Compared to a lot of gamers, I have pretty small mitts. This can be useful—for instance, if all that's left at the bottom of the Pringles tube are crisps frustratingly out of reach, I can be a useful ally (provided I'm already well-fed beforehand). But as for gaming, I'm letting the side down as my stubby little fingers struggle to hold both shift and WASD. Mind you, my elicit past writing for a console-specific publication might also have something to do with that.
The point is, I'm more comfortable gaming with a controller, though alas, most controllers are not primarily fashioned for my pipsqueak palms. The 8Bitdo Ultimate 2 is an exception, being not just small in stature but also adorned with a rather fetching array of colours that appeals to me specifically. Plus, it's available for the far from princely sum of only $48 at Amazon.
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To be clear, this deal is only available to Amazon Prime members—but you can easily sign up for a 30-day trial, bag this deal, and then cancel your subscription if you like. Furthermore, the version of this controller with those snazzy Hall Effect joysticks has already sold out, and this deal applies to the version with the arguably even more precise TMR tech under the hood instead. That means the 8Bitdo Ultimate 2 is not only a responsive bit of kit—to say nothing of its 1000Hz polling rate or Hall Effect triggers—but it's also much less likely to be struck down by the dreaded spectre of stick drift. At under 50 bucks, that makes this even more of a steal.
With bells and whistles like TMR, though, it's not unreasonable to look for cut corners. In his 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless review, our Nick observed that the body plastic felt "quite rough and grainy", while some of the front buttons also felt just a bit cheap.
Nick also writes, "One thing that everyone will have concerns about, though, is the D-pad. I can't say that it's awful, but it comes pretty close, in my opinion. The feedback is muted, the material feels unpleasant, and the whole thing just feels cheaply made. Compared to the rest of the Ultimate 2 Wireless, it stands out as being somewhat of an afterthought."
It's obviously a shame, but it's not unsurprising. The similarly priced GameSir Cyclone 2 also features TMR sticks and Hall Effect triggers—and is ultimately disappointing for making very similar compromises.
Still, what the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless has that the GameSir Cyclone 2 doesn't is a charging cradle that houses a removable 2.4 GHz wireless dongle…oh, and also a suite of fetching looks beyond just the traditional white and black colourways. Though I enjoy how much the currently unavailable pink colourway reminds me of my favourite dairy-free ice cream, I love the grape purple colourway—and I love it all the more for also only setting me back $48.
Though fatiguing for bigger mitts, my fellow pint-sized gamers will likely dig the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless controller. If you're on a budget too, you'll also be heartened to know you're effectively banishing stick drift and picking up a hard-working, long-lasting bit of kit...so long as you can get past how cheap everything else feels.
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1. Best overall: Xbox Wireless Controller
2. Best budget: GameSir Nova Lite
3. Best premium: Xbox Elite Series 2
4. Best customizable: Scuf Instinct Pro
5. Best haptics: Sony DualSense
6. Best Hall effect: Razer Wolverine V3 Pro
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