the 8BitDo Ultimate 3-mode Xbox controller | unboxing & first impressions

There has been a lot of comments and questions, consider looking at them first to see if anyone else had a similar question but im still replying to new ones as well. \ (•◡•) /
feel free to post any questions, comments, & concerns you have! I would love to touch up on anything you have to share 😉
as I just post videos for fun mostly, if you have any recommendations or things that I should add to my videos, I would love to hear feedback on what I can change for the better.
links to official 8BitDo site for info & specs:
www.8bitdo.com...
shop.8bitdo.co...
yo, sorry bout the coughing and whatnot in between the recording. as it is
with a first impressions video, this is mostly unediting apart from cutting out my coughs and putting in BGM. I am no way affiliated to 8bitdo, I mean look at me, I have 8 subs and no audience. but yeah.
I've used my xbox elite "series 1" however when I got mine there were no "series" but its showing its age + hall effect senors are becoming the norm so why not jump over to the new top of the line 3rd party controller brand to see what they offer? from my initial glances, I think this controller suites my needs in every way I need it to be as a replacement xbox controller, but honestly even better.
there are things that I didn't mention as its already baseline with the 8bitdo Ultimate but integrated rechargeable battery, hall effect senors, Bluetooth (series 1 needs a dongle), and built in "paddles" its basically the controller for on the go play for basically every single possible thing that is played using a controller. so yeah. I'll see if I will post a follow up to this video regarding the controller but as of right now. I am very pleased with my purchase. -like 80$ 🥲
so this is my secondary channel I guess, its going to be everything else that I want to post that's not gaming. Probably gonna make content here about everything else that I like or things that lead to content being made 😁
main channel: @snuwehy ia

[@snooie]

QUICK FACTS & FAQS: * Despite being licensed by Microsoft/Xbox, the controller only works Wired when USING with XBOX * The controller can be connected to PC by the "3-MODE"s: WIRED, BLUETOOTH, and 2.4Ghz RECIEVER (USB IN THE DOCK) OVERALL the controller is geared towards Xbox users on PC (I say this as you can only use the controller wired on Xbox) for the following reasons - "fixes issues/gripes" with the Ultimate controller (for xbox users) being ⬇ * D-PAD is no longer squishy like the other 8BitDo Ultimates and instead uses switches so they are clicky, more adjacent to an Xbox controller * Bumpers are more similar to Xbox Controller (slight feel difference but negligible) * Obviously you don't need to mod the face buttons for the Xbox AXYB * Has Xbox button legends on the menu/start buttons but, still comes with the features that elevate the controller from just getting a normal xbox controller, ie hall-effect thumbsticks (+ triggers but im unsure), built in battery, and built in back buttons. My thoughts: Coming from a former Xbox user and Xbox controller user on PC (for select games that I decide using a controller is better for), this is the exact controller that you are looking for when it comes to 3rd party controllers that has all the bells and whistles and isn't egregiously overpriced (*cough cough* xbox elite series) but still 70$ is still expensive compared to a base Xbox controller. That being said, if you are looking for a controller that you can use daily for many years to come and not worry about losing any performance from it, this controller solves issues that the series controllers have and not only that, but includes extra features that the standard controller doesn't. The ergonomics are a little different as they are still keeping the same shape of the Switch pro controller but it won't be as a big difference to get used to after using it for a few days. Overall, this replaces my daily driver controller being the xbox one elite series 1 controller that I've been using for 5+ years now, and this controller will probably last me even longer than my elite did and not develop stick drift. worth the money for the quality that Xbox can't match up to with 3rd party companies.

[@J0rdan912]

Triggers are indeed hall-effect, this is mentioned on updated description on store page. I'm interesting in bluetooth connection, back buttons and impulse triggers support in different modes. Bluetooth is a simple Xbox-xinput mode? Does impulse triggers works with 2.4G connection or wired/bluetooth (usual) only? Can you remap back buttons in every mode?

