Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
Great joysticks, remappable buttons, and nearly 40 hours of battery life make the Switch 2 Pro controller a must-have for your parent console.
Pros
- Luxurious build quality
- Incredibly smooth sticks
- Remappable buttons are a welcome addition.
- Just refuses to drain the battery
- NFC and gyroscope support
Cons
- It is not compatible with PC (yet)
- No analog trigger capability
- This is not the Hall effect
More versatile, with multi-platform connectivity and some of the best features in the business, 8BitDo Ultimate 2 gives Nintendo a run for its money.
Pros
- Great TMR joysticks
- The two additional re-mappable bumpers are a nice touch.
- Like digital trigger locks
- Charging dock included
- The RGB rings are a nice touch, but…
Cons
- …RGB rings are said to drain the battery a lot
- Battery life is generally worse than the original
- Switch compatible version sold separately
There is less than a month left until the annual Black Friday sale, which is set to captivate retailers around the world. It's important to note that this year's event may be the first time we see significant discounts for two of the best accessories for Nintendo Switch 2 V Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller And 8BitDo Ultimate 2.
Let me tell you right now that you can't go wrong with any of these excellent gamepads. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller boasts unique features like HD Rumble and NFC Touchpoint for amiibo, as well as ultra-smooth joysticks and best-in-class battery life.
However, write off 8BitDo Ultimate 2 at your own risk. Okay, that's not true What seriously, but with drift-resistant joysticks and multi-platform connectivity, it's worth considering whether you need a controller that works on both PC and mobile devices, as well as other devices. Switch 2.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller vs 8BitDo Ultimate 2: Price and 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, the PC and mobile-only version of 8BitDo Ultimate 2 (no Switch 2 compatibility) is also available for slightly less at $59.99 / £49.99 (about AU$90).
If you're approaching your purchasing decision purely from a budget perspective, then the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is for you. You pay $15 less than the Switch 2 Pro controller, and the added value comes from its multi-platform capabilities, as well as the inclusion of a charging dock. Thus, the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is unmatched in terms of price/performance ratio between these two controllers.
You're definitely paying a “Nintendo tax” on the Switch 2 Pro controller. But it does have its advantages over the Ultimate 2. Firstly, it is obviously compatible with the Switch 2 out of the box, whereas you first need to update the Ultimate 2 firmware via the PC app. The Switch 2 Pro controller also offers much longer battery life and has an NFC touch point for cards and amiibo.
But where are you more likely to find big discounts during Black Friday sales? It will undoubtedly be the 8BitDo Ultimate 2. In the past, the brand has generously provided discounts on its products, both on and off major sales. Meanwhile, Nintendo is perhaps notorious for being stingy when it comes to cutting prices on both hardware and software.
As such, I wouldn't expect anything more than, say, a 10% discount on the Switch 2 Pro controller on Black Friday, and even that is optimistic. As for the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, I see savings of around 20-25% over the same sales period, based on the discounts we've seen on the brand's other tablets in recent years.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller vs 8BitDo Ultimate 2: Features and Performance
In a nutshell, 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 |
US$84.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95 |
US$69.99 / £59.99 (about AU$100) |
|
Weight |
8.3 oz / 235 g |
8.7 oz / 246 g |
|
Dimensions |
5.8 x 4.1 x 2.4 inches / 148 x 105 x 60 mm |
5.7 x 4.1 x 2.4 inches / 147 x 103 x 61 mm |
|
Functions |
Additional GL/GR buttons, NFC, gyroscope aiming, GameChat button |
TMR Sticks, Trigger Locks, Claw Bumpers, Gyro Aiming, 2 Remappable Buttons, RGB Lighting, Charging Dock |
|
Compatibility |
Nintendo Switch 2 |
Nintendo Switch 2, PC |
|
Connection type |
Wireless (Bluetooth), wired (USB-C) |
Wireless (2.4 GHz, Bluetooth), wired (USB-C) |
|
Battery life |
About 30-40 hours |
10-15 hours |
|
Software |
N/A |
Final software V2 |
Regardless of your choice, expect a superior gaming experience with the Switch 2 Pro or 8BitDo Ultimate 2 controller.
