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8BitDo Arcade Controller: One-minute review

Leverless controllers can appear daunting at first glance if you’re interested in picking one up for the best fighting games. The lack of a traditional joystick makes such controllers feel more akin to a keyboard, with buttons dedicated to everything from inputs to movement.

They almost feel counterintuitive when you have one in your hands for the first time. But thankfully, 8BitDo has stepped in with its own take on leverless fighting game controllers, and it’s one that’s relatively beginner-friendly.

The 8BitDo Arcade Controller is a 16-button leverless pad that has some similarities to the 8BitDo Arcade Stick, carrying over that NES-inspired look for the Switch-compatible model. However, both are fundamentally different controllers.

For one, the 8BitDo Arcade Controller is much, much thinner, and thus a lot lighter as well. It can sit in your lap or on a desk or tabletop with ease. This alone makes the device more portable; ideal if you’re heading over to local tournaments.

Its buttons are excellent, too. They feel responsive and immediate with their short travel time, and have a springy, tactile press that makes learning with the controller a satisfying affair.

I’d still recommend some caution if you’re interested in buying the 8BitDo Arcade Controller, though. If it’s going to be your first leverless controller, it’s ideal for that, but you should still expect a fairly steep learning curve if you’re used to the best fight sticks or more traditional gamepads.

(Image credit: Future)8BitDo Arcade Controller: Price and availability

• Switch/PC: $89.99 / £75.99 (around AU$136)
• Xbox/PC: $99.99 / £84.99 (around AU$150)
• Available to purchase now from 8BitDo’s Amazon store

The 8BitDo Arcade Controller comes in two variants. A Switch and Switch 2 compatible model retails for $89.99 / £75.99, while a version for Xbox consoles comes in at $99.99 / £84.99. Both work with PC, too, and are available to buy now, but don’t expect PlayStation compatibility here.

As retail prices go, the 8BitDo Arcade Controller is a sub-$100 leverless that I can happily recommend. Leverless pads often command rather premium price tags, as we see with the Victrix Pro KO ($249.99 / £229.99 / AU$399.95) and Hit Box Ultra ($299.99 / around £249.99 / around AU$429.99). This makes 8BitDo’s hardware very easy to recommend from a cost-effective standpoint.

8BitDo Arcade Controller: Specs

Price

$89.99 / £75.99 (around AU$136)

Weight

2.42lbs / 1.1kg

Dimensions

11.9 x 7.9 x 0.9in / 301 x 201 x 22mm

Compatibility

Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC (Switch and Xbox models sold separately)

Connection type

Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C)

Battery life

Around 20 hours

Software

Ultimate Software V2 (PC)

8BitDo Arcade Controller: Design and features

At just less than an inch thick, the 8BitDo Arcade Controller is impressively discreet and can be easily slid into a backpack or laptop bag for when you want to take your game to the locals. It’s also rather lightweight, coming in at just above a single kilo.

In terms of button layout, there are similarities to that of the 8BitDo Arcade Stick. The top end of the pad is lined with functions, including a dial that swaps between Switch and XInput layouts. Like on the Arcade Stick, different button notations will also light up depending on your layout of choice.

The top end also has a tournament lock switch, preventing you from accidentally pausing during matches, as well as a button to enable or disable custom button profiles. It’s a simple yet robust set of options, all available on the controller itself. The top rear also houses the Arcade Controller’s 2.4GHz receiver, and next to it, you’ll find a USB-C port for wired play, with a cable also included in the box.

As for the main buttons on the pad proper, you’ve got four directional buttons, mapped so you can rest your left hand’s fingers and thumb across them. Eight red buttons sit off to the right side of these in two rows of four, allowing you to rest a finger on each of them. Of course, being a leverless pad, these are just suggestions, and you can freely remap both in-game and via Ultimate Software V2 on PC to your preferences.

You also have four additional remappable buttons here, which aren’t assigned to anything by default. These can be assigned inputs via the Ultimate Software, and you can even set macros here if, say, you want quick access to throws or other per-game mechanics. Alternatively, four lock caps are included in the box, which you can swap in if you’d prefer not to use these at all and avoid any accidental mispresses.

On that note, all buttons on the 8BitDo Arcade Controller can be swapped out for third-party options easily. If you’re brand new to leverless controllers, you probably won’t have any alternative switches lying around, but if you do, they can be used here, which is nice.

(Image credit: Future)8BitDo Arcade Controller: Performance

As I mentioned at the top, getting to grips with leverless fighting game controllers for the first time can be quite the process. But once you get the hang of things like up and down inputs essentially being inverted (down is lodged between left and right on the pad by default, with up/jump being at the bottom), it can quickly become second nature.