[@snooie]

impulse triggers work with 2.4G but I cant say for sure with bluetooth as I have no way of testing it (i don't have a bluetooth module) the controller has 3 user profiles that they can save to and a default one (cycles through any and all loaded profiles), you can rebind/map any and all buttons on each individual profile. I would assume that the loaded profiles on the controller would be usable regardless of the connection method. only thing that i would like to see 8bitdo is release thumbstick "sensitivity" like how xbox has it but honestly i dont mind it at all. just would be neat.

[@jaycobrichardson7041]

I see that theres a new version of the wired ultimate controller (for xbox), but with everything this controller has (besides back buttons) for half the price! I would definitely buy the controller if it was truly wireless. Great video! I wouldnt of known it only being wireless on pc and android if it werent for you and I would've been out of $70, thanks again!

[@snooie]

Glad I could inform you! Thank you for watching.

[@asfandyaralam7180]

Hey man, quick question: so when you connect it to pc, do you use the usb dongle for the connection, and is it as simple as plug and play, or does it require software?? Also, another question :P: How long does the battery last???

[@snooie]

yo! The controller can connect to PC either through being directly plugged in with the wire, Bluetooth, or using the dongle (either you plug the dongle straight into the PC while on the go, or plug it into the included dock which is also a charger). Yes it is plug and play however you will need to get the software to rebind buttons and settings however you can save the settings to the controller and uninstall it afterwards. For the battery, I'm unsure as when I'm not using the controller, it sits nice and pretty on the dock so i haven't ever fully drained the battery but I'm sure that the battery will last long enough while on the go before needing to charge it if you won't be away from the dock for long. The 3-mode does have a slightly smaller battery than the "normal" ultimate but even that gets a rated 20 hours of play so i would guesstimate around 18 hours more or less. I'd bring the wire if you are concerned about running out of battery but i would also think that if you disable rumble and lighting you could get more juice from the battery. I hope i helped answer your question, and if you have any other comments and concerns i will do my best to help. :j

[@J0rdan912]

Was waiting for reviews. What do you think? Worth to upgrade a regular Ultimate Bluetooth? It's kinda okay for me, but I wonder if they actually fixed squishy dpad with mechanical switches, grinding sticks without anti-friction rings (seems to be fixed), loud face buttons, wobbly bumbers and triggers (impulse vibration works on PC in 2.4G mode?)?

[@snooie]

yo! Ive been using it for the past few days since unboxing it and it is much better (coming from an Xbox controller user) than the "stock" Ultimate. The dpad uses switches instead of the squishy membrane which was my main gripe and why i instantly boxed it and returned the normal Ultimate after using it for 20 minutes. For me personally, this is a better Xbox Elite (I've only used the series 1 but I've been using it for the past 5+ years as my main controller) and cheaper. Its just better in basically every way (to an Xbox controller) and compared to the Ultimate, this is the controller to get if you are accustomed to xbox. I played through a souls like game with it and found no issues with the controller itself except for me getting used to it but it works perfectly fine out of the box, just a little adjusting to with the shape of the controller but nothing else really. Didn't notice any friction with the thumbsticks, face buttons sounded no different to me, bumper buttons feel like Xbox bumper buttons maybe a little less clicky but still uses a switch and triggers I'm unsure, i turned off vibration (just don't like it personally since I play "mechanical" style games so the rumble can get distracting) but i know that impulse is supposed to work on PC, unsure if it's capable on 2.4G though. Hope this helps, if you have any more questions, feel free to reply. 😀

[@J0rdan912]

@@snooie Already got one on sale, waiting for delivery. Thanks for a reply, some of my questions and doubts about this this controller was answered! I like 8bitdo controllers, never failed me so far and there are always repair parts on sale, but since my favourite Pro 2 didn't received any major upgrades except hall sticks, I decided to upgrade my Ultimate Bluetooth to a proper PC/Xbox wireless option. Ultimate Bluetooth was fine for me and still work flawlessly, but yeah, certain annoyances like grinding sticks, unstable membrane bumpers and dpad, wobbly pressure sensitive triggers, no Xbox features, weren't good enough to be a full time main controller, but I'll decide to keep Ultimate Bluetooth as my backup and Switch controller 👍

[@FIVESTRZ]

@@J0rdan912heads up wireless doesn’t work on Xbox unless you use one of the other adapters then plug this ones into that.

