New Line of 8bitdo Controllers
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I love video game controllers way more than is healthy. So, when I waste more money that I should on them I try to update the community on my discoveries.
Before this point I had only tried the N30 and N30 Pro models from 8bitdo. I was extremely disappointed with them. They had awful d-pads and pretty serious connectivity issues. Ultimately, I returned or sold all of them off.
They now have a new line of SNES clone controllers (SN30 and SN30 Pro) that are colored like the old Gameboy Pocket handheld units. I purchased two of the SN30's without the analog sticks. And... they're fantastic!
I am really impressed with d-pad. I had none of the sensitive diagonal input issues that people have been talking about. Honestly, I think they are more responsive and firm than the SNES original hardware was when new.
The button quality is equally satisfactory. They don't have a long travel distance and are just soft enough to mash in a shooter. They feel extremely similar to the controllers that come with Nintendo's SNES Classic Mini emulation box.
I can also report that my controllers maintain a reliable connection out to at least 15 feet. I've only had one dropped connection and that was when I was placing things between myself and my computers to purposefully test the signal. This was tested using the latest firmware.
Input lag seems to be minimal. I made it all the way to the final Wiley fight in Mega Man 1. Sadly, I did not defeat him this time before I gave up, but that was no fault of the controller. I find that Ice Man's stage is good for testing input lag because of the timed block puzzles. I made my way past them without any more difficulty than I would have with a wired controller.
There are only a few real drawbacks. The pairing system to initiate the first pairing via Bluetooth is a little cumbersome, but it's only a minor inconvenience the first time with a device.
The battery in it is fairly weak as well, but it doesn't require that much power and has auto off features. I opened one of them up to check it out and the capacity was something in the 400ma range. The battery itself is soldered to the connecting wires, but it looks like only a very minor project to replace if you have the tools.
I paid about $28 (USD) for each one and I'm honestly not disappointed in that price.
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Thank you for the feedback. Looks like they listened to the complains about the wonky D-Pad. You know they plan a new controller, this time a Sega Genesis one ?
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Offtopic: Are you also planning on trying this one? :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Retro-Bit-Official-SEGA-Saturn-Cool/dp/B07H3Q5XKL/ref=pd_aw_fbt_63_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=KBCJYR1BX9SQNSCMEYCEAs it looks they release the original Saturn controllers first (end of november).
I've got a preorder out on the usb variant, but that's a longer wait: januari 31 2019. -
Does anyone know if the recently discontinued SF30 Pro controllers have the same specs of if the improvement is that much better?
I only ask because I just bought one and want to know if I should make the second player play with it from now on after I buy a new one :0)
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Just by going by pictures of the pcb alone, the dpad part looks exactly the same as the garbage SFC30 I own so I'm not sure how the newer models are better. The only difference I've seen was in the DIY snes kit where the dpad part looks similar enough to the originals but I haven't tried those.
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@Darksavior Never judge a movie by it's VHS sleeve. We all know sequels are better than the originals.
"If you're gonna play the Game Boy, You gotta learn to play it right" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYLGl92ETNQ
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@BobHarris That looks like a Retrobit brand controller. I've not had good experiences with that brand so I'm unlikely to try it. The one exception to that is the SNES Dual-link controllers they make. Those are of fair quality and have dual cables. Ive tried the N64, 6 button Genesis/Mega Drive, and NES Dual-Link and wasn't fond of any of them unfortunately. I genuinely hope they put out a good Saturn style controller, though. Tell me what it's like when you get it!
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@TheDataCereal I can't answer that directly as I've never owned an SF/SN30 Pro. However, it looks like that whole group of products is using the same firmware. So, I doubt that the internals are considerably different as far as connectivity goes. It's possibly that other components were updated but honestly, I can only guess.
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@Darksavior I never owned the old model, so I can't compare them. However, I can tell you that I've had no issues the the d-pad on these. They feel very much like the ones that come with the SNES Classic Mini. The pads are firmer and slightly clickier than OEM SNES pads. I can hadouken and shoryuken pretty efficiently on them.