One of the most urgent pieces of advice I can give is to replace Joy-Con 2 controllers for any of these pads as soon as possible; These Joy-Cons may be great for multiplayer games and social events, but can't compare to modern items in terms of comfort, features, and gaming performance.
In terms of general features, both gamepads offer two additional remappable buttons and gyroscopic aiming – the latter is useful in games such as Platoon 3 or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Both are also capable of connecting to the Switch 2 wirelessly via Bluetooth.
There are some differences between each controller's joysticks. The Switch 2 Pro controller offers traditional analog sticks, without the use of Hall effect or TMR technology. This may mean that they are potentially susceptible to stick drift along the line, but during play they feel so smooth that they are clearly made with more care than other potentiometer joysticks.
The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 sticks are powered by TMR (or tunnel magnetoresistance, which admittedly sounds a lot cooler). Like the Hall effect, they reduce the risk of drift, with the difference that they feel much closer to traditional analog sticks. In a sense, a “best of both worlds” scenario.
When it comes to battery life, the clear winner is the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. With approximately 30-40 hours of battery life on a single charge, very few controllers can compete with it in this department. 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is comparatively worse – about 10-15 hours. Not the worst option, but its RGB ring lighting can really reduce battery life. I recommend turning off the lights here to squeeze as much life as possible out of each charge.
The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 comes with a charging dock included in the box, which is a really nice addition and means you have a dedicated tablet charging solution that looks smart as part of a wider gaming setup.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller vs 8BitDo Ultimate 2: Design and Dimensions
Unlike the comparison between Razer Raiju V3 Pro vs Razer Wolverine V2 ProAt first glance, it's easy to tell the Switch 2 Pro controller apart from the 8BitDo Ultimate 2. The latter is certainly flashier, with its eye-catching RGB ring lights and metallic joystick grips.
The Switch 2 Pro controller has a business-like design and an arguably boring matte black finish that takes away from the translucency of the original. Switch Pro Controller. However, the Switch 2 Pro controller more than makes up for this in build quality, being very sleek and comfortable in the hands.
I can say the same about the 8BitDo Ultimate 2. The brand typically uses high-quality materials for its controllers, and that's the case here as well, with more pronounced textured grips than the Switch 2 Pro controller and metal joystick stems that are significantly more durable.
Taking a look at the specs chart above, you'll see that both controllers are almost identical in size; 5.8 x 4.1 x 2.4 inches / 148 x 105 x 60 mm for the Switch 2 Pro controller and 5.7 x 4.1 x 2.4 inches / 147 x 103 x 61 mm for the Ultimate 2. Overall they are average for controllers, not feeling too heavy, but with enough weight to sit securely in your hands without feeling sluggish.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller vs. 8BitDo Ultimate 2: Verdict
I've reviewed both the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller and the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 here at TechRadar Gaming, and have used both extensively for countless hours of gaming. While I rated the first slightly better, at four and a half stars, that's largely because the Ultimate 2's shortcomings—namely, its poor battery life, firmware issues, and higher price for the Switch 2-compatible model—irritated me a little more than the cons found with the Switch 2 Pro controller.
Ultimately, both serve important purposes. While the Switch 2 Pro controller isn't compatible with anything other than basic hardware, it still offers a unique and almost luxurious gaming experience on the console. 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is multi-platform and has several useful features, but it lacks battery life as mentioned above.
Personally, if I had to turn back the clock and buy one or the other, I would choose the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller if I wanted a gamepad with the Switch 2 interface. If I were planning on playing more on PC, I would naturally choose the 8BitDo Ultimate. But in reality, both are fantastic controllers for the Switch 2, and it's hard to go wrong either way.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
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