[@J0rdan912]

@@FIVESTRZ Yeah, thanks, already got one

[@FIVESTRZ]

@@J0rdan912 If you're cool with wired it feels amazing, I ended up returning because I got kids and dogs and it's for SURE getting ripped off the desk if there's a cable. I hope you enjoy!

[@FIVESTRZ]

Everything is clicky and amazing…. WTF is with all the pictures eluding to it being wireless, I had to head to the bottom of the page to see wired only on Xbox and I gave it 2 stars. The other ultimates were wireless so I assumed the Official Xbox controller would be too, insane.

[@snooie]

I understand, if i thought of getting this to use as a 3rd party Xbox controller (with the Xbox), i wouldn't. It sucks that it's even licensed by Microsoft to work with the Xbox but not be wireless. if i really wanted a better Xbox controller, only thing I could think of is the elite series and even they are overpriced. Just sucks for Xbox users looking for alternative Xbox controllers. For me i only got this because I wanted a better Xbox controller for PC that has both 2.4G + Bluetooth if i didn't want to use the dongle on my laptop or at a friend's house but i feel your frustrations with it being wired only for Xbox. I can only blame Xbox for gatekeeping their tech to even officially licensed brand collaborations.

[@FIVESTRZ]

@@snooie with you on that 100%, I already had 2 Ultimate controllers with the Hall Effect sticks, no complaints and highly recommended… bought these off the strength of the previous experiences, also used on Switch wirelessly.. this was the biggest miss I’ve seen in a long time and I missed it in the marketing. White one on Amazon doesn’t really show wires period in the pictures.

[@snooie]

Yeah i get you, they should have made it clear that despite it being quite literally officially licensed by Microsoft/Xbox, it still lacks wireless capability with the Xbox itself. Which ever side limited connectivity with the Xbox is definitely to blame for the marketing as collateral (i would say it's Xbox as even other Xbox licensed controllers are also only wired). I don't think a 3rd party company would intentionally cripple their own products even though it's advertised to be in affiliation with a bigger brand. I'm happy that you were able to get your money back and they should for sure make it clear that it's wired only as with many other 3rd party Xbox controllers for the Xbox. Hopefully 8bitdo reorders their info page or Xbox make their connectivity tech available to other 3rd party companies.

[@J0rdan912]

Microsoft doesn't not provide the license even to a licensed controllers for a wireless connection, that's it, no reason to blame controller companies. Use any 3rd party adapter for any (supported) wireless controller that is confirmed not banned by Microsoft, not much can be done otherwise.

[@FIVESTRZ]

@@J0rdan912 I left a detailed 2 star review on Amazon and I wasn't the only one that purchased off using previous 8BitDo Ultimate controllers with an expectation of wireless. They've updated the title to reflect *wired on Xbox S|X*. I still think highly of the company and feel the controller was great overall, however, when you get in bed with the devil (Microsoft and how aggressive they are about 3rd party wireless) you cannot blame the devil for being exactly who they've showed you to be. Also one Amazon a top comment points folks to a $30 adapter that has not been banned that allows it to work wireless with minor hiccups. Not my expectation for a wireless controller with the Xbox brand on it so I went with the PDP BFG Victrix. It was never about price it was more about Hall Effect which this thing has modules you can swap out (Hall Effect coming soon but manually exist already)

[@sockwithsoul836]

I am confused by all the different variants of the Ultimate. Is this the one I should get for only playing on PC? Coming from a Series X Controller and my main focus is shorter trigger travel time, because I play some games where I have to quickly tap the triggers. Or do you know of any controller with buttons instead of triggers? Something like the Switch Pro.

