Joysticks have long been a staple in fighting game controllers. It’s how we played Street Fighter in the arcades back in the day, after all. However, there is an entire faction of fighting game enthusiasts who grew up on Hitbox controllers, which traded the joystick in favor of more buttons and they love their leverless controllers. Those people are the target demographic for the 8BitDo Arcade Controller Pro.
An upgraded version of last year’s Arcade Controller, this one gets more buttons, a built-in display for easy settings adjustments, and a bunch of other niceties that should level up your overall gaming experience. If you’re serious about fighting games, this is definitely one gamepad to consider adding to your stash.
The 8BitDo Arcade Controller Pro is a leverless design, which means it ditches the joystick in favor of directional buttons for higher precision and faster responsiveness. For this version, though, they put in an additional programmable button on the left side, so each of your left hand’s fingers can finally get their own parking spot. According to the outfit, adding the extra control leaves more room for natural hand movement, on top of expanding your programmable control options. Alternatively, if you don’t plan on using the programmable buttons, you can replace them with the included lock caps, which puts them flush against the faceplate to avoid any accidental presses.
Right above the new button is a 1.47-inch display that’s running the interface for the outfit’s Ultimate Software. That means, you can make any adjustments you want right on the device, with no need to connect to a PC or pair with a smartphone, allowing you to change any setting on the fly. That means, you can monitor every input from the screen in real time, map all the programmable buttons, view and change the active SOCD mode, and adjust lighting modes, among other things. Suffice to say, the screen and its functions are something people would probably prefer to have in every single controller they own.
The 8BitDo Arcade Controller Pro puts its system controls on the top row, which include two knobs and eight buttons. For the main buttons, all the non-programmable ones get dynamic labels, which can switch from PC to Nintendo Switch layouts, depending on the mode. It uses the outfit’s Core Green low-profile mechanical switches, all of which are hot-swappable, with three spare switches and a switch puller included in the package. Inside, it gets a 3,000 mAh battery that’s rated for around 15 hours of wireless gameplay, although you can also play it tethered over USB-C.
The main USB-C slot, by the way, comes with a metal locking mechanism that, the outfit claims, will make it very hard to disconnect the cable accidentally, ensuring your game isn’t put in jeopardy by sudden movements during high-pressure matches. Other features include a quick-release tempered glass faceplate, magnetic wrist rest with a built-in accessories compartment, wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and 2.4G dongle, and a new dedicated capture button for the Switch.
The 8BitDo Arcade Controller Pro comes out later in the year, with preorders starting in September. No pricing has been announced yet.
