8bitdo ulitmate wireless controller 2 just dropped

Fbh

Gold Member
Saw a good deal for the 2C and I'm kinda tempted to pick it up...even though I don't really have an issue with my Dualshock 4 on PC (other than the crappy battery life).

A question for those have it, how "loose" do the analog sticks feel?
I ask because design wise it looks similar to the Switch Pro controller, which I don't like in part because the analog sticks feel very loose, like there is no "pushback" and you need to apply almost no force to move them (well that and the shitty trigger and awful Dpad)
 
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TrebleShot

Member
Nah they are fine not loose. The weirdest thing is the stick caps they are like a hard slippery rubber so I put caps on them.
 
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kevboard

Member
A question for those have it, how "loose" do the analog sticks feel?
I ask because design wise it looks similar to the Switch Pro controller, which I don't like in part because the analog sticks feel very loose, like there is no "pushback" and you need to apply almost no force to move them (well that and the shitty trigger and awful Dpad)

most modern controllers are like that as it is preferable for shooters.
less resistance = easier fine movement = more precision while aiming.
same reason gaming mice get lighter and lighter and focus on low friction feet and mouse pads

8bitdo sticks are very similar in feel to the Switch Pro Controller I'd say. maybe slightly lower resistance for the newer models, while their older controllers often had higher resistance.

most high end controllers you can find have very low resistance sticks. I just recently switched to the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro from the Dualsense on PS5, mainly because the Dualsense sticks have too much resistance... and because the Nacon has hall effect sticks, and I'm done changing PS5 controllers every 12~16 months due to drift issues.
you can barely even feel the Revolution 5 Pro sticks push back on you... it's so nice 😍
 
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BeardSpike

Member
Pulled the trigger on Ultimate 2 AliExpress official 8BitDo store they had flash sale yesterday plus I had a off $6 code and to my surprise the code worked so I have it officially cheaper than on Amazon and cheaper than it will be in my country in April plus no shipment or customs payments like on Amazon...

Ultimate 1 was also off by ~$15 so I grabbed that one also.
 

xVodevil

Member
One of the reviews on Amazon mentions it only comes with a USB-C cable, is that right? I don't have any available USB-C left on my tower...
It comes with USB-A to USB-C cable.
2.4G adapter is C only if you remove it, however you can leave that in the bottom of the charging dock where it is by default, and plug the dock in your PC with the USB-A end and it works instantly, on Win11 anyway.

I just got mine yesterday, love the purple theme and the cool ring lightning effect. As for using it, definitely seems nice after playing a few hours. 2 buttons on the back are kinda weird, just keep hitting them lol, no problem though not planning to map them as you could only do other buttons of the controller but nothing from keyboard or so.
It's kinda ridiculous how ABXY buttons are far superior whereas both my Series 2 had just shitty or sticky buttons out of the box for.. well that premium price.. LB/RB also feel nice clicky and and triggers are nice clicky with the switch. Though it's weird that triggers are shaped like DualSense and not the regular MS controllers, I like that better and also they don't have the rumble at all in the triggers which I miss, as I do play a lot of Forza which uses really well for gas/breaks feedback.
Anyway I do like it, nice addition to the collection, hope the battery can also hold up decently for a day of massive gaming.
 
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Fbh

Gold Member
most modern controllers are like that as it is preferable for shooters.
less resistance = easier fine movement = more precision while aiming.
same reason gaming mice get lighter and lighter and focus on low friction feet and mouse pads

8bitdo sticks are very similar in feel to the Switch Pro Controller I'd say. maybe slightly lower resistance for the newer models, while their older controllers often had higher resistance.

most high end controllers you can find have very low resistance sticks. I just recently switched to the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro from the Dualsense on PS5, mainly because the Dualsense sticks have too much resistance... and because the Nacon has hall effect sticks, and I'm done changing PS5 controllers every 12~16 months due to drift issues.
you can barely even feel the Revolution 5 Pro sticks push back on you... it's so nice 😍

Thx for the info.
I hate the loose feeling sticks so I guess I'll just stick with my DS4 for PC.
 

hinch7

Member
Pulled the trigger on Ultimate 2 AliExpress official 8BitDo store they had flash sale yesterday plus I had a off $6 code and to my surprise the code worked so I have it officially cheaper than on Amazon and cheaper than it will be in my country in April plus no shipment or customs payments like on Amazon...

