Controllers need to be ergonomic and if there is one adjective that does *not* describe Apple products, it’s ergonomic.
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8BitDo Gaming Controllers Now Compatible With iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac
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Controllers need to be ergonomic and if there is one adjective that does *not* describe Apple products, it’s ergonomic.
They did, but only by by emulating an PS4 controller. There's some nuance to how the controller behaves and what functions are available depending on the mode you're in, but I'm not too sure on the specifics but my understanding of it from piecing together info from 8BitDo's FAQ and forum posts is:
Switch compatible (S mode)
- emulates a Nintendo Switch Pro controller
- allows for gyro to be used for motion controls
- trigger buttons not in analogue mode (they're either fully on or fully off)
- rumble support
- emulates a PlayStation DS4 controller
- no gyro
- trigger buttons in analogue mode
- rumble support
- most compatible mode for emulators and old games due to it being the dominant 'standard' input mode before X-input
- can be used in Windows, Linux, Android and macOS (with emulators)
- no gyro
- trigger buttons in analogue mode (if the game supports it?)
- no rumble
- emulates a Xbox 360 controller
- supported by pretty much all modern platforms such as Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iOS/tvOS/iPadOS
- most modern games will pre-map their controller buttons automatically in this mode
- no gyro
- trigger buttons in analogue mode
- rumble support
It depends. Some of 8BitDo's controllers are better if you're frequently swapping your controller between different devices (of different types) since you can have it paired with up to 4 different types of devices with a simple switch mode on the back.
I for one, absolutely hate having to do the pair/re-pair Bluetooth dance between different devices when I use an Xbox or PS4/5 controller. With my Pro 2, I can go from using it on my iPhone (A mode) to my Windows PC (X mode) to my emulation box (D mode) to my tablet (S mode) by simply flicking a switch and it instantly pairs to each device. That functionality alone is a really nice 'quality of life' feature.
You also have control over things like deadzones in the 8BitDo software that you don't get with Xbox and PS controllers.
Controllers are also a bit of personal preference when it comes to ergonomics, so as always, it's best to check and test them yourself if you can before buying.
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Do you work for them? They literally are no where near as good as an xbox sx controller or ps5 controller!
I have the arcade stick controller for my Mister setup, they're great controllers and well built, I'll probably grab a few of the pros for Apple TV (I currently use Xbox controllers which are great as well).
I wish Apple TV had USB in so you could use their 2.4ghz stick for lower latency
I wish Apple TV had USB in so you could use their 2.4ghz stick for lower latency
Same here! My Pro+ shows as up-to-date with V5.04.
Very cool they're doing this, just hope it'll actually happen 😆
Mac OSX games have supported my older PS4 controllers and Xbox controllers. No hacks of kexts needed. It just works. And my Xbox controller does have rumble.... if plugged into the USB port. I'm not sure if the wireless-Bluetooth ones would support rumble.
A shame this 8BitDo controller does not support rumble on Macs/iOS. Pass.
Good to know that these controllers are now compatible.
What warranted this article? I have an SN30 Pro, but no firmware update is available. And it worked before. I don't get it.
That looks incredibly uncomfortable to hold.Apple needs to come up with its own gaming controller. Imagine integrated with Dynamic Island!
I am still using an old Steelseries that is quite fine, but not very fast (using Bluetooth link).
An Apple custom one may be interesting... if Apple keeps supporting third parties.
An Apple custom one may be interesting... if Apple keeps supporting third parties.
iJustine, the tech authority, said it's a really cool controller
The SN30 had Mac support previously but over a second of lag on the inputs. Hopefully this is now resolved, but I’m hesitant to give them another chance after such a disappointing experience. Xbox/PlayStation/Nintendo controllers work exceptionally well. Also wondering if you need a windows PC to update the firmware? That’s how Xbox controllers go.
I didn’t even know these were supported. I bought one for a family member a few weeks ago and it paired and worked fine
8BitDo controllers are very popular with Nintendo Switch users (supposedly better than the official "Pro" controller), as well as the PC-emulator crowd. It's a low volume niche company, but they're very well loved and broader platforms support is good for them.
Most of these controllers are Bluetooth. The confusing thing is that the Wireless 2.4g version of the 8BitDo Ultimate has received official support for Apple devices, but the Bluetooth version of this controller has not. Strangely enough, the Wireless version of this controller will also work via bluetooth on Apple devices.
Ok that makes a little more sense. Still not for me, I've been burned too many times with 3rd party controllers around the GameCube days. Since then I've always gone first party, and repurposed a PS4 controller for remote play on the PS app.
Let me guess, she had a really big grin on her face while she said that? 😄
Does anyone here have the 8BitDo Ultimate Wireless 2.4g controller and was able to test the bluetooth connection on Apple devices? According to the new manual on the 8BitDo website, they now support this type of connection (how? I have no idea).
That's the Apple way... Meet the Magic Gaming Mouse? I imagine if they had one today, they'd likely have a wired charging cable option that either won't allow use while in charging mode, or will stick awkwardly in to the DPad area making the device feasibly unusable until charged... or no clear way to quickly tell you're holding it backwards or upside down.
I bought one of these, the Ultimate version of the controller has Hall Effect sensors for the joysticks. They use magnets so you will never get stick drift. I went through 2 Elite controllers that had stick drift, got sick of it.