[@snooie]

yo, yeah they definitely have over used the Ultimate name / released too many skews of it. If you have a background with Xbox controllers and want to get something better for PC, yeah i would get this over getting another Xbox controller. it has Xbox layout and Xbox like features compared to the normal Ultimate which is geared for 3rd party Switch Play. That being said, i think that even though the triggers on this controller are shorter distance than the normal Xbox controller, it is nowhere near a button experience. The best you can do is tune the triggers to actuate earlier on the 8bitdo software, similar to the doing the same with Xbox controllers on the Xbox companion app. I'm unaware of any controllers with button triggers as this is my first 3rd party controller and was already considering how 8BitDo's Ultimate lineup has most features that I'm looking for similar to Xbox play so I didn't spend much time looking at other controllers. The only other 3rd party controller brand i know of it Gullikit but there latest controller as from reviews was a let down compared to their previous model so I can't say. I hope this helps and if you have any further comments, feel free to reply back

[@sockwithsoul836]

@@snooie thanks for the reply! I bought it and used it for a while, but I noticed that my hand starts to hurt after a long session. I think it's because I have really big hands and the controller is smaller than I thought. I'll look into other controllers or stick to Switch Pro since it has buttons intsead of triggers.

[@snooie]

I get you, a lot of other users also comment on the size of the controller. i think its more due to the ergonomics of the layout more than the size itself but I hope you find the controller that meets your needs. 😄Hopefully you got your money back if you decided to return it

[@DEST-PMA]

How does the controller come up in PC (using the dongle)? Does it come up as a 360 controller or a Series controller? The series has 4 buttons in the middle (home, share, menu, view) but the 360 only has 3. Does the headphone jack work on pc?

[@snooie]

yo, using the wireless dongle the controller reports on PC as an "Xbox One for Windows", same as well on Steam. By default, the controller has the view, share, and menu buttons set. There are two other buttons on the face being a star and a profiles button, the star I'm not sure of what it does. On the software it is set to "Swap" but i don't really know the use case. Unsure if games will recognize the button or not. For the headphone jack, no, it doesn't work on PC whatsoever. It seems through regardless of what connection type unfortunately. I did launch up my Xbox just to test the headphone jack since another commenter asked about the audio quality (which sounded fine to me) but unfortunately it seems like PC doesn't recognize the controller as on output for audio. I hope i helped, if you have any other questions i wouldn't mind trying to answer them for you. :)

[@DEST-PMA]

@@snooie thank you!

[@Rayzer10X]

Hello, can you play on PC wirelessly? I see that it has a small pen drive at the bottom of the bank, would it be a receiver? If so, is it not compatible with Bluetooth?

[@snooie]

yo. yes, you can play wirelessly 2 ways. the controller has 3 modes of connection (Ultimate "3-mode") for PC play: wired, 2.4Ghz (connected with receiver usb that you saw), and bluetooth. albeit you should use the usb when possible as you get less latency but if you are on the go or using your controller at a friend's house or something, the controller has bluetooth so you can leave the receiver at home and pair to whatever you are going to play on without needing to bring it along with you it. hope my response helped you!

[@ksonfk]

Can you map R3/L3 to P1/P2?

[@snooie]

yo, yep. (atleast if you mean R3/L3 as pressing the left & right thumb sticks) through the 8bitdo software you can remap the two back paddles to R3 & L3 respectively.

[@tademan1]

Are the dpad and bumper clickiness similar to the xbox series controllers?

