8Bitdo M30 Bluetooth Controller for Switch, PC, macOS and Android with Sega Genesis & Mega Drive Style

The M30 is a retro controller inspired by the famous 6 button sega controllers if your looking for a pad to just play the Sega Classics Collection, Sonic Mania, Streets of Rage 4, Fighting games, and perhaps the Disney Classics of Aladdin and Lion King; then this will work wonders. A lot of people say its inspired by the genesis pad, but with this controller featuring L&R shoulder buttons its more akin to the Sega Saturn pads that came after it. Regardless, it works well. Its comfortable to use, easy to pair, and very responsive. The easiest way to test out how responsive the d-pad and buttons are is in the street fighter 30th collection and I have had no problems doing a shoryuken or fireball which both require half circle motions to be done pretty quickly. That being said, there are some annoying quirks to put up with when you use this pad. 1.) Theres no instructions on how to pair and repair it with your switch unless you go to the 8 bit do website. Basically, holding your start button for approximately 7 seconds will power the controller off. If your on switch, go to your systems settings and go to change grip/order; turn the controller on and press & hold start+y til the screen says its paired. The same process will have to be repeated on windows but differently. Windows/Steam will detect the start+y as a PS4 controller; thats until you turn it off and press & hold start+x which will make it read as an xbox controller using X-input. So if you buy this thing, make sure to go the 8 bit do website for pairing instructions; itll save you a headache. 2) The second problem I have is that theres no select/minus button; which means for games like the street fighter 30th collection on switch, youll need to hit the minus button on your joycon to actually start up the game & continue because the plus buttonll take ya to the emulation settings. Now on Switch, you can remap the buttons and save profile configs when you absolutely need it; but I kinda wish that 8 bit do had opted for a button on this pad called mode(to keep it in line with the Sega aesthetic here.) and have it function as select. This controller also wont wake up your switch from sleep mode so youll need another controller on hand to do that as well. Overall, it does what its meant to do. Its a perfectly functional and well made sega inspired controller; if you play a lot of 2d games; fighting games(provided they dont use more than 8 buttons and dont require select to be used.) then the $30 youll spend on this thingll pay for its self.

This is a cute one. It fits in the hands as the old sega genesis controller. Ive bought one of this and one of the SNES design. This one was initially bought as back up controller to the SNES one, but sometimes I exchange both so I can have a different feeling of the game. Good price, good quality. Possibility to play in a lot of different platforms. I use it mostly for Steam, and its very accurate. Worth the buy!

Im pretty well versed with a few variations of Genesis/Mega Drive controllers for the original system. From the 3 button original, to the odd jank 3rd party ones to the normal original 6 button one, Ive grown up with em. This thing is MOSTLY a Genesis controller. The dpad and buttons really have that feel but this controller has the triggers which are a blessing from the Saturn controller. All of the buttons feel just right, they even sound the same from what I can tell. The Genesis controller is great for the games of the time, but later games really benefit from shoulder buttons. I tested this game with a few titles, Ranger X & Sonic 3 & Knuckles on the Genesis (emulated), Freedom Planet and its sequels beta, Sonic Mania, Mega Man X2 & X4. I made sure to test games on both Switch AND PC. For the games it worked really well and really, really feels like a genesis controller in terms of buttons and dpad. The extra buttons for the switch took a little getting used to. The Heart=Home which also works with steam, the screenshot button works on switch but didnt seem to register on PC. If youre curious about input delay? I cant feel any. That doesnt mean there isnt but as far as I could tell with my testing it felt spot on and if there was any delay I couldnt detect it. Naturally there will be since its wireless but it may very well be undetectable to most people. I heard its 1-2 frames, so if that sounds like a big deal? Thats on you to decide. Now, heres the problem with the controller which Im sure can be fixed with firmware updates which 8bitdo does do, theyre very good with support. So, the issue is when I tested some other games, yikes using the L & R button at the same time seems to negate both of them. So when playing Mega Man Zero with dash as L and shoot as R? I couldnt hold a charge shot and dash. If you want to say this is meant for Genesis games so the L&R buttons are moot to complain about? I disagree. They put them there for a reason and they help the controller be more than the OG 6 button controller. Again, this is very likely easily fixed via firmware and they do update these their many controllers. But as of writing with firmware 1.0? These two buttons will not work when pressed at the same time. No other buttons seem to be effected by any other combo either. So, as it stands I cant give it full marks. It feels so good and Im really happy with it over all but till they fix that one problem? I cant play some of the games I was hoping to. Edit: If youre going to use this on PC/Windows for some retro games, the best option is to set it up via MacOS mode by holding Start+A on boot up. This will put it in direct input mode and will negate my complaints. However it still will be a problem for any game you want to use xinput on.

Ive been using the M30 for over a year now and it is outstanding. The buttons and d-pad feel perfect out of the box - like it came broken-in from the factory. It has held up very well - there isnt a hit of slop in the controls. If you retro games - Celeste, Hollow Knight, Dead Cells, and the like, this controller is the perfect complement. I bought it for gaming on my Mac. Ive found that it also works almost as well as any native controller on Switch - it cant wake up a sleeping console, but it seems to do everything else. The buttons can be remapped (x/y, a/b swap) to match the Switch layout in about 5 seconds. I cant believe a $30 controller has remapping built-in, but here we are. For its intended purpose, the M30 leaves nothing to be desired. I would have been very happy with it at twice the price.