Ultimate 1 was also off by ~$15 so I grabbed that one also.
Same, ordered from there before (Ultimate) with no issues. £40 including tax is a bargain for the hardware inside and quality. Picked up the purple one again and may reuse my current dock lol. Assuming this uses the same charging connections as gen 1.
 
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BeardSpike

Member
Same, ordered from there before (Ultimate) with no issues. £40 including tax is a bargain for the hardware inside and quality. Picked up the purple one again and may reuse my current dock lol. Assuming this uses the same charging connections as gen 1.
I'm thinking the same. I actually have Ultimate 3-Mode also. So I might as well leave the other ones on some stand, and just use one charging station for Ultimate, Ultimate 3-Mode and Ultimate 2 - if it uses the same charging connections.

I mostly game on Linux, you see. And I had Ultimate 3-Mode act there weirdly with connectivity - works flawlessly on Windows though...

No issues with 2C at all. I get a feeling Ultimate and Ultimate 2 will work rather well on Linux - I want to test them anyways, and sale what I will not like.

As of USB-C, I have that port on my mATX case faceplate so no worries there.
 
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hinch7

Member
I'm thinking the same. I actually have Ultimate 3-Mode also. So I might as well leave the other ones on some stand, and just use one charging station for Ultimate, Ultimate 3-Mode and Ultimate 2 - if it uses the same charging connections.

I mostly game on Linux, you see. And I had Ultimate 3-Mode act there weirdly with connectivity - works flawlessly on Windows though...

No issues with 2C at all. I get a feeling Ultimate and Ultimate 2 will work rather well on Linux - I want to test them anyways, and sale what I will not like.

As of USB-C, I have that port on my mATX case faceplate so no worries there.
Nice, yeah that should work without issues considering 2C is the latest release before this one. This one functions really well on wireless mode so hopefully it works out for you.

I'm thinking of just relegating my V1 to my mobile steaming setup and perhaps my main controller for my Steam Deck and next handheld.

And on another note, my controller just got dispatched! Can't wait.
 
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kevboard

Member
Thx for the info.
I hate the loose feeling sticks so I guess I'll just stick with my DS4 for PC.

some high end controllers have adjustable tension these days, but I would always be worried about the longevity of those. (as in I personally do not trust them... but I have no data on their reliability)

but I think those adjustable ones are the only higher end, or "pro" controllers you'll find with stick tension that's as high as the Dualshock 4.
all the others are varying degrees below the tension of the Switch Pro Controller, often mimicking roughly the tension of the Xbox Series X controller I found from the ones I had hands on time with.
like the Nacon I mentioned is a tiiiiny bit lower tension than the Series X, while the Razer Wolverine 3 is near identical to the Series X controller.
 
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BeardSpike

Member
Nice, yeah that should work without issues considering 2C is the latest release before this one. This one functions really well on wireless mode so hopefully it works out for you.

I'm thinking of just relegating my V1 to my mobile steaming setup and perhaps my main controller for my Steam Deck and next handheld.

And on another note, my controller just got dispatched! Can't wait.
I think the problem lies within 3-MODE itself it has a headphones jack and 2.4GHz dongle doesn't send IDLE signal under lsusb in Linux.

It does connect before I launch any game or capture software, it doesn't while these things are on and Steam never power off controller option doesn't seem to keep it awake - so if you need to go to the toilet or you have an off day and it's dinner time it will turn off, the only option is to connect through Bluetooth mode while you are gaming and it does turn off and the game only has checkpoints or save points to game on it.

I really like Linux more than Windows and everything else just works, except maybe fresh AMD drivers for RX 9070 and XT.

So I'm on Win10 briefly till they patch things out.

But I plan to switch when end of life for Win10 happens to commit fully to Linux gaming and I want a controller that connects every time.

2C on the other hand connects instantly under Linux and the dongle is sending IDLE signal. So there is hope to replace 2C and 3-Mode with Ultimate 1, and use Ultimate 2 as an 1000hz controller for competitive gaming.

Pro 2 I will leave as an retro gaming controller.

