Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
Sublime sticks, remappable buttons, and round 40 hours of battery life all make the Switch 2 Pro Controller essential for its dad or mum console.
Pros
- Luxurious construct high quality
- Unbelievably clean thumbsticks
- Remappable buttons are a welcome addition
- Simply refuses to expire of battery
- NFC and gyro assist
Cons
- It’s not appropriate with PC (but)
- No analog set off choice
- It’s not Hall impact
More versatile with multiplatform connectivity and a number of the finest options within the enterprise, the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 offers Nintendo a run for its cash.
Pros
- Sublime TMR thumbsticks
- The two further remappable bumpers are welcome additions
- As are the digital set off locks
- Charging dock included
- RGB rings are a pleasant contact, however…
Cons
- …mentioned RGB rings are an actual battery drain
- Battery life basically is worse than the unique
- Switch-compatible model offered individually
We’re now lower than a month out from the annual Black Friday gross sales occasion which is about to take retailers worldwide by storm. Crucially, this yr’s occasion might be the primary time we see substantial reductions for 2 of the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories within the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller and 8BitDo Ultimate 2.
Right off the bat, I’ll say that you just actually can’t go mistaken with both of those glorious gamepads. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller boasts bespoke options like HD Rumble and NFC touchpoint for amiibo figures, whereas additionally providing a brilliant clean pair of thumbsticks and class-leading battery life.
Write off the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 at your peril, although. Well, okay, it’s not that severe, however with drift-resisting thumbsticks and multiplatform connectivity, it’s one to contemplate if you need a controller that works on PC and cellular in addition to Switch 2.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller vs 8BitDo Ultimate 2: Price & Value
The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is available for $84.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95, while the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 retails for $69.99 / £59.99 (around AU$100) outside of sales periods. However, a version of the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 that’s strictly for PC and mobile (no Switch 2 compatibility) is also available for slightly less at $59.99 / £49.99 (around AU$90).
If you’re approaching your buying decision purely from a budget standpoint, then the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is the one to go for. You’re paying $15 / £15 less than the Switch 2 Pro Controller, and added value comes from its multiplatform capabilities, as well as the inclusion of a charging dock. As such, the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is unbeatable on value between these two controllers.
You’re definitely paying the ‘Nintendo tax’ to a degree for the Switch 2 Pro Controller. But it has its advantages over the Ultimate 2. For one, it’s obviously out-of-the-box compatible with Switch 2, whereas you’ll need to update the Ultimate 2’s firmware via the PC app first. The Switch 2 Pro Controller also offers much stronger battery life and an NFC touchpoint for amiibo cards and figures.
But which is more likely to see bigger discounts during the Black Friday sales period? That is unarguably going to be the 8BitDo Ultimate 2. The brand has been generous with its product discounts in the past, both in and out of major sales events. Meanwhile, Nintendo is perhaps infamously stingy when it comes to price cuts on both hardware and software.
As such, I wouldn’t expect anything beyond, say, a 10% discount for the Switch 2 Pro Controller over Black Friday, and even that’s being optimistic. For the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, I can see savings of around 20-25% over the same sales period, based on discounts we’ve seen from the brand’s other pads in recent years.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller vs 8BitDo Ultimate 2: Specs & Performance
At a glance, here’s how the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller and 8BitDo Ultimate 2 stack up purely in terms of their specs.
|
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller |
8BitDo Ultimate 2 |
|
|
Price |
$84.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95 |
$69.99 / £59.99 (around AU$100) |
|
Weight |
8.3oz / 235g |
8.7oz / 246g |
|
Dimensions |
5.8 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 148 x 105 x 60mm |
5.7 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 147 x 103 x 61mm |
|
Features |
Additional GL/GR buttons, NFC, gyro aiming, GameChat button |
TMR thumbsticks, trigger locks, claw grip bumpers, gyro aiming, 2x remappable buttons, RGB lighting, charging dock |
|
Compatibility |
Nintendo Switch 2 |
Nintendo Switch 2, PC |
|
Connection type |
Wireless (Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C) |
Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C) |
|
Battery life |
Around 30-40 hours |
10-15 hours |
|
Software |
N/A |
Ultimate Software V2 |
Regardless of your choice, expect a superb play experience with either the Switch 2 Pro Controller or the 8BitDo Ultimate 2.
