8BitDo RunSnail N30 Pro Game Controller Wireless Bluetooth Dual Classic Joystick Gamepad for, Android, Mac OS, Windows

I love my 8bitdo controllers. I initially bought one years ago to use with my iPad to play my retro games. Was so impressed with it that I bought another model (SN30 Pro+) to use with my retro pie (raspberry pie) that I have that’s loaded with retro consoles and games. I also use that one with my newer iPad to play the games I have installed with the Delta app. They work flawlessly and the battery life is amazing. The quality is definitely there as well. They’re essentially universal and seem to work with every application I’ve applied them to. I use them with my iPhone and iPad, my MacBook Pro, my NES classic and my retro pie. Can’t recommend these enough.

This was a highly rated controller for the Raspberry Pi RetroPie project. Setup was a little hard because it wasn't clear that I had to put it on 'D' setting (so if you haven't figured this out yet, there you go). I also plugged it in directly because when I first started up the RetroPie it didn't want to go further until I put a game controller on it...so I hadn't figured out how to do it wirelessly. So I think I haven't used a game controller for a while because it was hard setting up the buttons. I watched some YouTube video where some guy was like push, click, press, push, push...bam and it was done. I kept fumbling and accidently hitting the wrong button because there are just so many. Honestly it took me around 6x to finally get all the right buttons pushed. So no subtracting a star for that...but just be warned if you are not dexterous. Anyway, great controller...worked exactly how I expected it to once I got past the setup part.

Only controller I use, and it's insanely compatible. I use it for PC, Steam deck, Switch, and even my phone. If I had other consoles I'd use it for those too. It's a little up there but it's worth it. Go to their website to get the software to update it and you'll be able to set up profiles for separate games or even completely modify the layout (example, if you wanna make the A button be the B button, even for devices that don't typically support it, knock yourself out). I primarily use it wired, but it works perfectly well wireless with about as much lag as a real Nintendo Switch Pro controller, and it feels a lot better too. The gyro for the switch games that use it is probably even better than the Switch Pro controller (I've used it for splatoon 2 and 3 using gyro aim, that should say enough) and it goes without saying the gyro works great on PC as well.

I originally had difficulty pairing this product with the 8BitDo Adapter 2 and customizing the back buttons. I thought I might have to open the 8BitDo Ultimate software in order to pair the controller wirelessly with the 8BitDo Adapter 2. But it was confusing, since it wanted me to select my controller type. And there was no option for the Pro 2 controller. Turns out there does not seem to be a need to open the 8BitDo software on the PC to pair the controller wirelessly with the 8BitDo Adapter 2. Instead, you can simply change the switch at the back of the controller to "X" mode. This is the mode that Xbox controllers use and it seems to be what Windows works best with (Xbox and Windows are both made by Microsoft after all). Then you simply turn on the controller (Press Start button) and pair by pressing the pair button on the adapter and also the pair button on the controller. That's all there is to pairing! Now let's say you want to customize the buttons or other settings. You might think you would simply open the 8BitDo Ultimate Software and that you can configure it wirelessly. Wrong! Unfortunately, you have to connect the controller with USB to customize its settings. Which is weird, because other controllers NOT made by 8BitDo can be customized while used wirelessly, with 8BitDo's own software. You would think 8BitDo would make their own controller be better supported than controllers from the competition. But apparently that is not the case. Anyway, the good thing is that once the controller is customized over a USB connection, the settings are saved to the controller. So when you reconnect it wirelessly, you should be able to now use your customized settings. You might have to press the button in the bottom center of the controller to switch to the correct saved profile. Anyway maybe this will be obvious to some people. But for me it was very confusing, and I was almost all set to return the controller but then I finally figured out how to get it to work. I really think 8BitDo would be better served by adding better instructions and ideally updating their software with some better support for their own controllers. I didn't see any mention at all in the controller's instructions about how to use it with the Pro 2 adapter. As for the physical device itself, it feels very comfortable for a 6 ft tall guy like me. Which is nice since some of the other controllers like Xbox Series ones seemed to be getting a bit small for my hands. I don't think it is overly large either, I think it will likely work for many people of different statures. I like that there are programmable back buttons, although I think the placement is a little off in my opinion. Nothing too major though. I do like the design of the controller. Although I wish it would use Xbox style "X Y A B" rather than the "reversed" Switch buttons. I do like that the sticks are in the symmetrical PlayStation style, as I find that much more comfortable. I do wish they would create a version with a USB dongle included, so I wouldn't have to buy an additional 8BitDo adapter for each controller or set up Bluetooth. I actually have my PC streaming essentially lag free to TVs in different rooms with HDBaseT. I can't have a standard bluetooth dongle in each room because Windows only supports one Bluetooth radio per PC. Using the 8BitDo Adapter 2 does work around that limitation, as would an included USB dongle with the controller. It is annoying to have to buy an 8BitDo Adapter 2 for every single controller.

I really wanted to love this controller. It looks amazing, and I like the button layout, the bluetooth connectivity, the lights, the aesthetics and the D-Pad. Sadly, this controller has some major drawbacks that are dealbreakers for me. I'm not gonna ding it too hard on the overall rating, because there isn't anything "wrong" with the controller, it's just not for me. The joysticks have no texture to them. They are slick and very small nubs. My fingers slide right off them. To me, both joysticks are not usable. I bought rubber joystick covers, and while these will fit most controllers, these joysticks are too small and they do not work well with this controller. I do not like any of the four shoulder buttons, this may be a personal preference, but they were just too easy to accidentally press just by trying to get a good grip on the controller, which is just too slick/slippery in general. The shape of the controller doesn't help much with this. My final gripe/nitpick would be the three buttons on the bottom edge of the controller. They are small, difficult to press, and they are necessary buttons, so you have to reposition the controller in your hands in order to press them, which caused me to drop the controller into my lap more than a few times. These may seem like minor nitpicks, but they are hurdles I just can't get passed. The positives: There are several things I really like about this controller. The D-pad is probably my favorite things about this controller. It's a bit squishy, but I think it retains a good and solid old-school feel to it, for the most part. The A/B/X/Y buttons are solid and have satifsfying presses, but the START and SELECT buttons are probably the two best buttons on the controller. They really nailed both of those. They feel genuine NES style to me. One of the cooleset features of the controller that the product page doesn't seem to highlight much is the bluetooth connectivity light around the edge of the controller. This is really cool. It lights up the entire side of the controller with this hypnotic blue super slow-pulsing type of strobe light. I'm a big fan of this. I didn't get a full charge's worth of play-time out of this controller, so I can't really speak towards the battery life of it. If I were to modify this controller, the first things I would change would be to make the joysticks bigger and have a texture. Then make the shoulder buttons smaller and give them a bit more pressure required for a full press. Give the back-side of the controller a slight grippy texture. Move the bottom-edge hotkey buttons to the corners of the face of the controller. And for the love of all that is holy, give the controller some HEFT. this thing is as light as a feather. A strong gust would blow it away. Also, the rumble is extremely weak, it might as well not exist. 8bitdo's heart is in the right place, but this one needs some fine-tuning.