I still wanna mod my DualSense with TMR sticks and I guess my controller setup will be complete.

For now.

But in the future I may buy an Xbox Elite controller, even without paddles - they sell those extra cheap on AliExpress or Temu.

And I saw TMR joysticks for those too with their unique twist on design - so I may mod this one also.
 
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Mr Moose

Member
Mine is on its way from
trump-china.gif

Your package arrived at airport. Awaiting transit.
No more getting confused with Switch button config.
 

Puscifer

Member
I’ve got the Wukong Edition 8Bitdo Pro something controller, and it’s been excellent.

I’ll never buy a controller without Hall effect sticks, again.

Ordered one cause of this post, this bitchin sale didn't help either
 

BeardSpike

Member
Here are my initial thoughts Ultimate vs Ultimate 2.
Bad:
The Ultimate 2 feels cheaper on initial holding. This is mainly due to less gripping texture. Giving it a more plastic toy feel.
The remapping software needs work. I wanted it to just press to trigger buttons simultaneously. I couldn't figure out how to do it. The macros did not work. You can't map buttons to keyboard keys right now.

Good:
D-pad is improved (not great, but good)
Buttons feel less mushy. Quicker response.
adjustable triggers are amazing. I play BDO. You have to hold the trigger a lot for combos. This makes it so much quicker to pull off. BDO also did not hurt my hand in a long gaming session. This is a huge win for games where you pressing the trigger just results in on and off. I would buy it again for this alone.
The controller itself felt more comfortable to hold. Which is hard to explain because they look the same shape.
Wifi responsiveness and signal length seems to be improved. I stream from my office to my bedroom TV quite often using Moonlight.

Neutral:
Improved Halls-Effect...I never had any issues with the original.

Features I do not use:
6-Axis (I don't have any Steam games that use this to my knowledge)
Vibration (Just not something I like)
So my Ultimate controller arrived first.

Not Ultimate 2.

But I've got Pro 2, Ultimate 1, Ultimate 3-Mode, Ultimate 2C now.

And I can compere all those.

Pro 2, PS layout sticks, nice shell and grip doesn't really feel cheap - although plastics can be a have a bit of pop with high grip, tad loose buttons but I guess that's by design, amazing d-pad feels like it would be the best to play some oldschool fighting games on this. Really nice bottom shape. My hands kinda hurt with upper grip around the circular shape or what should I call it but I have smaller hands - and I have to reajust the placement of my hands. Extra light controller though. I think the only cons are that it only goes to like 125hz polling rate, not even 250hz - but it should be an non-issue in SP games.

Ultimate 1, hmm, really nice d-pad feels like it's not too hard not too loose, nice ticktile buttons and really nice shape, controller feels pretty light, dunno if I like the grip it does feel cheap and doesn't at the same time - I have to game a bit more on it to form any more conclusions. Sticks don't have the metal ring thingie that slides at the sides.

Ultimate 3-Mode feels like a premium controller made for single player games only. It has a lot of tension in everything besides the sticks, impulse vibrations are definitely an improvement over regular Ultimate, lb and rb buttons and d-pad feel like mouse click rather ticktile membrane buttons, d-pad also can be very hard to press as I have mentioned before I like to place my thumb in middle and just slide it because of it, but it has even lower travel rate than Ultimate 1 - it got pretty useful in Dino Crisis on GOG for example, it's pretty easy to remap the d-pad instead of sticks and I can press forward and left or right together becase of it. As of plastics upper shell has a different more pleasant texture, grips feel premium - I so far like the grips the best out of all controllers that I have. Shape is exactly the same as Ultimate 1, it's really really comfortable at least for me. Controller is tad more heavier because of bigger battery than in Ultimate 1. Sticks have the metal slider thingie so there won't be any scratch marks - if that makes a difference for someone. Connectivity issues should be noted but that's only under Linux. IMHO, it feel of plastics remind me of my launch PS4 Pro DualShock but with better grips.

