Summary
- The 8BitDo Arcade Stick offers amazing value with a retro aesthetic and versatile connection options.
- The stick’s design is reminiscent of the 1980s, with an ergonomic design, and versatile connection options via Bluetooth, USB, and 2.4GHz wireless connectivity.
- The stick performs adequately, offering a nostalgic arcade gaming experience, and can be easily upgraded with real arcade components.
I’ve always wanted a nice arcade stick, but I didn’t want to pay those premium prices. Despite being over four years old at this point, it seems the 8BitDo Arcade Stick is still the best value for money option around.
8Bitdo Arcade Stick for Switch
$80 $90 Save
$10
The 8Bitdo Arcade Stick for Switch is a premium arcade controller designed for Nintendo Switch and PC, perfect for fighting game enthusiasts and retro gamers. It features a classic layout with highly responsive, customizable buttons and joystick.
- Amazing retro aesthetic
- Lots of connection options
- Widely compatible thanks to Xinput
- Can be upgraded later to professional standards
- The stick is good enough, but nothing special
Price and Availability
You can buy this arcade stick from Amazon for a very reasonable $89. In the box, you’ll find the stick itself, a USB charging cable, and a 2.4GHz USB receiver.
Design and Ergonomics: Retro Arcade Perfection
The arcade stick looks exactly like a period-accurate NES accessory. From the design, to the text, to the color scheme, it would not be out of place in the 1980s.
From an ergonomic perspective, I have only one small complaint—I wish the palm rest area was a little bigger. However, if you have more regular-sized palms, this is unlikely to be an issue for you. Besides, I never felt discomfort despite my hand resting on the edge of the deck.
The unit is weighted well, so it’s unlikely to shift around as you play, and it’s a fair size. The footprint is similar to a 13-inch laptop.
Features: Packed Into Every Corner
This arcade stick is frankly more versatile than I could have imagined. It offers no less than three connection methods: Bluetooth, USB, and 2.4GHz wireless.
Bluetooth is the laggiest option of the three, but unless you’re an eSports champion hopped up on energy drinks, you’re unlikely to notice. However, using the 2.4GHz dongle with my Switch is a seamless experience. The Bluetooth connection in the Switch is notoriously flaky, so bypassing it entirely in favor of 8BitDo’s included USB transmitter makes sense.
Remember to activate USB connectivity or the Switch Pro Controller in the settings or it won’t recognize the dongle.
The stick can be switched into XInput mode so that you can use it with any device that works with an Xbox controller over Bluetooth or USB. This includes the 2.4GHz dongle.
So, whether you have a gaming PC, a handheld PC, an iPad, a MiSTer FPGA solution, or anything else that meets these basic requirements, the stick will do the job. This does of course mean that PlayStation support is off the table.
I absolutely love that there are two sets of light-up button labels, and as you change between Switch and XInput modes, the labels change to reflect each controller type.
There’s also a simple knob to change what the stick operates: left analog, right analog, or D-pad.
How Does It Play?
My dad owned a small arcade when I was growing up, with two Street Fighter II variants. I could play these for free when it was quiet, and I put a heck of a lot of hours into it.
I’ve never really enjoyed playing fighting games designed for a six-button arcade deck on a controller, so booting up my Switch copy of Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, I was immediately back in my comfort zone, and playing properly again.
The stick and buttons are best described as “adequate” for my level of play. I expect most people are just looking for a step up from a controller to play arcade games. From that perspective, there are no big issues here. I can accurately throw hadoukens all day, the buttons respond well to my mashing, and it all feels very much like being back in my dad’s arcade.
As always, it could be better, and I would have preferred a more accurate stick with a longer shaft. But, that’s a preference, not a requirement and, as you’ll soon see, it’s one that can be addressed down the line.
8BitDo rates the stick for 40 hours of playtime when using the 2.4GHz dongle or 30 hours over Bluetooth, which I found to be mostly accurate. The controller charges back to full again over USB in four hours.
Mods and Upgrades Galore
To me, one of the biggest selling points of this 8BitDo arcade stick is that it’s designed to be moddable and upgradeable.
It’s fairly simple to replace the stock stick and buttons with real arcade components from companies like Sanwa. In fact, the Sanwa stick replacement process is a drop-in upgrade. You also have the choice of soldering the new stick using the provided solder points, or using a simple 5-pin cable with a tiny modification, as is detailed in this great guide by Briar Rabbit.
This means you can buy a perfectly adequate arcade stick now for under $100, and then, if you outgrow it, you can simply upgrade your deck. After all, the software, flexibility, and performance of the stick’s electronics are excellent and reliable.
Should You Buy the 8BitDo Arcade Stick?
As far as I can tell, there’s nothing else quite this good for such little money. Despite its age, the 8BitDo arcade stick is a versatile, well-made device with infinite upgrade options if you want to turn it into something suitable for a high-level player. For now, I’m just happy to get back into the classics, but if I ever hit the limit of what this stick can do, I know I can level it up in one afternoon.
8Bitdo Arcade Stick for Switch
$80 $90 Save
$10
The 8Bitdo Arcade Stick for Switch is a premium arcade controller designed for Nintendo Switch and PC, perfect for fighting game enthusiasts and retro gamers. It features a classic layout with highly responsive, customizable buttons and joystick.