[@snooie]

yo. the dpad feels clicky compared to the squisyness of the other 8bitdo controllers. It honestly does feel like an Xbox controller but since the dpad itself is flat (on an Xbox controller) but slightly raised on the edges (on the 8bitdo), it has a little more travel distance to actuate/bottom out compared to an Xbox but it shouldn't degrade your play, just some getting used to. It's way better than the squishy dpad though, i think if you get the controller you'll get used to it pretty quick.

[@snooie]

Forgot to mention the bumpers, i honestly didnt notice any feel difference from an Xbox controller, i think there is a slight difference in travel distance to click/actuate the switch but it's very negligible to me that I've already gotten used to it if that is the case.

[@tademan1]

​@@snooie Thanks! I actually have the ultimate BT one but the dpad for me is a bit stiff and when im playing platformers or emulators my thumb gets a bit tired after a while.

[@kennethangeles5459]

Is this worth it? considering other cheap controllers

[@snooie]

I think that this is a good alternative to the xbox one series controllers both in price point and quality. That being said, it isn't quite cheap. If you are looking for something that you can get a few of for party games or such, I would probably get the wired version of this controller (for PC play). If you are looking for a replacement controller and are used to the xbox form factor, I think this controller will last you far longer than getting any other controller. hope this helps, check out the pinned comment i put or reply to this if you have any other questions or comments. if money is a big factor, I would still lean towards an 8BitDo controller but just get the wired version and save your money if you don't mind the wired aspect / don't need the wireless capabilities.

[@YGSim69]

Is the 3.5mm audio terminal okay? I'm using gamesir - g7se and the white noise is too much compared to the basic xbox 4th generation pads

[@snooie]

Hello! I have got to say I don't quite get what white noise you are referencing about with the g7se (since i've never used it nor looked into that controller) and if that is supposed to be a feature or an issue with that controller but I just turned on my xbox after it laid dormant in the corner of my room for probably over a year now and put on one of my favorite tracks from daft punk on youtube and it sounded perfectly fine to me. Just want to say this as well since other comments also have questions similar, yes it is wired only to Xbox but thats just the case with Xbox not allowing 3rd party controllers direct connect to them. pretty sure you already know since you are using the g7se. I used my "studio" quality HD58X Jubilee Headphones and didn't hear any audible distortions while plugged into the controller, sounds fine to me just like if you were to plug it into a computer aux jack That in mind, you cannot use the aux jack while wireless, atleast I think so through 2.4g mode if on PC. unsure if Bluetooth works but I highly doubt it as going wired doesn't recognize the controller and subsequently the jack on the controller as an audio output so if you were thinking about using the controller on PC for audio as well, unfortunately it seems not possible. hopes this helps and feel free to reply back if you have any other questions. worse comes to worse, try the controller and if you don't like it or seems not to satisfy your needs, return it for free.

[@YGSim69]

@@snooie thx bro

[@leavesfromthevine]

​@@snooie ty for the info, I was considering returning my Ultimate for the 3 mode because I wanted the 3.5mm jack for PC use. But if it doesn't work over 2.4ghz I'll just keep the Ultimate. Appreciated.

[@snooie]

yo! Yeah, after some more use, the aux jack isn't usable atleast on PC as it's only detected as a Controller and not an audio source. Unfortunate but it's likewise with all Xbox controllers (atleast to my knowledge). Best case is to just use a headphone aux extender or get wireless headphones/audio output. Glad I could help.

[@Karlosfes]

whats your keyboard

[@snooie]

yo :) I have the keychron q2 pro, it's actually the video I uploaded prior to this video if you want to get more indepth info on it (^o^)丿

[@Karlosfes]

ty, also i got a question about the controller, does the audio jack 3.5 input audio when connected wirelessly through Bluetooth or 2.4ghz?​@@snooie

[@snooie]

yep :) about the audio terminal. if you are using it with PC, no. unfortunately as with most other controllers on PC, PC does not recognize the controller as an audio output or input but simply as a controller. commenter YGSIM69 asked a similar question but in their case they were using it with Xbox. In that case, yes the controller does in/out audio (albeit the controller is only wired with xbox). Unless there has been an update or recent discovery regarding how to enable sound through controller that I do not know about, the audio jack is basically dead on PC regardless of the connection type. sad, but to be expected with most controllers on PC (atleast from the ones i used which were previously the official xbox one controllers and the elite series 1 which also didn't have working audio jacks on PC)

[@marubinooo]

Does the adapter that is included same with the 8bitdo adapter 2?

