From the linked GameSpot article:
"8BitDo has revealed the successor to its popular Pro 2 Bluetooth Controller. Officially called the Pro 3 Bluetooth Gamepad, the upcoming controller retains the form factor of the Pro 2 while implementing some of the enhanced features found in the Ultimate 2 Bluetooth, such as TMR joysticks and trigger locks. It also has a few entirely new features not found on other 8BitDo controllers, including swappable magnetic face buttons and an extra pair of arcade-inspired ball-top stick caps.
The 8BitDo Pro 3 Bluetooth Gamepad is available to preorder now at Amazon for $70 ahead of its August 12 release. It comes in three retro-themed colors: G Classic, Gray, and a shade of purple that pays homage to the Nintendo GameCube. All three models come with matching charging docks and a set ball-top arcade stick toppers that can be swapped in for the traditional rubberized caps. Out of the box, the Pro 3 is compatible with Switch 2, Switch, PC, Android, Apple devices, and Steam Deck."
The internal battery feels like such a downgrade…
I love my Pro 2, best pad I’ve ever had, but I love it enough that I have no real need to spend $70 on an upgrade. This sounds excellent for anyone who doesn’t already have one though.
Not sure I get the point of removing the face buttons though. You shouldn’t need to physically rearrange them in order to remap them. I just use the Pro 2’s profile switcher button to swap layouts, and I see that button is still present, so I don’t see why I would want to do it the hard way.
As someone who switches between PC using an Xbox layout and a Switch, I like the idea of swappable buttons, assuming it doesn’t cause any issues physically with the controller in the long run.
But you can just do that in software already.
It’s more for people who look at the controller buttons while playing. I’ve had people use my controllers and get really confused when B is actually A and so on.
Personally I would find this incredibly helpful when I’m playing games with someone who’s might need to look at the buttons. Especially if they aren’t much of a gamer.
I’ve tried rearranging the buttons on my pro 2 but They’re all unique shapes and can’t be swapped 😔
But bluetooth though, why not 2.4ghz? My 8bitdo has 2.4ghz
It does do 2.4GHz. There’s a dongle stored in the charging base.
I love that word, dongle
You’ll have to wait for the 8BitDo Pro 3 Plus, I guess.
How do their gamepads compare to the DualSense? They‘re in the same price range after all.
Unless you need the touchpad and resistance triggers I’ve come to prefer the Ultimate 2 wireless over the dualsense.
Has TMR sticks, extra bumper buttons, back buttons, and charging dock. Got firmware update to allow the extra buttons to be remappable through Steam Input too.
Don’t see myself considering a PlayStation controller on the PC unless future versions start coming with hall effect or TMR sticks, and even then with them charging double the price for paddle buttons it is a hard sell over third party controller options on the PC.
Their controllers are amazing but the naming convention is so bad.
I find this annoying. I have three different 8bitdo controllers hanging around my house. I have the original 8bitdo sn30 pro, the pro plus, and the pro 2. After I bought the pro 2 they came out with the Xbox variant. The difference between the pro 2 regular and the pro 2 Xbox variant? The additional rear buttons on the Xbox variant work and are mappable in steam os. Where the ones on the original pro 2 are not. Do both of these controllers have the ultimate software? Yes. But unfortunately one of them doesn’t contain the hardware to make those physical buttons work as physically and programbaly different than the other buttons on the controller.
I can buy this. I could buy the Xbox variant pro 2. But I don’t want to have to keep buying essentially the same controller to get functionality it should have had in the first place.
I’ll ask their support about what exactly they mean by steamos support (fully rebindable in steam, or just “the buttons work”) and edit my comment to show the answer.
Ultimate 2 is fully bindable in Steam (even gyro if you do directinput over bluetooth).
Valve gonna Valve but there isn’t a reason to assume a regression on that. But, like everything, don’t preorder things.
Ultimate 2 also does Gyro over the 2.4 dongle (At least in the Wireless version).
Update the firmware of the controller and the dongle and hold B when turning on.I have an Ultimate 2 and I haven’t been able to figure out how to do that so I can’t remap the back buttons with Steam input.
What’s the trick?
Right now has to be the 8bitdo Ultimate 2 wireless. Not the bluetooth switch one. Need to update the dongle and controller to the latest beta firmware and launch it in dinput mode by turning it on while holding the B button. Then all the extra buttons can be mapped along with using gyro with analog triggers, which couldn’t be done before.
There is a bug that needs to be fixed where rumble can cause the controller to stop working in game, so for now need to use it with rumble off until that is fixed. But, everything else works when it comes to binding through Steam Input.
Is Dinput mode limited to Bluetooth only or can it be used on the 2.4ghz as well?
Edit: nevermind, just saw the other comment below mine that mentions it working in both connection modes
- Update the firmware of the controller and dongle (technically the dongle isn’t necessary if you are using bluetooth). I did this in a VM because Linux
- Fully power down the controller. Switch to the connectivity mode you want
- Hold the Circle/B button and power on the controller to enable directinput mode
- Update Steam to the Beta branch
- Open Steam’s controller remapper
- Regardless of connectivity, you should have mappable L4/R4/BackPaddles. If you are using bluetooth you will also have the gyro
Are the features on par with the official Nintendo controller or do they miss HD rumble like every other third party controller.
How about a generic board so we can build diy consoles like in the old times?
Or this one:
Or these:
As much as I like 8bitdo, I constantly had issues with my Pro 2. Hopefully this one is better.
Similar story here with my SN30 Pro+. It was great the first year then the Bluetooth stopped working consistently, then the wired mode also stopped working consistently a year later.
I love everything about the ultimate pro 2 but the ergo. Sn30pro2 is my go to but miss the dock and back buttons. So this might be what I have been looking for
Finally my Switch can match my xBox.
Ooooh that swappable face buttons is a nice touch.
Very nice of them to add hall effect triggers for improved longevity so that you can trash it even sooner than the Pro 2 once the non-replaceable battery dies out.
I can’t speak for this controller specifically, but all of the 8bitdo controllers I’ve had seem to been fairly easy to get into and repair.
Although it’s not as convient as the Pro 2, I wouldn’t say it’s not replaceable.
It’s not replaceable? That’s disappointing. I expected better of controller manufacturers since they’re not space constrained.
Are you talking about the battery in the Pro 2? My understanding is they use TMR sticks that use less battery. And even if/when the battery dies I’ve been having no issues using it wired.
The Pro 2 was notable for having an easily replaceable battery pack which was also compatible with standard AA batteries, and now the Pro 3 will be removing this feature in favor of an internal battery. I was implying that although the Pro 3 includes a new hall effect sensor for the triggers which would marginally increase its lifespan, the Pro 3 will likely need to be thrown away sooner than a Pro 2 because of its new irreplaceable battery design.
I was thinking about my Ultimate 2 anyway, so my comment didn’t matter. Maybe I’ll get a Pro one, some day.
You should still be able to disassemble it and solder on a new battery if you have the tools, the time and the knowledge
I have 3 of their controllers and never had issues with the battery
I have 1 of their controller, the Pro 2, and I never had issues with the battery, and will never have issues with the battery, because it takes standard rechargeable AA batteries. Unfortunately I can’t say the same about the Pro 3.
I already have four of the predecessors and only use one of them 99.9 % of the time. But …