Ultimate 2C, d-pad is more loose than in Ultimate 1, 1000hz polling rate sticks feel pretty responsive (*although I've reached like 650-675Hz tops from mine), controller kinda feels a tad cheaper quality wise, lb rb can feel pretty comfortable they remind me more of a Pro 2, lower shell has a different shape than Ultimate and Ultimate 3-Mode - it kinda feels a bit fuller in my smallish hands. I wouldn't call it uncomfortable but you have to use different hand positions. Vibrations are the weakest out of all controllers I have, that might be some software issue I don't know about though. L4 and R4 buttons are not too hard to reach. I expect similar thing from Ultimate 2. Plastics feel kind of reminds me of late DualShock 4 versions, it kinda hand similar feel - that like harshness of coating and grips. I felt that they have cheapen out compared to launch PS4 Pro DualShock too - that might be due to 2C being kind of a budget option though.

But so far after reading a few posts about Ultimate 2, I think it will share the same shell as 2C.

I will definitely share my thoughts about Ultimate 2 in a while.

EDIT: As for charging docks the are compatible between Ultimate and Ultimate 3-Mode BTW.
 
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keefged4

Member
Okay I posted here already saying I wouldn't buy one. But I caved and bought one.

Shortcomings aside, this controller is now my daily driver.

The L4/R4/PL/PR buttons not being mappable via Steam does suck though, as a work around I've mapped them all to a seperate Macro via the ultimate software, so that the L4/R4 do double L3/R3 presses, and the PL/PR buttons do a double start/select press. That way you can use steam input to map double presses of L3/R3/Start/Select to anything you want, basically enabling you to remap them to anything. I chose the sticks and start/select as I cant think of any scenario where you'd need to mash these buttons quickly.

The sticks are by far the best out of all the controllers I've tried so far, and folk are right, It does feel much more comfortable than the old Ultimate, even though they are practially identical.

I was dissappointed by the lack of native Gyro, however given the nature of the sticks and how smooth they are, the gyro functionality here is pretty damn good if I'm being honest. It's not as good as native mouse-like gyro, but it gets close.

Good stuff. Now I hope Steam eventually add native support for this without having to resort to macros to fill in the gaps.

Edit - Setting the deadzone to the lowest value on both Steam and the Ultimate software, then setting the Gyro to 10 sensitivity and 0 Dead zone compensation in the Ultimate software gives you results that are about as mouse-like gyro as you can get. Smooth af. It's pretty damn impressive stuff.
 
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BeardSpike

Member
Hmm, my Ultimate 2 just arrived.

As I have thought shell is really really similar to 2C.

Plastic feel a bit harsh like older DualShock 4 models by the end of life for PS4. Nothing too bad tbh, but not amazing either.

D-pad is as soft as in 2C, triggers are pretty soft, lb and rb also, I guess its' nice to have an option to set the triggers for low travel mode for MP shooters. It feels like it's aiming for that kind of usage anyways. Back buttons click rather light too.

TMR sticks are pretty nice - definitely better than Hall Effects, they don't have this kind of wobbly feel at the beginning of the movement like Hall Effects do.

Stick tension.. Feels rather good tbh, almost like an regular analog, I'm impressed. And shocked even, as other buttons click rather light, d-pad also, and back buttons.

The dock is slightly different than regular Ultimate or 3-mode dock - it has a bit of an angle.

I mean it looks like Ultimate 2 will charge in my 3-mode dock but not vice-versa. Which is kind of funny.

I didn't like grips in regular Ultimate controller. There were too razor sharp for me.

Honestly, when somebody wrote that Ultimate 2 is like a toy compared to Ultimate, I got similar feeling comparing Ultimate 3-Mode to Ultimate - it's just that much higher quality controller tbh.

And after gaming on 8BitDo controllers I can't get back to DualSense now - it feels uncomfortable in my smallish hands... Even Pro 2 with PS stick placement feels amazing in my hands compared to DualSense, let alone Ultimate 3-Mode or Ultimate 2. So I did abandon the thought of modding it for now.



I'm more curious about GuliKit controllers now. That first one's colour theme would fit right next to my mechanical keyboard. Nice retro theme.

But I am confused if it has TMR sticks or Hall Effect joysticks it mentions both, while the second one only mentiond TMRs and looks like an Elite controller without back buttons or paddles for a price of an regular Xbox controller.
 
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hinch7

Member
Hmm, my Ultimate 2 just arrived.

As I have thought shell is really really similar to 2C.

