8Bitdo M30 2.4G Wireless Gamepad for Sega Genesis Mini and Mega Drive Mini and Switch with 6-Button Layout (Black)

I grew up with a Super Nintendo, a PS1 and various Nintendo handhelds before I got a PSP. As someone who never owned an older Sega console(just a Dreamcast I got a few years back), you'd think this wouldn't do it for me, but it has the best D-pad I've ever used and the face buttons are cool and weird. I use it to play Sega Saturn games on my Mister FPGA system, and it's almost perfect for that. I just wish it had one or two analog sticks for 3D games. If you could use this for modern titles like Doom Eternal or even JRPGs like Soul Hackers 2 or Persona 3 Reload, I'd be one happy camper. There are competing Saturn-like controllers with sticks and extra shoulder buttons, but I've heard the D-pads are inferior and there are various quality control issues, so I'm just gonna hold out hope that 8Bitdo releases one in the future. But yeah, this is super light, the battery life is great, it works just as well wired and wirelessly, and it feels incredible in the hand. Strong recommend.

Works perfectly with my MiSTer FPGA-based SuperStation One console. No noticeable input lag when enabling fast USB polling on the console. Construction feels sturdy. A flawless controller for retrogaming. Highly recommended.

TL;DR: Great controller, but you need to check your Switch system settings. Go to "System Settings > Controllers and Sensors > Pro Controller Wired Communication." Flip that to "On" and it should work. NOTE: I don't have a Genesis Mini, so I can't comment on that. This review is entirely for the Switch. Now for the too-long part: So I've been a gamer for the past ~30 years, and most of my gaming in my childhood was spent gaming on the Genesis. I was a Sega fanboy through-and-through. My hands practically grew to the shape of that bulky 3-button pad, and later conformed to the 6-button pad. While I didn't get my Saturn until I was already an adult and bought it (very) used, the controller felt so great in-hand. Now that 8BitDo has come around, I've grabbed up a few of their products, including the M30 2.4GHz for the Genesis (the other 2.4GHz version of this controller). So I already knew what to expect in terms of comfort and general usability. The controller feels really good in-hand. It's a bit on the lightweight side, but it's reminiscent of older gamepads in that way, I suppose. Weight is pretty close to that of the original Genesis 6-button pad, minus the cord. The texture on the controller feels nice, and there's no sharp edges or anything to cause cramps. Plastic doesn't feel QUITE as high-quality as the original Sega pads, but is darn close. It doesn't feel cheap, and that's a good thing. So as soon as it came in, I practically ran to my Switch to play with it. Plugged the receiver into the dock, fired up the Switch, hit the Start button on the pad and... nothing. The blue light blinked slowly and never made a connection. I thought that was pretty weird. I fiddled around with it some and got the controller to sync up with the receiver. But I noticed that the Switch had come out of the dock. Plugged it back into the dock and... nothing again. The controller was unsynced. "WTAF?" I wondered as I tried to get it working again. Switch out of the dock: syncs just fine. Switch in the dock: fails. At this point I figured it wasn't a point of a broken/faulty controller/receiver. It HAD to be something software-related. I went to update my Switch and, nope, it was running the latest OS version. So while I was in the settings I decided to take a peek, and I found an option under "Controllers and Sensors" called "Pro Controller Wired Communication." This was turned off. Basically this option allows you to use a Pro controller via USB when plugged into the Switch, which... duh? Why wouldn't you want that on? So you could just charge it and NOT use it? The dock only has a single USB port. Why would you want that to be used for just charging your controller and not playing with it? So I turned on "Pro Controller Wired Communication" and voila! The controller synced right up and worked as it should. It's read as a Pro controller by the Switch, and since it has to plug in via USB (since it's not Bluetooth), this option being turned off means you can't use the M30. I reread through the included instructions and this was not mentioned anywhere in there. That seems like it'd be something you'd want to include. I was all set to return the controller. I played around in bundled SNES/NES games from having an online account, plus in Megaman X Legacy Collection a bit. I figured I should go for retro games that would make the best use of the low-latency 2.4GHz connection. My TV is an LG with roughly 10ms of lag (which is absurdly low for consumer HDTVs), so the next biggest source of lag would be the controller. And it worked like a champ. I don't have a rig to test input lag or anything, but at the very least, I couldn't detect any. No hiccups (aside from human error :P). Being able to swap A/B and X/Y was particularly helpful (hold down + select for 5 seconds). The turbo function is nice to have and works well, but is kind of a pain to deal with. I didn't manage to run it out of battery, so I can't comment on the battery life, sadly. But I suppose that means it's pretty decent. Pros: + Great build quality + Syncing is pretty painless* + Turbo functionality is there + Controller can be remapped to a degree + Price is pretty low + Extremely low latency/input lag** Cons: - The instructions leave out highly important details - Micro USB port*** - Not compatible with other 2.4GHz receivers**** * - Once you figure out that you need to enable USB controllers for Switch. Otherwise, good luck, lol. ** - Again, I don't have a rig so I can't get actual numbers, but IIRC their other M30 had about 3 to 5ms of lag (compared to like 25ms of lag on the Bluetooth version), which is pretty much undetectable by even the most perceptive gamers. *** - Other new 8BitDo controllers have switched to USB-C ports. It's kind of odd that they wouldn't update it. It was probably to save costs as the controller looks the exact same as the old M30, but still. **** - This is actually a pretty big problem. I didn't WANT to have to buy another controller. I'd have rather been able to use my existing M30 on the Switch, but I had to buy an entirely new controller. And since the controller and receiver are tied together with no way to sync with a new controller/receiver, losing one makes the other useless. In conclusion, it's a great controller and worth the price, but the instructions leave a LOT to be desired. How many returns here are ENTIRELY due to people not knowing about the USB settings on the Switch?