I primarily used the 8BitDo Arcade Controller with my main fighting game, Tekken 8. Tekken’s rigid four-way movement actually works brilliantly well with leverless pads, and the responsiveness here had me sidestepping and backdashing faster than on a traditional controller.

Responsiveness is the keyword here. Button inputs feel immediate, and being able to roll a motion input special move in Street Fighter 6 or Guilty Gear Strive felt easier and more reliable to pull off than on a standard controller’s d-pad or thumbstick. Never did I feel at risk of fumbling the input or jumping by mistake, as I often end up doing with those pesky dragon punch motions. Here, just a couple of quick taps of the directional buttons had me inputting specials reliably and instantaneously once I’d gotten used to the motions.

I’ve raved about just how much mechanical and microswitch buttons can improve the feel of a fighting game thanks to their immediacy, and it’s a similar story here with the 8BitDo Arcade Controller. Its buttons are just oh-so satisfying to press. I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m a better player as a result of using a leverless controller like this one, but I have been able to more reliably iron out mispresses and become more efficient at combo strings with lenient timings. I’ve loved my time with it.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the 8BitDo Arcade Controller?Buy it if…

You want an affordable gateway into leverless controllers
It may not be the absolute cheapest leverless out there, but the 8BitDo Arcade Controller oozes a shocking amount of quality at its sub-$100 price. You can safely dip a toe in here for less if a purely button-based pad appeals to you.

You want to take your game up a notch
Leverless controllers are designed with competitive players in mind first and foremost. A pad like the 8BitDo Arcade Controller can help prepare you for higher-level play by allowing your inputs to be faster, more responsive, and helping you to avoid costly mispresses.

Don’t buy it if…

You prefer casual play
Inversely, the 8BitDo Arcade Controller probably won’t be the best fit if you’re not keen to rewire your brain to its particular input requirements. Inputs aren’t where they would be on a regular controller, so if you’d rather not deal with the headaches that come with learning a leverless layout, give this one a miss.

Also consider...

The 8BitDo Arcade Controller is just one of many quality fighting game pad options out there. If this one’s not quite doing it for you, consider the following two alternatives.

8BitDo Arcade Controller

Victrix Pro KO

8BitDo Arcade Stick

Price

$89.99 / £75.99 (around AU$136)

$249.99 / £229.99 / AU$399.95

$119.99 / £99 (around AU$182.99)

Weight

2.42lbs / 1.1kg

2.7lbs / 1.225kg

4.63lbs / 2.1kg

Dimensions

11.9 x 7.9 x 0.9in / 301 x 201 x 22mm

13.35 x 9.23 x 0.8in / 235 x 334 x 22mm

11.9 x 8 x 4.4in / 303 x 203 x 112mm

Compatibility

Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC (Switch and Xbox models sold separately)

PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC (PlayStation and Xbox models sold separately)

Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC (Switch and Xbox models sold separately)

Connection type

Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C)

Wired (USB-C)

Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C)

Battery life

Around 20 hours

N/A

30-40 hours

Software

Ultimate Software V2

N/A

Ultimate Software V2

Victrix Pro KO
More of a premium pick in the leverless realm, the Victrix Pro KO offers sublime build quality, plenty of customization, and comes in much cheaper than the high-end Victrix Pro FS. One to check out if money’s no object.

Read our full Victrix Pro KO review

8BitDo Arcade Stick
If you’d prefer something more arcade-adjacent, I can definitely recommend the 8BitDo Arcade Stick. While much bulkier than its leverless counterpart, it offers the same level of responsiveness and customizability. If you can’t wrap your head around the lack of a stick on the 8BitDo Arcade Controller, then this one might be the answer if you don’t mind paying a little extra.

Read our full 8BitDo Arcade Stick review

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the 8BitDo Arcade Controller

• Tested for a week
• Played a variety of fighting games on Switch 2 and PC
• Compared to the 8BitDo Arcade Stick

I’ve played with the 8BitDo Arcade Controller for around a week for this review. During that time, I hopped between Switch 2 and my gaming PC to play a wide variety of fighting games, including Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6 Years 1+2 Fighters Edition, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Guilty Gear Strive, and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising.

I compared my time with the Arcade Controller to that of the 8BitDo Arcade Stick, really getting a feel for the difference between a traditional joystick and leverless inputs. I did find leverless to be a little trickier to get used to, but I would choose the Controller over the Stick for competitive settings purely thanks to its high level of responsiveness.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2025

Leverless controllers for fighting games can be intimidating, but the 8BitDo Arcade Controller is a solid newcomer option.

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