Plastic feel a bit harsh like older DualShock 4 models by the end of life for PS4. Nothing too bad tbh, but not amazing either.

D-pad is as soft as in 2C, triggers are pretty soft, lb and rb also, I guess its' nice to have an option to set the triggers for low travel mode for MP shooters. It feels like it's aiming for that kind of usage anyways. Back buttons click rather light too.

TMR sticks are pretty nice - definitely better than Hall Effects, they don't have this kind of wobbly feel at the beginning of the movement like Hall Effects do.

Stick tension.. Feels rather good tbh, almost like an regular analog, I'm impressed. And shocked even, as other buttons click rather light, d-pad also, and back buttons.

The dock is slightly different than regular Ultimate or 3-mode dock - it has a bit of an angle.

I mean it looks like Ultimate 2 will charge in my 3-mode dock but not vice-versa. Which is kind of funny.

I didn't like grips in regular Ultimate controller. There were too razor sharp for me.

Honestly, when somebody wrote that Ultimate 2 is like a toy compared to Ultimate, I got similar feeling comparing Ultimate 3-Mode to Ultimate - it's just that much higher quality controller tbh.

And after gaming on 8BitDo controllers I can't get back to DualSense now - it feels uncomfortable in my smallish hands... Even Pro 2 with PS stick placement feels amazing in my hands compared to DualSense, let alone Ultimate 3-Mode or Ultimate 2. So I did abandon the thought of modding it for now.



I'm more curious about GuliKit controllers now. That first one's colour theme would fit right next to my mechanical keyboard. Nice retro theme.

But I am confused if it has TMR sticks or Hall Effect joysticks it mentions both, while the second one only mentiond TMRs and looks like an Elite controller without back buttons or paddles for a price of an regular Xbox controller.
Nice write up. Co-incidentally mine arrived just today as well.

It certainly does feels less premium in hand coming from Ultimate x3. I think it uses slightly thinner plastics and is lighter; which makes it feel a bit cheap. Aside from that it does seem like a massive step up. The big upgrade for me is the sticks and triggers which are now much better tuned. The triggers before were way too restrictive. The bumpers too and D-pad are way more tactile now. Still need to test in game.

I ordered a cheap case for gen 1 ultimate as well that should be coming next week. Hopefully that fits despite changes to the dock. Overall impressed, the delivery from their official store on AliExpress took a while but it was worth the wait.
 
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BeardSpike

Member
Nice write up. Co-incidentally mine arrived just today as well.

It certainly does feels less premium in hand coming from Ultimate x3. I think it uses slightly thinner plastics and is lighter; which makes it feel a bit cheap. Aside from that it does seem like a massive step up. The big upgrade for me is the sticks and triggers which are now much better tuned. The triggers before were way too restrictive. The bumpers too and D-pad are way more tactile now. Still need to test in game.

I ordered a cheap case for gen 1 ultimate as well that should be coming next week. Hopefully that fits despite changes to the dock. Overall impressed, the delivery from their official store on AliExpress took a while but it was worth the wait.
Yeah, that pretty much sums this controller up. I would absolutely buy it if someone is hesitant but preferably on sale as so to not be disappointed with plastic quality but other wise the features it has are good value.

I will pretty much use Ultimate 3-Mode or x3 as you called it for slow SP games.

Fast platformers on the other hand and MP games, I think Ultimate 2 will be the absolutely best. Another choice would be Pro 2, as its shell feels more premium, buttons are ticktile but also light to press, triggers have zero tension whatsoever and it's lighg. Then only downside is low Hz on sticks.

But I briefly tested it in MP games and while I was absolutely murdered in MP games on Ultimate x3 - because of really hard to press triggers, I was blasting it on Pro 2.

I'm curious how Ultimate 2 will fair.

I briefly tested it in The Thaumaturge and was rather impressed by stick sensitivity and also vibrations, I think they are better than in Ultimate 1 and Ultimate 2C for sure. Just slightly behind Ultimate x3.

I love the effect while using navigation powers to test various feel across controllers in The Thaumaturge.

Unfortunately I already finished Silent Hill 2 Remake. Those vibrations were absolute best. Ultimate x3 shined there the best out of all games I played on it.
 
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