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@TheDataCereal said in New Line of 8bitdo Controllers:
@Darksavior Never judge a movie by it's VHS sleeve. We all know sequels are better than the originals.
foolish talk!
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@Beldar Will do! I also know of Retro-bits reputation. But from what I've read they are using the original Sega Saturn controller internal design and parts, so I'm pretty excited. I have zero experience with the Saturn controller, but I've read that dpad is about as good as it gets. That combined with the 6 button layout would make the perfect fightpad for me.
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@BobHarris The Saturn had a d-pad very similar to the type that was on the original Genesis/Megadrive controllers. Instead of the pivoting peg being part of the directional pad like in Nintendo designs, the pivot is part of the controller underneath the d-pad itself.
That gave it a very floaty feel. Even though the design is just plastic and rubber like pretty much all other controllers, it sort of feels like you are pushing on a small disk being held up by a magnet. Sega's old pads felt very different from Nintendo's, but they were every bit as accurate. They just feel like different things.
The Genesis 6 button controller is often considered quite good for fighting games because the floating d-pad makes certain move codes easier to activate. Personally, I prefer Nintendo's design but that's likely because I was a Nintendo kid growing up.
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Found a review testing the new GP models which didn't find any improvements to the diagonal input issues:
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@mitu That very well could be true, I just don't have an older model to compare it with. In play, however, this issue never came up. I've put about 20 hours or so of play into one and I would rate the d-pad far above average. I still prefer the higher profile pad on the Buffalo or the softer style on Hori Pokkens, but it's competely usable.
Edit: I don't like the test in that video. He is testing two completely different pads against each other. The SNES style pads are much bigger than NES style. The longer arms on the pad give more leverage on the rubber and make easier to press diagonals. That was an intentional design choice by Nintendo on the original SNES.
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@mitu Yep, it's videos like that, that assure me that I'm right. Pcb's don't lie. If they look exactly the same from previous models with the issues then nothing has changed. I've also found random posts on reddit about other models that I don't have, that say the issue still exists.
What's hilarious is that the dpad on these cheapo $8 2pack of innext snes pads have a better dpad than 8bitdo's :D. I swapped out shell/buttons/rubber with original parts on one of them to test out for longevity. The pcb looks more like a real snes, so the inputs are better.
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Are the original SN30 and SF30 pro also better than the N30 pro d-pad? I have one and at first I found it a little too stiff for my taste. I didn't have a nes controller, but the snes original controller is far more comfortable to press.
Also, the N30 pro controller disconnects a lot from retropie for me. Sometimes even after 10 minutes, sometimes after many hours. It seems to be getting better with the latest retropie firmwares, but that might be just wishful thinking. Was wondering if anyone else did have this problem solved by the newer models.
I have already used the N30 pro in two different PCs and none of them had these issues.
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I have and SF30Pro and an SN30Pro from the first series. Bought from different stores a few weeks apart from each other.
The SF30Pro is perfect and the dpad is awesome while the SN30Pro has the dpad issue. I've read somewhere that the gamepads are made by different factories which might cause these issues. For one I can tell both my gamepads are basically identical in make and quality (apart of course from the color scheme and convex/concave XY buttons) and feel the same BUT the sticker on the back of the gamepads is a little different. The SN30Pro has a bit more blurry text and the sticker color is a little more faded than the SF30Pro. SN30Pro came stock with 1.27 firmware and SF30Pro came with 1.28. Sadly no serial numbers, no names, nothing. Maybe on the inside but I haven't opened them and I don't even have a suitable screwdriver lol.
Maybe some people who have these problems could chip in on this?
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@cebix I've now had the opportunity to open a few 8bitdo controllers up now from different lines. It honestly appears to me that the boards are identical between old a new models of the same type. For example, I switched the buttons and board from one of the older SF30s into one of my new SN30s and it was an exact match. When I swapped them around the only difference was the sticker and slight difference in grey color. I'm pretty sure the difference is just cosmetic and the stock firmware.
I have read that there were changes to the wireless radio, but you would need somebody with more specialized knowledge than me to verify that.
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