The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller is a top premium-feeling controller

I've been testing out the latest 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller for over a week solidly now, and I really think it's a properly great controller and a worthy successor. Disclosure: the controller was sent to me for review.

Like a number of you dear readers (yeah you!), I have become something of a controller collector. I have various Xbox controllers, a PS4 controller, the Stadia controller, the classic Steam Controller and the list goes on. I also happen to have the first 8BitDo Ultimate Wireless Controller, which until the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller came along, was my absolute go-to for all gaming that didn't force my to pick up my mouse.

As always, I'm not someone to bury the lede or extend articles with completely unnecessary fluff. I'm not paid by the word here (i'm paid by you!). So let's get the message clear — this is an excellent controller, and if you're in need of a good wireless controller that isn't crazy expensive, then this is an ideal choice.

Thanks to Steam and Steam Input, and all the work Valve do to ensure devices work great on Linux, this controller is plug and play in both 2.4G mode and Bluetooth, with no issues in any of the games I've been blasting through over the last week. Steam detects it and away you go. This was tested on Kubuntu 25.04 and SteamOS (Steam Deck).

Everything about it just feels so damn good. It might not make me a better gamer, as I hide away on Easy difficult, but it sure makes me feel better about it.

The TMR Joysticks feel extremely responsive and smooth, and I especially like the feel of the triggers with the switch on the back to adjust them between linear Hall Effect triggers and non-linear tactile triggers. The triggers are smoother than the original and a bit longer too. Not a big fan of the new louder click on the shoulder buttons compared to the original though, I actually prefer the muted bump on the original, the shoulder buttons on this are loud. The refined D-pad feels a lot better too, it's still smooth for you to roll your fingers over, but there's a much clearer and more satisfying click on each button now. As for the ABXY buttons, they feel exactly the same as the original, which is fine because they already felt perfect.

What is a TMR Joystick anyway? Well, in the most simple terms: traditional controllers can wear out pretty quickly due to the direct physical contacts. Hall Effect is a big upgrade using magnets and electrical current, which should prevent wear-down and stick-drift. You can think of TMR as another upgrade over that, supposedly making them even more accurate and use less power too. And in this case, they feel amazing.

How does it compare to the original? Well, there's the problem. The original was already a damn good controller. This is just that but — even better. Unless you're a truly seasoned gamer, you might not tell a huge difference when it comes to the sticks and the triggers, but overall it is a nice big improvement for how it feels and how long it should actually last you (which is super important), it shouldn't wear out as quickly as other controllers. To be clear, my original was a personal purchase and while I still love it this is clearly superior in basically every way.

As for battery life, that hasn't been an issue at all. It hasn't run out a single time during my long lengths of gameplay. With the charging dock that comes with it, simply slotting it easily on top ensures it's always charged and ready to go. It's still probably the nicest controller dock I've ever used. No fiddling, you just drop it on top and away it goes charging.

Specifications:

There are, however, some problems with it that are unique to using it on Linux (and so Steam Deck / SteamOS systems). Starting with firmware updates, which you cannot do on Linux systems. For a while 8BitDo did put some earlier controller firmware updates on the Linux Vendor Firmware Service but they seemingly gave up and stopped doing that. So you need Windows for that. Very Annoying.

The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller comes with some extra buttons. There's one each side on the back where your fingers rest, and also an additional one each side next to the triggers / shoulder buttons. Sadly, you also won't be able to configure or use the extra buttons on it with Steam, at least not yet. It seems we should hopefully be getting that sometime soon though, as Valve appear to be working on it. Although, this might only be in Bluetooth mode.

Since their software is Windows-only, you also cannot configure the RGB LEDs or do any of the fine-tuning their software allows. Not that I've needed to do anything mind you but worth mentioning. There is a button on the device to change the LED colour though, but only a few select options built-in to cycle through and turn the LEDs off. The lighting is just fluff that brings down the battery though, you might as well turn it off. I'll admit though, the mode where the rings change based on your input direction on the sticks and d-pad looks quite cool.

It's also quite fun to see that 8BitDo have been contributing to Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL), the popular cross-platform open source development library. They've been submitting code to hook up support for this very controller, and again and other controllers too. So eventually it will be real easy for developers to fully support their devices.

One last little gripe, their naming is terrible. We have the Ultimate, Ultimate 2, Ultimate 2C, Ultimate 3-mode, Ultimate 2 Bluetooth and so on for support across different systems and button layouts. It all gets rather confusing.

Overall: it's a very sturdy and truly premium on the look and feel with a very reasonable price considering all the features you get from it. At this pricing (£49.99 / $59.99), it's probably the best you can get. Great stuff from 8BitDo.

See more on the official website.