should be no surprise that not everything does. Fortunately, 8BitDo seems to have anticipated this, and released a new firmware update for the USB Wireless Adapter that upgraded the dongle with Switch 2 support. All it requires is 8BitDo's own upgrade tool (available on Windows and macOS). Download the tool, plug in the adapter and the software should automatically recognize it and check for updates. In my case the Windows tool picked up that my adapter was on version 1.04, and that v1.09 was available. Installing that update took about a minute, at which point the adapter was ready to go. The only thing you need to do on your Switch is head into the Controllers menu in Settings and activate Pro Controller Wired Communication. This means the Switch 2 recognizes the 8BitDo adapter as a wired controller, regardless of the fact it's connecting to a wireless controller. Plug the adapter into one of the Switch 2 dock's USB ports, and if your system is like mine it should recognize the new controller right away. Though checking the Change Grip/Order menu is worth doing to make sure it's set as the primary controller. 8BitDo has a huge list of controllers that are compatible with the 8BitDo USB Wireless Adapter 2. That includes all of 8BitDo's Bluetooth controllers, PlayStations 3 through 5, the Switch Pro Controllers, Wiimotes, the Wii U Pro, Xbox Series X|S and Bluetooth Xbox One controllers. The latter distinction is particularly important, because Xbox didn't add Bluetooth to any controller until the launch of the Xbox One S. So your launch-era Xbox One controller won't work here. The adapter also isn't exclusive to Switch consoles, and you can plug it into other devices as well, including Windows, Mac, the Steam Deck and Raspberry Pi devices. That way you can use whatever controller you like, not just the ones that are officially supported by the platform you're gaming on. So long Joy-Cons! We'll only be back if we need mouse controls or want to play in handheld mode.
Engadget
12-06-2025
- Engadget
8BitDo's Ultimate 2C controller drops to $25
If you're looking for a versatile new wireless controller that isn't exclusive to a particular platform, 8BitDo's various pads are always worth considering. And Amazon's current deal on the brand's Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller is nearly the cheapest we've seen. Right now, if you pick up the controller in either its Purple or Green colorways, you'll pay $25.49, as opposed to $30 or above (the special edition Black Wukong version costs $35) for the other available colors. The lowest price we've ever seen this model at is $25. You can get selected colors of 8BitDo's Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller for $25.49, which is nearly the cheapest price we've seen for this model. $25 at Amazon If you're a console gamer you'll need to look elsewhere, but the Ultimate 2C plays nice with Android devices and Windows PCs, connecting either via Bluetooth in the case of the former, or over 2.4G or a wired connection for PC. There's also a mode switch button to make it easy to hop between devices. The controller offers extra bumpers that sit next to the standard left and right bumpers, and these can be remapped without the need for additional software, while the Hall Effect joysticks are precise and reassuringly durable. The Ultimate 2C is compatible with devices running Windows 10 and above, and Android 9.0 or above. You can expect 32 hours of playtime over a Bluetooth connection, or 19 hours when using the wireless 2.4G adapter. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice .
Gizmodo
10-06-2025
- Gizmodo
Can't Connect Controllers to Your Switch 2? Here's Why
There's a good reason your original Switch Pro controller won't wake the Switch 2. The Switch 2's Joy-Con 2 is full of extra functionality, from upgraded gyros to the slick mouse mode, but sometimes you just need a more traditional gamepad to play your games. The bigger issue users are experiencing this go-around is connecting all their old devices to the Nintendo's new handheld. Players quickly learned last week their original Pro controllers won't wake the console, and that may be due to Nintendo changing up the connection protocols, leaving third-party devices to fall behind the Switch maker's first-party controller options. While a Switch 2 Pro controller costs $85, third-party devices are often much more affordable. Gizmodo received a bounty of controllers from multiple manufacturers for review, including several devices from 8BitDo and Gulikit specifically to test them on the Switch 2. Since the Switch 2 launch last Thursday, we've found the majority of our devices take extra time and effort to pair with the new console. Connecting them to an original Switch is far more seamless. 8BitDo's controllers in particular simply refuse to communicate with the Switch 2. On Friday, the company released new firmware for its Ultimate and Ultimate 2 controllers alongside the Pro 2 and SN30 controllers, as well as the company's USB Wireless Adapters. If you want to keep using 8BitDo's top-end gamepads, you'll need to download the company's Ultimate or Update Tool software to your Mac or PC and then put the controller into upgrade mode by hitting R1+L1+Start at the same time. Gulikit—the makers of Hall effect joystick replacements and third-party controllers—also released similar firmware patches last week. In an email to Gizmodo, Gulikit reps said that in their tests, the Switch 2 now uses a different communication protocol than the original Switch. This means the console wouldn't be able to pair the same way it had with previous controllers used for the original Switch. We reached out to Nintendo for comment, but we did not immediately hear back. While trying to troubleshoot our connection issues, we found going into System Settings, then to Controllers & Settings and flipping on 'Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Wired Communication' helps connect some wired controllers, though we still can't confirm if that setting also helps you connect with Bluetooth devices. There are still issues connecting some third-party controllers. I still can't pair an 8BitDo Micro controller with the Switch 2, though the company told us that more compatibility updates will be coming in the near future. The Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 and the rest of Nintendo's accessories, down to the revised GameCube controller, all have a 'C' button to connect with GameChat, which may have necessitated a different communication protocol. However, the lack of clarification isn't helping regular users transition to Nintendo's new handheld. Third-party controllers are often cheaper, but a good number of them also sport joysticks that may be more appealing than what comes with Switch 2. The $95 Joy-Con 2s don't include Hall effect sticks, which would help them better avoid the stick drift issues of the original Switch. In its teardown of the Switch 2, iFixit wrote that the new Joy-Con 2 joysticks are still liable to drift issues, though that may depend on how well the border around the sticks can keep out dirt and debris. The repair gurus further suspected the lack of Hall effect may be due to the controller's magnetic attachment points, which would potentially disrupt the Hall effect method to track stick orientation—which relies on magnetic fields. Nintendo has not made a peep about its decision to keep with what is essentially the same control mechanism as the original Switch. Nintendo will replace drifting Joy-Con 2 controllers for free — Nintendeal (@Nintendeal) June 6, 2025 At the very least, if you buy a Switch 2 Joy-Con 2, you can expect Nintendo won't completely leave you hanging. Last week, Nintendeal spotted that Nintendo will offer free replacements for U.S. customers experiencing Joy-Con 2 stick drift or a few other issues. If you're going to spend close to $100 on a pair of controllers, at the very least you should hope you'll be able to use them long into the Switch 2's life cycle.
The Verge
09-06-2025
- The Verge
Jun 9, 2025 at 11:57 AM EDT
Cameron Faulkner A DualSense makes for a great Switch 2 controller. 8BitDo recently launched updated firmware for a batch of its controllers, including its USB Adapter 2. Now, you can plug that dongle into a Switch 2, and it recognizes anything from Sony's DualSense to old wireless Wii U controllers as a native input device. They're $18.99 a pop on Amazon. The DualSense doesn't have the same buttons as the Switch 2's Joy-Con or a Pro Controller, but you can easily remap controls in the Accessibility options. For my purposes, clicking its touchpad launches GameChat. If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.