One of the most immediate pieces of advice I can give is to swap out your Joy-Con 2 controllers for both of those pads as quickly as doable; these Joy-Con might be nice for multiplayer and social gatherings, however can’t maintain a candle to right now’s topics by way of consolation, options, and gaming efficiency.
In phrases of shared options, each gamepads supply two extra remappable buttons and gyro aiming – the latter being helpful in titles like Splatoon 3 or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Both are additionally able to connecting to Switch 2 wirelessly through Bluetooth.
There are some variations between every controller’s thumbsticks. The Switch 2 Pro Controller affords conventional analog sticks, with no Hall impact or TMR tech being deployed right here. This can imply they’ll doubtlessly be prone to stay drift down the road, however they really feel so buttery clean throughout play that they’re clearly made with extra care than different potentiometer-based sticks.
The 8BitDo Ultimate 2’s sticks are powered by TMR (or tunneling magnetoresistance, which admittedly sounds infinitely cooler). Like Hall impact, these cut back the chance of drift, with the distinction being they really feel a lot nearer to conventional analog sticks in really feel. A ‘best of both worlds’ state of affairs, in a method.
As for battery life, the clear winner right here is the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. At round 30-40 hours on a single cost, only a few controllers can compete with it on this entrance. The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is comparably worse at round 10-15 hours. Not the worst ever, however its RGB ring lights can actually eat into that battery life, too. I like to recommend disabling the lighting right here to squeeze as a lot life as you possibly can out of every cost.
The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 does ship with a charging dock included within the field, which is a very nice addition and means you will have a devoted charging answer for the pad, and one that appears good as a part of a wider gaming setup.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller vs 8BitDo Ultimate 2: Design & Dimensions
Unlike the comparison between the Razer Raiju V3 Pro vs Razer Wolverine V2 Pro, it’s simple to inform the Switch 2 Pro Controller and 8BitDo Ultimate 2 aside at first look. The latter is definitely flashier, with its eye-catching RGB ring lights and metallic thumbstick shafts.
The Switch 2 Pro Controller is all enterprise, sporting an arguably uninspired matte black end that ditches the semi-translucency of the unique Switch Pro Controller. That mentioned, the Switch 2 Pro Controller greater than makes up for this in sheer construct high quality, feeling tremendous clean and cozy within the palms.
I can say the identical concerning the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, as nicely. The model usually makes use of high-quality supplies for its controllers, and that’s additionally the case right here, with extra pronounced textured grips than the Switch 2 Pro Controller, and metallic thumbstick shafts which might be considerably extra sturdy.
A look on the specs desk above will present you that each controllers are virtually an identical in measurement; 5.8 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 148 x 105 x 60mm for the Switch 2 Pro Controller, and 5.7 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 147 x 103 x 61mm for the Ultimate 2. They’re about common for controllers basically, not feeling too heavy, however with sufficient weight to sit down firmly within the palms with out feeling listless.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller vs 8BitDo Ultimate 2: Verdict
I reviewed each the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller and 8BitDo Ultimate 2 right here at TechSwitch Gaming, and I’ve used each extensively for numerous gaming hours. While I did price the previous barely higher at 4 and a half stars, that’s largely as a result of the downsides of the Ultimate 2 – particularly its wanting battery life, firmware hurdles, and better worth for the Switch 2-compatible mannequin – irked me barely greater than the cons discovered with the Switch 2 Pro Controller.
Ultimately, each serve robust functions. While the Switch 2 Pro Controller isn’t appropriate with something however its chief {hardware}, it nonetheless affords a bespoke and near-luxurious play expertise on the console. The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is multiplatform and has a number of helpful options, however lacks on the battery life entrance as talked about above.
Personally, if I needed to flip again the clock and buy one or the opposite, I’d select the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, if I used to be searching for a Switch 2-facing gamepad. If I deliberate to play extra on PC, I’d naturally select the 8BitDo Ultimate. But actually, each are improbable controllers for Switch 2, and it’s laborious to go mistaken both method.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
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