I and the kids love these. I bought 2 for our Sega mini. It's nice not needing to deal with the mess/hassle of wires. The controllers both connected very easily without any issues at all (I either pressed start or maybe didn't even need to do anything at all - it was so simple I forget, which is a good thing). The controllers hold a charge for a long time and indicate when charge is low. They have a nice USB charging capability that enables me to plug the controllers into a power strip next to my system, which is convenient. The controller itself is nice - excellent feel and response. The 6 buttons are helpful for some Sega games (like Street Fighter), and the turbo function makes many games more fun. 8Bitdo makes very nice quality controllers IMO, especially compared to other brands. I also bought 3 wireless NES mini controllers from 8Bitdo about 9 months ago before these Sega controllers and they are equally awesome, so I came into this purchase trusting the brand. They deserve recognition IMO, so I felt good taking some time to write this up to help others with their decision. Good luck and I hope your experience is as good as mine. Keep up the great work 8Bitdo.

This is coming from someone that plays wired up to my Steam Deck on the dock, so any 2.4G talking points or battery life will not be discussed here. I mainly got this for playing retro SEGA games that used this controller layout, since playing with a modern controller feels wrong. As I got used to playing with this, I realized this may be my go-to controller for both retro and 2D games from now on. It works for nearly any genre, such as being one of the absolute best controllers to use for Shmups, or a fantastic alternative for fighting games. Platformers, RPGs, Racing, etc. They all play very well! I even tested it on Sonic Racing Crossworlds and beat a Time Trial record I had on Super Sonic Speed. This thing can handle nearly anything as long as you don't use a R stick for anything important and can move with the D-pad too. That's cool, but what about the controller itself? How's the feel of it all? Responsiveness? Quality? It's all fantastic. The buttons are nice and big while being easy to reach with my thumb. Travel distance is short for all 6 face buttons. The L/R buttons are also great. The star of the buttons is actually the D-pad. This thing is phenomenal! It moves in all 8 directions in anyway you want. The travel distance it short, so inputs come out easy. The texture is that of a rubbery hard plastic, where it feels like it grips your thumb without any accidental sliding happening, but it's still smooth enough to let you slide your thumb around if you actually wanted to. The controller itself feels nice on the hands. My fingers wrap around the sides while giving my thumbs enough space to reach every button. The texture of the plastic helps prevent slipping without it feeling rough on the hands. For what it's worth, I believe it to be a controller worth your money. For me, playing a lot of older games and some newer ones with this thing is pretty great. Only thing to keep in mind is that the dongle won't connect to your PC ootb, instead you'll likely use the cable that comes in the box. If you want wireless, get the Bluetooth version. This one will be detected as an Xbox 360 controller, which wasn't hard to properly set up. Inputs will need to be remaped, but once you find the proper inputs and set them up accordingly, it'll be smooth sailing.

Ive had the Bluetooth version of this controller for a few years so had to pick up these on sale. I am a MiSTer user and these are THE controller for Sega systems. The dpad is immaculate and the button layout works for everything. 8bitdo does such a fantastic job on these. Absolutely worth buying a few if they go on sale, they are a great deal.

