A few weeks ago, I saw a Lightning Deal for 8Bitdo Wireless Bluetooth Adapter $16, and had an honest-to-goodness no thought, just bought moment. Luckily for me, it turned out to be a great, cheap way to add a second controller to my Switch setup. Let me explain.
I purchased an Xbox One Controller when it went on sale for $40 last year, and found very little use for it for two reasons: 1.) I don’t own an Xbox and 2.) I didn’t end up gaming on my PC outside of Overwatch. So it sat unused for months until, of course, I bought this nifty little gadget.
Look, I own a Nintendo Switch Pro controller and it’s great—it’s comfortable and it works beautifully—but it also retails for $70. That’s... madness. (And don’t get me started on the cost of Joy-Con... and the dock.)
The 8Bitdo Wireless Bluetooth Adapter will work in tandem with a Bluetooth controller you already own and give you a similar wireless experience. Pairing was a breeze and once it was set up, I found no hiccups during play.
In addition to working with the Switch, it’ll connect controllers to your PC and Mac, as well. And the list of compatible controllers is long; it’s compatible with PS3 and PS4 DualShocks, the aforementioned Xbox controller, a myriad of 8bitdo controllers, and more.
But, of course, there are downsides. It was rough to get used to which menu buttons did what, and the fact that the placements on A and B buttons are swapped, made following on-screen instructions a bit tricky. I’m sure there’s a way to change the order of the buttons in the system settings, but I found that taking a mental note at the beginning of ever session was fine.
I settled on setting aside the Xbox controller/8Bitdo for Player 2, and keeping the Pro Controller for myself. (And if your friends are big button mashers, like mine are, it really makes no difference.)
This 8Bitdo adapter, plus the iOS update announcement, have ushered forth a sort of renaissance for my once-neglected Xbox controller. And with such a tiny price tag, it’s easy to recommend. It saves you from having to pay for a whole new controller, and saves precious space on your shelves.