However, there are several fantastic features that help the 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth controller<\/a> to set itself apart from the official competition, including the ability to work with Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, iOS, and Android games. It\u2019s very easy to swap between the compatibility thanks to a switch on the back of the controller, and out of the box, it even comes with a 2.4ghz dongle if you prefer to avoid Bluetooth. It\u2019s super easy to set up with Nintendo Switch just by placing the USB dongle in the Switch\u2019s port, allowing for a superior connection speed with less lag for all the competitive players out there. <\/p>\n The actual controller comes in black or white, though we were given the black version for review. It feels comparable in weight to the Switch Pro Controller, but it has a rough texture on the back that aims to help with your grip, though thankfully, it also feels nice to rest against. The 8BitDo Ultimate Controller also features programmable back paddles, but more on those later. If you mainly use it for Switch, there\u2019s support for vibration and motion controls, but no NFC connection here, sadly. <\/p>\n <\/span> The buttons pop out in a convex way, and the back triggers especially stick out nicely. The D-pad is also the same one as mentioned in the 8BitDo Pro 2, meaning it feels nice to press in, with a great pop backup. It also seems to work more consistently and accurately than the Switch Pro controller d-pad, which has always been a bit of a nightmare for me personally. <\/p>\n In general, the Ultimate feels fantastic in the hands and has probably just the right weight to feel like it\u2019s made solidly, but still comfortable for longer play sessions. It does feel very similar to the Switch Pro Controller and I\u2019m sure that\u2019s by design, but that textured back and the difference in the d-pad make a big difference, not to mention the addition of the back paddle buttons. The analogue sticks also feel great, sitting a little deep into the controller, but they have a nice texture that prevents too much movement. <\/p>\n One of the main selling points here though is that the 8BitDo Ultimate controller also comes with a handy USB-C charging dock. The charging pins are on the bottom of the controller, making it very easy to place it in the dock when you finish playing. I plugged it into the USB slot on my Switch dock, and just popped it back when I was finished. While I didn\u2019t truly test the battery life, 8BitDo mentions that it features a rechargeable 1000mAh li-on battery, with around 22 hours of play after just two or three hours of charging. This certainly felt right in my time with it, even after switching between devices. <\/p>\n <\/span> Another thing that sets the 8BitDo Ultimate Controller apart is 8BitDo\u2019s Ultimate software. If you connect your controller to a Windows device, you can open the suite and program up to three different profiles for the controller. Here you can set the functions of the back paddles, assign turbo inputs (great if you just want to mash A in Pok\u00e9mon or Animal Crossing), or program macro inputs if you wish to assign more complicated shortcuts. <\/p>\n For instance, if you wanted to assign a full button combination for a fighting game to a single press of a button, you could. This can only be done within the Ultimate Software though, so while some controllers let you record the button combination on the gamepad itself, you can\u2019t do that here. <\/p>\n Within the Ultimate Software, you can also change the intensity of vibration, the trigger tension (how far back you need to push the trigger to register an input), full button mapping, and the analogue stick precision. If you jump between playing games on your Switch to shooters on your mobile, it could be super handy to have all of your settings waiting for you on the controller, especially since each profile is found with a press of a button on the face of the controller itself. <\/p>\n It\u2019s up to every individual how much they will get out of this, but with the great feel of the device itself, this could be a great option for competitive play, or even for people just looking to make their gaming a bit easier. However, for those who only use Switch as well, the actual layout of the home and photo buttons isn\u2019t quite where you would like it, with the home button on top and in the middle of the face of the controller and the photo button below. Obviously, you can\u2019t move the buttons, but it\u2019s very easy to change the mapping to something else if that suits you better. <\/p>\n![\"8BitDo](\"https:\/\/www.pockettactics.com\/wp-content\/sites\/pockettactics\/2022\/12\/8bitdo-ultimate-controller-review-3-550x309.jpg\" "\\"8bitdo-ultimate-controller-review")
<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"8BitDo](\"https:\/\/www.pockettactics.com\/wp-content\/sites\/pockettactics\/2022\/12\/8bitdo-ultimate-controller-review-4-550x309.jpg\" "\\"8bitdo-ultimate-controller-review")
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![\"8BitDo](\"https:\/\/www.pockettactics.com\/wp-content\/sites\/pockettactics\/2022\/12\/8bitdo-ultimate-controller-review-5-550x309.jpg\" "\\"8bitdo-ultimate-controller-review")
<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"8BitDo](\"https:\/\/www.pockettactics.com\/wp-content\/sites\/pockettactics\/2022\/12\/8bitdo-ultimate-controller-review-2-550x309.jpg\" "\\"8bitdo-ultimate-controller-review")
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