This thing is great! I no longer have to mess with cords and it seems to have no latency that I can detect. Fits my large hands better than I thought it would. Highly recommend! I’m glad I ordered it!

Take this warning from me. If anything happens to your 8bitdo product, such as the controller no longer taking charge well within the 1-year warranty period, unless you're in China, it's nearly impossible to actually get your product repaired or replaced since you're required to send it back to China. The warranty is there in name only but in actuality, cannot be used. Here's an email trail to give you an idea: Date: Tue, Sep 22, 2020 00:09 AM To: "[email protected]"<[email protected]>; Subject: M30 controller malfunction Hi 8bitdo, I purchased the 2.4ghz M30 controller for Sega Genesis Mini and it will not take a charge. The controller was purchased on Oct 3, 2019 from Amazon US. Attached is the invoice. The controller works wirelessly when plugged into a power source such as a USB charger but when it is not plugged in, there is no response and as soon as I plug the wire, the red light comes on to indicate that it's charging... yet the battery doesn't seem to take charge at all. The firmware is on latest 3.10. Can we discuss getting a fix/replacement please? Thank you. ---------- On Tuesday, September 22, 2020, 07:02:09 AM EDT, 8BitDo Support <[email protected]> wrote: Hello. So sorry you had this problem. We're manufacturers, far away in China. We can repair or exchange it for free. You only need to pay the freight/cost to send it back. Technician must detect and verify the issue of the product. And then figure out what the problem is. Please let us know your decision. We will never ignore our customers. Have a nice day. ---------- Date: Thu, Sep 24, 2020 01:45 AM To: "8BitDo Support"<[email protected]>; Subject: Re: Re:M30 controller malfunction Hello, Thanks for your response and offer for a free replacement. While I think it's reasonable for me to send the game pad to a service center in the same country (USA), I do not feel it is reasonable to have to send the controller all the way to China, especially considering the cost of freight and the time it would take for shipping, especially with delayed shipping due to Covid. Is there a service center in the USA I can send the controller to? Thank you. ---------- On Thursday, September 24, 2020, 08:44:13 AM EDT, 8BitDo Support <[email protected]> wrote: Hola. You can only send it back to us. We are terribly sorry. Sincere regards. ---------- On Thursday, September 24, 2020, 12:20:30 PM EDT, Hello again. This is very disappointing. It's essentially a warranty support that cannot be used in reality. I was looking at the new upcoming arcade stick but I will steer clear of it since the support process requires you to send the product back all the way to China. I will let other customers know of this situation. ---------- On Friday, September 25, 2020, 11:17:33 AM EDT, 8BitDo Support <[email protected]> wrote: Hola. We have sincerely and patiently serve you. We also offer free repair or exchange/replacement services. Returning and replacing are common procedures. This is how the warranty works. Even your warranty has expired, we are still serving you. In any other company, that's not going to happen. Sincere regards. ---------- Date: Sat, Sep 26, 2020 03:57 AM To: "8BitDo Support"<[email protected]>; Subject: Re: Re:M30 controller malfunction Hi - I understand that sending a product back to the company for warranty support is a common practice. Unless I'm mistaken, there is a 1 year warranty on the M30 gamepad I bought. I bought the M30 from Amazon on October 3, 2019, thus the gamepad is still under warranty. I appreciate your communication with me. But really, how realistic do you think it is for me to send a $25 (USD) gamepad all the way to China? It will cost at least that much just on the shipping costs. You have inventory for new products that gets sold via Amazon and ships out of warehouses in the United States, yet you require your customers to send the products back to China. What if it's a much bigger product like the arcade fight stick? Is the customer expected to ship it all the way to China as well? This is not a reasonable business practice and speaking honestly, makes me not want to take a chance buying 8bitdo products again until your warranty support practice is changed. I really like your products but you have to stand behind it in a reasonable manner. The current situation is not reasonable. Thank you. ---------- On Saturday, September 26, 2020, 07:11:55 AM EDT, 8BitDo Support <[email protected]> wrote: Hola. TIPS: You can look for cheaper shipping option. It's very cheap if you ask for no TRACKING NUMBER. It's cheaper to just send the controller back without the battery. Sincere regards.

Muito bom controle fiel ao original do Mega drive recomendo.

Buona qualità costruttiva e feeling vintage. Funziona con Batocera e raspberry pi4

Funciona como debe ser. Me resultó sumamente grato para usarlo con mi "Mini Sega".

Nice controller. Light, solid. Works fine with my Nintendo Switch, I like it for games like Mario.

Works on the steam deck 👍