The 8BitDo Ultimate 2.4 G is one of the controllers I hate. Maybe not because it’s weak, because it was a successful design, it just didn’t fit my preferences at all. For this reason, when I heard the announcement of the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, I was convinced that it would simply be a refresh of this model with changed triggers, maybe a D-Pad and an improved wireless mode. I was surprised when on the day of the premiere a friend wrote to me that it was actually an interesting controller. The specification of this device was also surprising. And when the team at the Aknes store announced that they would be sending us, the reviewers, samples, I knew that it would be interesting. What conclusions did I reach?
Packaging
The Ultimate 2 Wireless is packed in a fairly small box with a dust jacket. On the front, there’s a print showing the controller against a background matching the color variant (I’m not a fan of this stylistic choice, but as you can see, it’s memorable – and that seems to be the intention). On the back, there’s a written specification. After removing the jacket and opening the box, you’ll find the controller with the dock in a mold made of a material unknown to me, and underneath it, a painfully simplified manual and a USB-C cable.
Specifications
- Layout: Xbox
- Connectivity: wired, 2.4 GHz, BT
- Compatibility: PC, mobile devices
- Connectors: USB-C, docking station connector
- Analogs: TMR (HallPi)
- Triggers: Hall effect with trigger lock
- Main switches: membrane under ABXY, Metal Dome under D-Pad
- Secondary switches: 4 remapable, 2 on the back + 2 on the top
- Gyroscope: present
- Vibration motors: two asymmetric
- Battery: 1000 mAh
- Polling rate: 1000 Hz (wired and 2.4 GHz)
- Available color versions: black, white, purple (more to come in the future)
- Docking station: included
- Price: $59.99
I prepared the specification based on information from the manufacturer’s website and my own observations.
Initial impressions and observations
The 2.4 GHz receiver included with the Ultimate 2 raises a whole bunch of questions. Who are we? Where are we going? Under the influence of what drugs was the designer, and how did they get themselves into such a bad state? What was the idea behind using USB-C instead of USB-A in the adapter?
Literally the only advantage of this solution is the ability to connect the pad to the phone (which doesn’t work anyway; I checked), or to the USB-C port on the computer, if there’s one at all. Today’s motherboards don’t offer enough USB-C ports to make much sense, let alone if someone wants to connect the adapter directly to a USB hub. This forces us to have either a USB-C port on the front or back, or to connect the dock to the PC (which I’m not a fan of; I prefer to connect it to a USB power supply).
The dock is identical to the predecessor and the Ultimate 3-Mode tested some time ago. Well, almost, it definitely won’t be compatible with the latter due to the slightly different controller profile. At the bottom, under the flap, we have a USB-C connector for connecting the dock.
As I said when testing the Ultimate 3-Mode, there are 3 certainties in life: death, taxes, and the shape of the 8BitDo Ultimate series controllers, so as you might guess, the Ultimate 2 is no exception, although the 3-Mode felt slightly better in my hands. It is common knowledge among people familiar with the subject of pads that the ones from 8BitDo are aimed at a specific group of recipients. And honestly, I don’t understand why so many people compare the Ultimate 2 to the GameSir Cyclone 2 – these are two completely different designs. The Cyclone is aimed more at 6-finger grip users, the Ultimate is more adapted for clawgrip users. A direct comparison is therefore somewhat pointless.
Coming back, the Ultimate 2 is at a very good level in terms of workmanship, it is hard for me to find fault with anything here. The well-known and popular HallPi platform is responsible for the analogs. I am glad that 8BitDo returned to the proven HallPi after the episode with the K-Silver JH16. In addition, the Hall effect sensors were replaced with those made with TMR technology. However, I do not like the smoothness on the edge, because instead of the classic POM ring we have an RGB ring here, which may look nice, but does not improve smoothness. Fortunately, the shafts are equipped with metal anti-friction rings, because without them it could be uninteresting. As for the rubberized tops, there are no complaints, they hold the finger well.
The switches under the ABXY and D-Pad are the same brilliant switches as in the Ultimate 2C and 3-Mode, so my job is easier.
Moving on to the triggers, the Ultimate 2, like the 2C and 3-Mode, has been equipped with Hall effect sensors. I consider them to be implemented on average, the angle of attack when pressed to the maximum is slightly too high for me. An important aspect here is also the presence of a trigger lock in the form of a microswitch. This is probably one of the worst implementations of this solution, even in EasySMX X20 it was better. Triggers in Ultimate 2, with Trigger lock enabled, have a very hard and linear pre-travel, which makes it difficult to feel the moment of engagement, and the work itself is very mushy.
The bumpers and their remappable counterparts are lifted straight from the Ultimate 2C, so I refer you to that review to familiarize yourself with them. In short: it’s good, but not phenomenal.
The Ultimate 2 has two additional remapable switches on the back. In shape and position, they resemble those in the 3-Mode, but in terms of feel, they’re not even similar. In this controller, the switches are a bit more tactile while being much louder. Quite pleasant, but not thrilling.
Let’s take a look inside
As was the case with the Ultimate 3-Mode, disassembling the Ultimate 2 into its component parts involves pain, tears, and the sound of cracking plastic. The main problem is the plastic caps, which I struggled with for a good 15 minutes. Once we remove them, the rest of the process is much simpler—you just have to unscrew all the screws and pull out the individual elements. As for the quality of the boards, it is very good, but as with other models from this brand, I’m hurt by the lack of test points, which would make testing easier—as the name suggests.
Synthetic tests
The Ultimate 2 does brilliantly in terms of analog latency, reaching about 2.5 ms wired and 3.5 ms at 2.4 GHz in the Prometheus 82 benchmark. Analog latency in the same benchmark is also exemplary, although worse than the Ultimate 2C, reaching 10 ms wired and 12 ms at 2.4 GHz. However, it should be noted that this test also takes into account the physical movement of the analog stick, so the results are not directly comparable to those from the GPDL methodology, in which it was not possible to perform the tests.
Everything is also fine with analog calibration. The internal dead zone can be completely removed, axial ones do not occur, and the external dead zone is pleasantly low. As for the asymmetry, it’s good, but on the right analog stick it goes slightly beyond 10%. Fortunately, it’s vertical asymmetry, not horizontal, so it shouldn’t cause any major problems. The ADC resolution is about 10 bits, but most likely due to the use of a 5V ADC with a 3.3V sensor, the result is underestimated.
The battery life is impeccable; the controller should last about 10–12 hours. Charging takes about two hours.
Software
Ultimate Software V2 is responsible for managing the Ultimate 2. I still wonder who came up with the idea of creating something so awful. To find your way around this software, you probably need a PhD in computer science—the number of bugs is greater than a potato field, and the responsiveness… well, that’s poor too. The fact that it works at all is already a success, and the important thing is that we at least have something to manage it with.
Summary of 8BitDo Ultimate 2 wireless
I think that the Ultimate 2, despite all its flaws, is quite a successful design. Apart from the tragic software and the not-so-great trigger lock, I consider this controller quite good. I had no major problems with it, so aside from these few minor shortcomings, the Ultimate 2 is basically a complete package—and if someone likes the shape of the 8BitDo Ultimate, I definitely recommend it.
review was possible thanks to Aknes Store.
✅ Pros
- Very nice build quality
- Very good analogues, main and additional switches
- Very nice results in synthetic tests
- Rather problem-free firmware
❌ Cons
- Terrible software
- Average trigger lock
