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    UPDATED - Which of these game controllers would you choose?

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General Discussion and Gaming
    retropiecontrollerwirelessbluetooth
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    • fretmanF
      fretman
      last edited by fretman

      Hi, I am very close to getting my Raspberry Pi project off the ground. Just waiting for some parts to arrive right now. I have everything ordered except for the game controller. I currently have an XBOX 360 wireless controller which I thought I would use but it's difficult right now to find the wireless adapter to use with RetroPie.

      So after doing research on this site and reading up on reviews, I've decided on either of the 2 controllers below. I'm choosing controllers with Duo analog sticks as my favorite games are the MAME games like Robotron and Smash TV.

      I would like your opinions to the 2 styles of controllers I'm looking at. What are the pros and cons for you in regards to form factor, comfort and ergonomics? Do you prefer one over the other for specific reasons?

      Thanks for your assistance as always.

      Here are the 2 controllers I'm looking at. They're both 8BitDo controllers.

      71HKtvgmAHS.AC_SL1500.jpg

      s-l500.jpg

      UnknownU 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
      • UnknownU
        Unknown @fretman
        last edited by

        @fretman Personally I would go with the black one because the grip handles match the era of the amount of buttons and sticks. It will also feel a bit more like an Xbox controller if you want to stick with that feeling.

        You can't beat the classics(unless you copy them).

        fretmanF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • fretmanF
          fretman @Unknown
          last edited by

          @unknown , thank for the response. I have never held the grey controller types so I'm not sure how those would feel. My XBOX controller feels OK but I would prefer to get one where the sticks are next to each other whereas the XBOX controller have the sticks running diagonally.

          UnknownU 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • UnknownU
            Unknown @fretman
            last edited by

            @fretman you are welcome

            You can't beat the classics(unless you copy them).

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • D
              deww
              last edited by

              I've both styles and I prefer the top one with the grip. I thought I'd prefer the SNES style, but my tastes have changed over the years. Many controllers after the SNES one have the grips, even Nintendo's own currently Pro controller. :)

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
              • ExarKunIvE
                ExarKunIv
                last edited by ExarKunIv

                i love my pro 2. its nice to have the grips. compared to the other style, which i have also

                RPi3B+ / 200GB/ RetroPie v4.5.14, RPi4 Model B 4gb / 256gb / RetroPie 4.8.2
                RPi5 4gb / 512gb / RetroPie 4.8.9 -Basic
                Maintainer of RetroPie-Extra .

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                • fretmanF
                  fretman
                  last edited by

                  Thank you all for your input. I am now swayed to get the black one. And it's cheaper so an extra bonus.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • P
                    PiBoy
                    last edited by

                    Definitely get the 8BitDo Pro 2, if you can find one! I am still waiting for it to comeback to stores. It's been out for a while now.

                    fretmanF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                    • fretmanF
                      fretman @PiBoy
                      last edited by

                      @piboy , thanks for the suggestion. I just found out about the Pro2 model last night. It's not available here on Amazon Canada right now. I will look into this model further and see what the differences are between the Pro+ and the Pro2 and see if it's worth waiting for.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • fretmanF
                        fretman
                        last edited by

                        Haha. Just noticed the black version I posted is the Pro2 model. I thought it was the Pro+ model.

                        sirhenrythe5thS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • sirhenrythe5thS
                          sirhenrythe5th @fretman
                          last edited by

                          I just tried to get another SF30Pro (the grey one) a couple of weeks ago to fill up my stock of four units as one got broken.
                          I had to learn that the version with the colorful buttons as shown on the picture above are out of production.
                          So i bid on one on ebay and had to pay 65EUR for it, prices to buy at once are between 75-100EUR for new/CIB SF30Pros atm .
                          (bought my first two in a bundle for 45EUR on a black friday a couple of years ago)

                          So in the end the black one seems to be the better deal as they are still available.
                          btw: a friend of mine printed a handle for the SF30Pros, so you can also upgrade the ordinary pads to grip-monsters like the black ones :)

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                          fretmanF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                          • fretmanF
                            fretman @sirhenrythe5th
                            last edited by fretman

                            @sirhenrythe5th , good catch. Looks like I posted the wrong controller pic of the grey controller too. Meant to post a pic of the the current model which I believe is the SN30 and not the SF30. The SF30 PRO model is still available on the Amazon Canada site and on DhGate if you need more.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                            • hawkes_84H
                              hawkes_84
                              last edited by

                              go with the Pro2. Has separate profiles so you can map different configurations for different consoles and swap between with ease. Handy for when you wanna play n64

                              fretmanF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                              • fretmanF
                                fretman @hawkes_84
                                last edited by

                                @hawkes_84 , will do that. Will have to wait a few weeks before it comes back into stock though.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                • fretmanF
                                  fretman
                                  last edited by

                                  So the 8bit -do Pro 2 is still not available here in Canada except for a 3rd party seller who is asking for too high a price.

                                  So can anyone recommend another controller with at least dual analog sticks that I can look at? Better yet, let me know what controller you're using and I'll look into it too.

                                  Thanks.

                                  hawkes_84H YFZdudeY 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • hawkes_84H
                                    hawkes_84 @fretman
                                    last edited by

                                    @fretman just go for the regular 8bitdo sn30 Pro + then if you can find it. It's the one before the pro 2 but handles great. The only major difference between the pro + & pro 2 is the lack of swapping between profiles but I only find that handy if I wanna play Playstation one and n64 on the same controller. Aside from that it's virtually the same except for some extra back buttons you may never use. If that isn't available a good 3rd party ps4 controller would be suitable or an actual one.

                                    fretmanF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • YFZdudeY
                                      YFZdude @fretman
                                      last edited by

                                      @fretman
                                      I've always liked my Logitech F710

                                      https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Logitech-Controller/

                                      It is wireless, has rumble, dual analog sticks, L2 and R2 are analog triggers. Never had any issues getting it to work with RetroPie. Pretty cheap compared to other controllers. So unless you have to have bluetooth connection it's a solid choice. And if you get something you like better in the future it would be a good second or third controller.

                                      fretmanF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                      • fretmanF
                                        fretman @hawkes_84
                                        last edited by

                                        @hawkes_84 , thanks for the suggestion. I did look into the Plus model but was waiting for the black one to get back in stock too. Seems like this one is also hard to keep in stock.

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • fretmanF
                                          fretman @YFZdude
                                          last edited by

                                          @yfzdude , thanks for the heads up. Never knew about this one. Will look into it as well.

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • E
                                            Emulatre71
                                            last edited by

                                            I've thought about getting the Pro 2, 8Bitdo has quickly become one of my go to devices for Emulation, yeah they even work on PC and Linux builds. The Logitech F310 is another good one, but I cant seem to find them available at the price of $14 -$18 dollars anymore. And no, its kinda been that way since before the Micro Chip Shortage was declared.

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
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