8BitDo’s New Professional 3 Gamepad Is One Of The Finest Swap 2 Controllers Players Area

8BitDo’s newest customizable controller for Nintendo Swap 1/2 and PC is out there now. The Professional 3 Bluetooth Gamepad, the successor to the favored Professional 2 Bluetooth Controller, is a wonderful selection for anybody who prefers PlayStation-style, aligned thumbsticks in addition to for retro video games that gel higher with D-pad motion controls. It has a number of of the important thing upgrades present in 8BitDo’s Final 2 Bluetooth Controller, together with TMR joysticks, two set off modes, and 4 remappable buttons. The Professional 3 additionally gives new options not discovered on different 8BitDo controllers, together with swappable magnetic face buttons and an additional pair of arcade-inspired ball-top stick caps.

The 8BitDo Professional 3 Bluetooth Gamepad offered out on launch day (August 12), however Amazon continues to be letting clients place orders; all three retro-themed colours are marked “briefly out of inventory” in the mean time: G Basic, Grey, and Nintendo GameCube-inspired purple. The purple version additionally matches the GameCube controller’s face buttons: grey X and Y, inexperienced A, and crimson B.

Every controller features a matching charging dock, 4 additional face buttons, a small device to take away the buttons, an additional set of ball-top arcade stick toppers, a 2.4GHz adapter, and a USB-C charging cable. Out of the field, the Professional 3 is appropriate with Swap 2, Swap, PC, Android, Apple gadgets, and Steam Deck. In a nod to the unique inspiration for the Professional collection aesthetic, the 4 additional face buttons match the Tremendous Famicom (SNES) controller: unlabeled crimson, yellow, inexperienced, and blue buttons.

I’ve discovered the Professional 3 to be as large of an improve because the Final 2 was in comparison with its predecessor. The D-pad is noticeably higher than the one on the Professional 2, and it is superior to have the additional pair of remappable claw buttons on the shoulders and the 2 set off modes. Partaking the set off locks turns R2 and L2 into microswitch buttons which might be nice for fast fireplace or for if you wish to map face button actions to the triggers. With six buttons on the shoulders, you may actually mix-and-match management schemes to suit your private preferences. The microswitches used for the again buttons additionally really feel nicer and quicker than those on the Professional 2.

8BitDo’s TMR sticks are smoother and extra exact than the already-good Corridor Impact sticks discovered on the Professional 2 and different older fashions. TMR electromagnetic sticks eat much less energy, and the tech is meant to carry up higher over time in comparison with Corridor Impact. TMR is usually introduced as Corridor Impact 2.0, as each function by way of magnetic sensors, which eliminates the danger of stick drift. For an added layer of sturdiness, 8BitDo’s sticks even have wear-resistant steel rings.

The 8BitDo Professional 3 prices $20 greater than the Professional 2, however the $70 value level aligns with the Final 2 Bluetooth, the producer’s flagship controller that helps each 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connections. The Professional 2, in the meantime, solely supported Bluetooth wi-fi and did not include a charging dock. The brand new model is the primary non-Final controller with a charging dock. A 2.4GHz USB-C dongle is saved within the backside of the dock. The addition of two.4GHz Wi-fi is definitely welcome, because it gives a quicker and extra steady reference to greater polling charges.

Just like the Final 2, the Professional 3 could be considered as a substitute for the Nintendo Swap 2 Professional Controller. Nintendo’s official controller feels nice and even has a pair of again buttons, however there is no denying that 8BitDo’s pair of premium gamepads are extra versatile because of its suite of bodily modifications and programmable customization choices.

There are a few variations between the Professional 3 and Final 2 Bluetooth. The Final 2 collection has rings across the sticks with adjustable RGB lighting results. The Professional 3 has an upgraded D-pad with improved tactile suggestions. Apparently, the G Basic version has a collection of raised ridges–three in every direction–whereas the purple and grey fashions have the acquainted directional arrows as a substitute. I did not take a look at the G Basic, so I am unable to touch upon any tangible variations, however the D-pad on the purple Professional 3 feels higher to me than the Final 2’s D-pad.

The Professional 3’s coolest new customization choice is the flexibility to swap face buttons. On the underside of the charging dock there is a storage compartment for the two.4GHz adapter. On the within of the quilt, you will additionally discover the 4 additional face buttons and a small plunger-like device used to take away the buttons. It solely takes a second to swap out the total set of buttons.

