8BitDo Pro 2 Wired Controller for Switch, Windows, Steam Deck & Raspberry Pi (Gray Edition)

Feels really good in my hand, and responds well. Fits my grip like a PS2 controller, which I find a bit more comfortable than XBox style and allows me to use all the shoulder buttons much more easily.I will take a bit to get used to the two buttons on the underside (although I don't think they're mapped to anything by default).

I got a shiny, new, unheard of at the time to me, NES for my birthday back in 1984 and have been a Nintendo fan ever since. I got out of consoles and gaming in general as I grew up but the pull of nostalgia is strong, and with emulation, retro consoles and stuff now readily available, I love being able to play those games I grew up with again and share them with my Son. I have tried probably 6-8 different USB controllers, some SNES-styled ones and others, and for a long time settled with an Xbox Pro wireless controller even though I didn't really love it. This 8BitDo Pro 2 blows all of them out of the water including the XBox controller.-Initial unboxing: it was well packaged, and immediately noticed the weight and quality feel of materials, the plastic texturing is great, fits in my hand nicely, buttons and dpad and analog sticks feel really nice. A very long cable too which is appreciated when many USB controllers have short cables.-Setup: easy peasy, plugged in to my Windows 11 box, installed the app, updated firmware, and I was off and running. Having profiles stored directly on the device is a nice feature and being switchable with a dedicated button is really nice, although I have not used it yet. Have not tried it on a Switch yet, but I got my Son a Switch for Christmas this year so we will be trying it shortly. I have not used the macro or turbo functions yet but having that available in the app is just icing on an already awesome cake.-Play: I have a couple hours on this now, playing a variety of console titles and a few PC games, and it has worked perfectly. The D-pad is perfect, it very much brings back muscle-memory of the original SNES controller, which myself and many others claim as the "gold standard" with D-pads. The YXBA buttons feel maybe slightly stiffer than I would like, but perhaps they will break in a little over time but took me very little time to get used to. The analog sticks are some of the nicest I have ever used, and I am normally not a fan of analog sticks in general. Same goes for the shoulder paddles, they have a great feel and spring resistance and a good bit of travel. Better than the Xbox paddles for sure. The vibration function also works as intended.-Negatives? Sometimes I accidentally click the P1 and P2 buttons (on the backside of the controller) depending on how I am holding it. Generally not a big deal if they are not mapped. Has not been an issue yet. I am not sure I can think of any other complaints, other than my very minor note of the YXBA buttons being a little stiff, and even then, I have not put hands on an OEM Nintendo SNES controller for a very long time so maybe they are similar. My only recent comparison is with an Xbox controller.-Overall: This is the first USB controller that I have used, that if I didn't know wasn't made by Nintendo, I would assume that it was. The quality is that good. I really, really appreciate having a "do it all" gamepad that can seamlessly switch between console, retro gaming, and PC games. 8BitDo has a great product here and the price is reasonable for how good it is. I would recommend this pad to anyone looking for a good USB controller.

Gave me some weird nightmares due to subtle hand/eye coordination differences from other controllers in the "past", but other than that this the best controller i've ever experienced.

I got this because I prefer to shape, and while I appreciate that this is supposed to be 'retro' the markings aren't just retro in style; they're the actual old SNES button labels X/Y/A/B, which nothing uses anymore. Games will offer you prompts in XBOX or PS4 and this doesn't match either.

It's comfortable to hold, the face (ABXY) buttons are extremely precise, the d-pad is perfect for retro platforming, theres customizable back buttons on the grips, and the analog sticks are a nice touch for other kinds of games. Driver software and button mapping is easy. May have to mess around a bit with settings if you're using RetroArch. For RetroArch specifically, the face buttons may be reversed in menus versus in game. Can easily be fixed. (Main Menu>Settings>Input>Menu Controls>Menu Swap OK and Cancel Buttons)I've never been able to consistently perform Super Metroid wall jumps till I bought this controller. It's very much worth the purchase!

I'm not a destructive gamer- I'm not harsh on any of my peripherals. This controller is a major disappointment, and I am ashamed to have recommended 8bitdo products to friends in the past. We all ended up with the same problem- one of the joysticks just stops working suddenly.It's heartbreaking, because I used to think 8bitdo controllers as a fine blend between quality and affordability. Now it's just cheap garbage that quits on you in a couple months.Thanks to this, I gotta find a new brand that isnt gonna break my bank or break my heart.8bitdo has completely lost my loyalty.