[@snooie]

From appearance, no. I think the included dongle might be proprietary to the 3-mode but i could be wrong. Since I don't own the 8bitdo adapter 2 i cannot speak in depth into it but from a short video i just searched up, the dongle doesn't have a pair button so if you were considering pairing multiple controllers to it, it unfortunately seems unable to do that. (I could be wrong but I'm p confident so) On the other hand, if you were considering using the controller on a "non supported platfor m" then I would send a ticket to see if it's compatible (i would assume it still works even though it doesn't say it) but to be sure, contact 8bitdo fosho. Sorry for not being able to answer your question fully but i hope my reply gave you some insight. Please feel free to reply if you want to elaborate or give more context. I would love to try and help you out if possible.

[@marubinooo]

@@snooie Thank you brother, appreciated your answer. It seems that you are right with the pair button. The 2.4ghz one is solely for the ultimate you purchase together with it.

[@snooie]

Absolutely no problem, I'm glad I could help answer your question. (^o^)丿

[@myselph1761]

You remind me of Shoobs

[@MrJaveli86]

Are the A,B,X,Y buttons clicky as well

[@J0rdan912]

Seems to be a regular membrane

[@snooie]

unfortunately no if that is what you are looking for, feels like membrane to me, just like an Xbox controller

[@luisbravo7445]

Any update 1 month later?

[@snooie]

yo, used the controller for a whole run of Cuphead plus some dark souls and it's still running perfectly fine. No complaints from me at face value at the moment. If you have any questions on particulars of the controller i would love to get back to you on that :)

[@luisbravo7445]

@@snooie That's great. I'm planning to buy it but they say that it only reaches 250hz for polling rate, but I don't know if that's only while wireless. Have you felt any delay while playing in PC? Does it get better while playing wired?

[@snooie]

yo. unsure about any official spec on the reported hz of the controller but I personally feel no input latency on either mode, I just did a quick test using XInput Polling Rate Checker and my results are: 2.4g - min 3.7145ms / 269 Hz wired - min 2.468ms / 405 Hz these are by no means fully accurate as its not a professional way to check input latency but its the best I can do with some software off of GitHub. gamepadla.com/ has yet to test the 3-mode input so we will have to see but from most of the other 8bitdo controllers, it does seem that wired performs at lower latency. personally I have only used the controller wirelessly as the difference for me personally was indiscernible (feeling wise) but from my tests and the tests of the other Ultimate controllers by gamepadla, it does seem that wired gives lower latency and with the provided longer cable with the controller (longer than the ones with the other Ultimates) its viable for wired play on PC as well. I hope this helped you with your possible purchase of this controller.

[@luisbravo7445]

@@snooie Wow! Thanks for the detailed report. I'll buy it. Also subbed :)

[@snooie]

no problem! i would want to be informed about something before buying it as well, especially since its not inexpensive. i'm glad that I could give you input as a first hand user. (thank you for the sub!)

[@IICAPII]

Can you use it with Bluetooth on pc

[@snooie]

yeah, you can use the controller using bluetooth connection to PC

[@IICAPII]

@@snooie does the mute switch actually work on pc

[@snooie]

no, I believe that the aux and mute switch dont work on PC, maybe its something you can do in the software but I haven't checked. Windows doesn't detect the controller as a sound output though so my guess is its a no. do xbox controllers usually have audio capabilities? maybe its only on bluetooth if not.