8BitDo's Pro 3 wireless gamepad features swappable ABXY buttons

[Shawn Knight]

In a nutshell: 8BitDo is now accepting pre-orders for its Pro 3, a new wireless gamepad set to ship on August 12. It's an upgrade over its predecessor in virtually every category… including price.

8BitDo's latest utilizes TMR-based joysticks. Short for tunnel magnetoresistance, TRM is a magnetic sensing technology that improves on the Hall Effect sensor in terms of sensitivity, accuracy, and power consumption. In short, joystick drift should be a thing of the past.

The new gamepad also includes Hall Effect triggers, an extra set of bumpers (R4 and L4), two back paddle buttons, a tactile D-pad, a turbo function, vibration support, and swappable magnetic ABXY buttons. The latter allows users to customize their button layout for specific applications.

The Pro 3 is Bluetooth equipped, but also comes with a 2.4G adapter and a USB cable should you prefer other connectivity methods. A color-matched charging dock also comes standard, as does an ABXY button puller and a set of ball-top joystick caps (red or yellow depending on which color controller you go with).

Battery life from the 1,000 mAh non-removable pack is said to be rated at up to 20 hours on a single charge, but you can always connect the included USB cable and keep playing while charging. The pad is also compatible with 8BitDo's Ultimate Software V2, a customization suite that lets you adjust settings, manage updates, and more.

The Pro 3 measures 153.6 mm x 100.5 mm x 64.5 mm and weighs in at 242.4 grams.

8BitDo's Pro 3 is available to pre-order now in your choice of purple, gray, or "G Classic" color schemes (presumably after the GameCube, the PlayStation, and the GameBoy) , each priced at $69.99. The gamepad is compatible with Windows 10 and later, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, Android 13 and above, SteamOS, and most new Apple devices. It is worth noting that the Pro 2 is still available as well, and is a bit easier on the wallet at $49.99 as of writing.

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8BitDo's Pro 3 wireless gamepad features swappable ABXY buttons

 

[umeng2002]

They really need to stiffen up their analog triggers. I stopped using their controllers for racing games because of it. I have strong hands from lifting weights, and its hard to modulate the throttle and brakes. The current Xbox controllers have the stiffest triggers.

 

[amghwk]

They really need to stiffen up their analog triggers. I stopped using their controllers for racing games because of it. I have strong hands from lifting weights, and its hard to modulate the throttle and brakes. The current Xbox controllers have the stiffest triggers.

For others, including me, the 8Bitdo's gamepads are very nice.

Other than requesting manufacturers to create "weight-lifters-friendly" controllers, I see it's going to be very difficult for those who cannot get used to it, yet still wants it.

(Don't take it seriously. Couldn't stop pulling your leg.)

But seriously, I love 8Bitdo's products.

 

[amghwk]

This is good news for heavy emulators users like me.

Going from Nintendo emulation, to, say, Sega Dreamcast emulation, this will help the transition. Or even shuffling between PC games and Nintendo emulations.

Even though I already got used to using Xbox One controller to play both Nintendo based emulations and others that required the reverse placings of the ABXY buttons, this is a welcome addition. Admittedly, it won't be useful for many others. And anyway, I already developed muscle memory while playing Nintendo and other games, when it comes to the ABXY placements, and it's almost always we're not going to look at the gamepads while playing, but still...

 

[kira setsu]

I wonder how those big ball triggers feel(pun intended)

also always wondered how their controllers feel for bigger handed people? xbox controllers before the s/x were fine for me but then they tweaked the size so I get cramps, found otterbox cases that solve that issue.

dualsense is cool but stupid sony only lets you unlock the full feature set on pc if its wired in, and thats an accident waiting to happen in my home. just make a dongle like microsoft does for their pads.

honestly on pc every controller has some slight issue when I think about it.

 

[JosephM]

20 hours of battery life sounds solid, but I still wish they had gone with a removable battery pack. Built-in batteries are fine at first, but once the capacity starts to degrade, you're stuck either replacing the whole controller or playing tethered. At least they allow charging while playing — that’s definitely a plus, but swappable batteries would’ve made this a near-perfect device for me.

 

[lonetac]

8bit do is the best 3rd party manufacturer of video game accessories on the planet. Love their products.