There’s every chance you may have landed on this review and not have any idea what kind of controller this is. If you’re after a controller for your action adventure, battle royale, sporting adventures, you should probably look elsewhere. A leverless controller isn’t going to help you win a Victory Royale, it’s stick-less layout – instead preferring to use individual navigational buttons – ensures it has its audience, and this may not sell in the millions, it’s going to appeal to exactly the kind of people that can get the very best out of it.
The leverless button controller genre is likely a little niche. There’s every chance that if you’re on the lookout for such a thing you’ve got a primary reason why you’d want one. It’s not the kind of controller you’d buy on a whim. If you have your eye on one of these, there’s every chance you’re into your fighting games. They’re made for this particular kind of person in mind, and they’re utterly wonderful once you get used to their unique layouts.
The 8bitdo Arcade Controller then is the latest on the market, and has been made for Switch, Switch 2 and PC (there’s also a lovely edition made specifically for Xbox). The gorgeous, incredibly simple layout of this controller feels surprisingly natural under the fingers, with those classic round red arcade inputs (or Kailh Wizard low-profile mechanical switches, if you’re that person) protruding from the unit. These mock your ABXY, R, L, ZL and ZR buttons on a traditional Switch Pro controller. They feel as terrific as they look, and the additional black inputs house your left, right, up and down buttons in a layout that, at least for me, was unexpectedly comfortable and intuitive. Admittedly it took a while for my brain to fully work around the layout, but jumping into training in Street Fighter 6 on the Switch 2 helped an awful lot in getting my bearings with what was where. Damn this thing is cool.
There’s a neat station in the top left of the controller face where you’ll find a switch to er, switch better your, um, Switch or your PC. When doing so the controller flips around the red button functions to a more traditional PC controller (an Xbox layout, essentially), the internal lights on the system will indicate this on each button, and with a quick flip your layout is the preferable one depending on the system you’re connected to. Lovely.
The controller is compatible with the trusty 8bitdo Ultimate Software V2 app on your PC. You’re gonna need to connect to this and update the firmware of the unit in order to connect it to your Switch 2, so if you’re wondering why it wasn’t working, that’s why. This reviewer definitely didn’t fall foul of such things. Nope. Ok, anyway. The software is also handy as a way to completely remap the entire button layout to your every need and want, along with setting up macros for unique attacks (if you’re hardcore, which if you’ve got this far into this review, you probably are). The yellow star button on the controller will allow you to switch between profiles you create also, so you can have a selection of button layouts at your disposal at the tap of a button, which is a really nice feature.
There are four additional buttons which are bean shaped (imagine the X and Y buttons on a GameCube controller), these are fully programmable and can be swapped around at your leisure, or even fully covered up so you don’t accidentally hit them in a particularly heated showdown with Blanka. This will allow you to navigate the controller to your liking, and they’re close enough to the full button setup that they don’t feel particularly out of reach when needed, which is handy. Again, this can cause them to be pressed in error, so fully replacing them with lock caps is also an option which you may want to consider. The choice is yours, and that’s one of the great things about this 8bitdo controller.
Elsewhere in that corner you’ll find a lock switch which can prevent accidental hits of the unit buttons, specifically added for tournament usage. There’s also the all-important SOCD (Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions) button, adjusting to ensure two or more navigational inputs can be pressed at the same time. Essentially on a traditional D-Pad you can’t press the ‘up’ and ‘down’ together, for example. What the unit smartly does is create a neutral movement which allows the player to press more than one of the navigational buttons to create the desired effect of an arcade stick. Clever, eh?
It’s hardly surprising due to 8bitdo being design wizards, but the Arcade Controller just looks incredible. It’s retro aesthetic jumps right out at you, looking more like a synthesizer than a game controller, and the classic colours blend perfectly with that style, creating a sleekness that is rather unparalleled by most other companies. It’s worth keeping an eye on 8bitdo accessories if you’re one for visually pleasing controllers, it’s genuinely what they do best. The tempered glass surface is quite the fingerprint thief, but you can’t fault how nice it looks and feels.
The back features a silicon non-slip mat made up of classic tiny arcade controller inputs, which is incredibly cool and a neat touch to an otherwise fairly serious looking unit. Elsewhere on the back you’ll find a USB dongle housed for wireless Bluetooth connectivity and a USB-C input if you want to go wired into your Switch, Switch 2 or PC. Finally, you’ll find two small stands on either side if you wish to elevate the unit a little higher on a desktop.
This is a premium device, and there’s very little to argue with in terms of design and layout. 8bitdo have done it again and will likely outdo it in the future.
This is one for the pros, then, but what a device 8bitdo have created here. With more than enough customisation to keep any serious fighting gamer satisfied and gorgeously clicky arcade buttons scratching that nostalgia itch in your brain, along with its retro visual style, the 8bitdo Arcade Controller is an absolute beast and well worth considering if you’re in the market for that classic feeling on your modern systems.
The 8bitdo Arcade Controller is available now here.
Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional unit of the 8bitdo Arcade Controller from 8bitdo. For our full review policy, please go here.
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