Great for all your 2D games. I use mine to play SNES/Genesis ROMs and the Sonic 1/2 mobile ports; have been for well over a year now. The Bluetooth connection is always reliable, the range of use is good, the battery life is more than satisfactory, and the overall feel of the controller is great. The face buttons feel just like the classic Sega 6-button Genesis controller. If any improvements were to be made, they should be fixing the D-pad such that you cant press the entire thing down at once, like the original controller. I would also advocate for a longer cable to be shipped with it; even one extra foot would make a big difference to me, since my PC doesnt support Bluetooth for some reason and I have to connect via USB to play. (The cable that comes with it is, what, 3 feet or so?) Neither of these issues are that big of a deal and they dont affect my opinion of the product much. 8bitdo kicks ass and I will be picking up their SN30 Pro+ controller as soon as I can. Just one question: is it 8-bit-dough, or 8-bit-doo?

Seriously could not be happier with this controller for fighting games specifically. Switch and PC are what I typically play on and this works flawlessly. Its very usefully that on the back of the controller it says what to press depending on which system you are plugging the controller into. Works sooooooo well with street fighter games. Dragon Punches are not a pain anymore. I was using the switch pro controller and a dualshock before when i played on pad, but those days are finally over. I will most likely buy more of these controllers just to have and im interested in checking out the d-pads on other 8bitdo controllers. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS CONTROLLER!!! 4 Month Update - Still works like a champ! I really love this controller! The Dpad is the best I have found in any controller so far. Also, this works perfectly with the Mayflash Magic S (for PS4) Rev 1.1 This converter allows you to use the M30 on PS4. So now im able to use the same controller for Switch, PC, and PS4! I just bought another one of these controllers so when I play with friends, we have 2 great fighting game controllers. The only improvement I could hope for in the future, is a version with a headphone jack. Thanks again 8bitdo!

As someone who grew up playing Sega Genesis and have used the SN30 Pro controller on a Nintendo Switch, I was very interested in getting this controller. To keep things short and sweet, if you plan on using this on the Genesis, this controller is a great alternative to the original Genesis controllers. I had no problems with latency, disconnections, or anything with it connected to my Model 2 Genesis, and the fact that 8bitdo went with the 6 button layout is great for playing fighting games with. The only real gripe I have is that Switch controls are switched (really keeping up with the name there), meaning that B is A, A is B, X is Y, and Y is X. Thats like me going from playing with a Switch Pro controller to playing with a Xbox controller. Also, dont expect this to be a miracle on Android, as the apps on that OS have spotty controller support. However, for the console it was designed for, that being the Genesis, it works out beautifully. Just remember to get the reciever with this version, or just the cheaper 2.4 GHz version with an included reciever. As far as design, this is a well designed controller. It has a few more curves than the original controllers, making it more comfortable in my opinion, and like its Super Nintendo with sticks counterpart, its built like a tank. The d-pad also works well, and the buttons dont feel too shabby either. So, if youre looking for a new controller for the Sega Genesis, or maybe you ordered an Analogue Mega SG system, you cant go wrong with this controller. If you get this Bluetooth version, though, remember to get the Retro Reciever for the Genesis, or if youre just getting this for Genesis and thats it, just get the 2.4 GHz version.

I grew up playing fighters, and the standard control scheme was light, medium, and heavy for each attack type. For those with 6 button genesis controllers or arcade sticks, this was easy to do, but it was awkward for the SNES controller that had shoulder buttons. Most modern controllers descend from the SNES controller layout (due to the Playstation using it, as Nintendo and Sony collaborated on it), so it is less than fun when going back and revisiting fighters or classic Sega games. I got two of these to use with a Raspberry Pi running RetroPie, and it is great. For Sega games, I can play them how I always did, and for games that use the 4 button control scheme, I can play those just as well, making use of the shoulder buttons here and just A, B, X, and Y buttons. It is well constructed, connects easily, charges using USB-C, and is super comfortable. Id definitely recommend them to anyone who is interested.

Great quality and I like the 8Bitdo products but I was mislead by the word windows so I assumed it would work for microsoft and the xbox but it does not. But is a good product.

I already had an older 8bitdo controller, so this did have expectations to meet. The D-pad is very good, but also seems a bit less tactile than I remember the real ones being. However, in fighting games, I was able to pull off moves pretty well, and put my few failures on myself, not playing that style of game much, these days. Input lag was just fine, to me. The biggest pro for this conotroller, IMO, is ergonomics. The sloped sides make using it for an hour or more tolerable, with RSI in both wrists, all while having a very good d-pad, placed such that my thumb naturally rests on it at a 45 degree angle. The SN30 Pro, for contrast, is much less comfortable for long periods of use, with its forward d-pad (though, I find it to be fine with the sticks, which I can use OK with a different grip). However, given its small size, it would be even better, ergonomically, if they followed Segas lead with their later controllers, and put the buttons on a steeper arc.