Past altering up the look of your controller, you can also make a sensible change: Swapping A/B and X/Y to align with the Xbox button format. Contemplating the Xbox button format is usually considered as the usual on PC, it is a nice customization characteristic for many who play on PC/Mac, Steam Deck, and cellular. The Professional 3 would not help Xbox consoles, however you need to use it for Xbox Cloud Gaming. And since you may absolutely remap the controls utilizing 8BitDo’s Final Software program V2, you can even the swap the buttons and alter the controls in order that when a Nintendo recreation prompts you to press Y, you’re nonetheless urgent Y even when it is up prime as a substitute.

With the Final 2 collection, the Bluetooth mannequin will work on all the similar platforms because the Professional 3, but it surely has the Nintendo button format. To get the Xbox format, you’d have to buy the Final 2 with out Bluetooth. This protects you 10 bucks, however the two.4GHz mannequin of the Final 2 is not appropriate with Nintendo consoles. The Final collection has all the time had a separate 2.4GHz mannequin for PC gamers and a barely costlier mannequin that provides Bluetooth and Swap help. There’s nothing flawed with that launch mannequin, particularly for many who aren’t inquisitive about Nintendo consoles. However it’s cool that 8BitDo created a built-in answer for many who have points with Nintendo’s management format on different platforms.

The ball-top stick caps really feel extra like a throw-in bonus versus a characteristic 8BitDo expects to change into a well-liked various to traditional sticks. The producer stated they designed the caps “purely for enjoyable.” After attempting them out, I truly assume they’re fairly cool for brief spurts, however the spherical form naturally is not the very best from an ergonomics perspective. Your thumbs would most likely begin to damage when you used them repeatedly like conventional joysticks. I additionally experimented by inserting the controller on my desk and holding the stick like a (tiny) arcade stick whereas taking part in Galaga. Once more, not as unhealthy as I anticipated, however the ball-top sticks actually are extra of a novelty than a sensible various for the superb conventional stick caps.

With 8BitDo’s Final Software program V2 app, you may modify stick, set off, and movement management sensitivities, create lifeless zones, modify rumble depth, and remap inputs. As much as three distinctive management configurations could be saved on to the controller, and you’ll cycle via them on the fly by urgent the profile button. I have not skilled any points mapping

8BitDo is having an enormous yr

The Professional 3 is simply the newest main addition to 8BitDo’s spectacular accent lineup in 2025. As talked about, the Final 2 and Final 2 Bluetooth each launched earlier this yr. Earlier than that, 8BitDo kicked off the yr by introducing a clear inexperienced mechanical keyboard and mouse which might be formally licensed by Xbox. The Retro R8 Mouse was 8BitDo’s first 2.4GHz gaming mouse, and an alternate NES-inspired mannequin adopted a couple of months later.

Simply final week, 8BitDo launched its first conventional Xbox controller with wi-fi help. Formally licensed by Microsoft, the Uncommon fortieth Anniversary Version of 8BitDo’s Final 3-Mode Controller has a classy blue-and-gold colour scheme, a steel D-pad, two again buttons, Corridor Impact sticks, and an identical charging dock. Take a look at our restock information for extra details–the controller has offered out a number of instances since launch.

The Uncommon fortieth Anniversary Version arrived only a few weeks after 8BitDo’s final collaboration with Microsoft: a brand new model of the Final Cellular Bluetooth Controller that helps iPhone and Android. The $50 Final Cellular Bluetooth Controller is licensed by Xbox and might maintain all iPhone editions in addition to most Android telephones. In mid-July, 8BitDo launched a pair of all-button combat pads for Swap/PC and Xbox/PC.

8BitDo’s Professional 3 and the All-Button Arcade Controller work with Nintendo Swap 2 out of the field, however when you purchase the Final 2 or one of many different 8BitDo controllers with Swap 2 help, you should still have to replace the controller’s firmware to get it to sync with the console. You’ll be able to take a look at the Amazon hub we created for 8BitDo’s Swap 2 controllers. We included a number of of the identical mannequin as a result of 8BitDo controllers usually have a number of retailer pages hosted by completely different respected sellers with Amazon achievement, and the costs can range from daily.

The newest addition to the hub is 8BitDo’s reimagined N64 wi-fi controller, which was designed in partnership with retro {hardware} producer Analogue. The 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller can also be appropriate with Swap, PC, and Swap 2 (with a firmware replace).

If you wish to evaluate the Professional 3 and Final 2 Bluetooth to Nintendo’s official controller, Amazon lastly has the Swap 2 Professional Controller in inventory for $89–one buck beneath the controller’s new $90 MSRP.