Engadget Review: 8BitDo's $30 Ultimate 2C Is a Strong Budget Switch 2 Controller

Engadget said the Ultimate 2C has six-axis motion control, vibration, tactile bumpers and D-pad, and Hall effect triggers. It also has an extra mappable button on each shoulder, placed between the main bumper and trigger. The review said these additional inputs are useful for fast gameplay and do not interfere with the standard shoulder setup; they can also be left unmapped. The controller uses high-sensitivity Hall effect thumbsticks that Engadget described as smooth to move, easy to click and covered by a lifetime no-drift guarantee.

The review said the body is made of eggshell-style plastic with extra texture along the grips. Engadget described it as light without feeling cheap and well-balanced in the hands, similar in size and shape to Nintendo's Switch 2 Pro Controller. The face buttons are shiny, pill-like domes with printed letters rather than etched ones. Engadget noted that the small center buttons other than the Home button are hard to read at a glance, but said this can be overcome with time and muscle memory. The square and star buttons are flat, while the minus and plus buttons are slightly rounded, making them distinguishable by touch.

Engadget reported that the Ultimate 2C cannot wake the Switch 2. 8BitDo says it can wake the original Switch, according to the review. Engadget noted that the more expensive Ultimate 2 had the same limitation until a firmware update, and said the ability might come to the 2C in the future. The review said battery life has not been an issue: the controller offers about 15 hours of play, charges through a standard USB-C port and takes about two hours to charge.

The Ultimate 2C is sold in baby blue, pink and dark blue with a tan back directly through 8BitDo, plus a transparent black model exclusive to Best Buy. Engadget said each costs $30. Engadget described that price as one-third the price of Nintendo's $90 Switch 2 Pro Controller and half the cost of 8BitDo's $70 Ultimate 2, while comparable third-party gamepads cost around $60, according to the review.

Engadget said the lower price means the Ultimate 2C does not include all the features of the Ultimate 2. The $70 Ultimate 2 has two rings of RGB lighting, rear-grip buttons, TMR thumbsticks, Hall effect triggers with mode switching, a charging stand, a 2.4G dongle, Windows compatibility, console-wake ability and customization through 8BitDo's Ultimate Software V2. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, meanwhile, has an NFC touchpoint and an audio jack, plus proprietary soft-hit joysticks.

Despite those omissions, Engadget concluded that the Ultimate 2C offers what a great gamepad needs and nothing more. The review said it disappears into the player's hands once games begin, is responsive and ergonomic enough for full-time play across ages and genres, and is inexpensive enough to let children use it without worry. Engadget added that two Ultimate 2C controllers cost the same as one Ultimate 2, leaving $10 for a co-op game, while three Ultimate 2Cs cost the same as one Switch 2 Pro Controller. The review said players should not question how the controller costs only $30 but simply be glad that it does.