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 a great call back to sega genesis. This controller is easy to connect to most devices. For me, my main use is for my android phone. This is what I carry now instead of the sn30. It also has a usb-c charge port so theres no need to carry more than one type of wire. Now for the downside. I initially bought this for my switch to play the genesis collection but the game doesnt seem to allow button reconfiguration. So even though its still playable its just not the same. Holding the start button turns on the controller. This would pose a problem for me cause I find the controller activated on several occasions while I carry it in pocket or my backpack. This issue could be easily solved if the power button was one of the other buttons that isnt protruding out. Overall this is still my go to controller now. Thanks for making this controller 8bitdo!

I primarily bought this controller for the Sega Ages games coming for and on the Nintendo Switch. It pairs and works on different things like android, PC, Switch, and Steam similar to most of 8bitdos products. The build of the controller is as solid as I expected it to be, light but doesnt feel cheap. The buttons feel great, similar to the 6 button Genesis controller and the same can be said about the D-Pad (which is a major plus). This D-pad is fantastic imo, a HUGE improvement from the other controllers I have from them (the SN30Pro), barely any misread inputs from left or right going up or down instead. One main caveat for using this on the Switch is that it follows the Nintendo button layout (so A on this controller is B and X on this controller is Y, and the Z and C buttons are mapped to L and R while the L and R buttons on the controller are mapped to ZL and ZR). Plus the D-Pad is apparently detected as an analouge stick instead of a D-Pad/the 4 directional buttons so that might cause some problems with some games. This isnt a huge problem for the Sega Ages games since you can remap the buttons if need be but if you plan to use this controller for a game that doesnt let you remap your buttons then it could be a problem. (And the Z and C buttons are mapped to L and R while the L and R buttons on the controller are mapped to ZL and ZR) Using this controller on Steam works pretty great using X-input (and Big Picture Mode) too. Overall, this is probably 8bitdos best controller so far. I know that Retro-Bit are also releasing original cased wireless Sega Genesis and Saturn controllers in the future (who knows when) that will also work with the Switch, but for $30 this is hard to beat and is a great for all the Sega Ages games that are planned for the Nintendo Switch and Sonic Mania.

I am an avid player of Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection on Nintendo Switch. This is the perfect controller for playing Street Fighter. The dpad is a dream! Pulling off more complicated moves like Guile’s and Balrog’s super in Super Turbo are much easier now since the dpad is so good. It is incredibly precise and it is the best dpad I have ever used. I was previously using an 8bitdo SN30 Pro for Street Fighter and while that controller is in itself awesome, this is the better controller if you play games like Street Fighter. The buttons are also quite good and the feel of the controller is great. I love the smooth matte finish. In terms of synching up with the Switch, it synchs super fast. Never had one issue. Highly recommended!

Got it for my mini pc+batocera set, very comfortable,works great,the connection,the battery life,the buttons And giving the sega nostalgia Great buy

As an old man fighting aficionado, Im very percular about my controllers. The 8bitdo M30 controller hits all the right notes and constantly reminds of that feeling of huddling with your friends around the old Sega Saturn playing XvSF or Alpha 2 on a 24 inch CRT. The Dpad feels exactly how I remember the Sega Saturn dpad feeling like. Highly recommended for old man fighters.

I bought this controller for use on my PC with 2D games. Ive used it for a few weeks now, & I really like it. Its comfortable to use for long play sessions. The D-Pad in responsive & reliable. It does not have a center pivot, so its possible to accidentally smash all the directions, but I havent found this to be an issue in use. The 6 face buttons feel identical to my old 6-button Genesis controller. X, Y, & Z are a little loose, so they rattle when you set the controller down, but they still feel very good when you actually use them. The shoulder buttons are large with a similar feel to SNES shoulder buttons, but the pivot seems to be closer to center, which allows for easy presses on any part of the button. Pairing the controller was easy. Battery life has been great so far. I havent noticed any issues or lag while playing. My only real complaint is the positioning of the star, -, & home buttons. Theyre so close together & with no tactile distinction that I cant reliably press any of the 3. I feel it would be more functional if either a couple of tactile bumps were added to - or if star & home were moved above start to give more separation. Its not a big enough issue to make me want to reduce the rating, but it would be reason enough for me to buy a newer model if they changed it.

Great controller for retro games on Nintendo Switch, works seamlessly with Streets of Rage 4, Sonic Mania, Panzer Dragoon… and shockingly working really well with Mario Kart! A must-have for an 90’s gamer. Edit: over half a year later, and this is the ONLY controller I want to use with my Switch. I use this thing on any game I can, it’s just so much more comfortable and familiar to me as a 90s gamer. Battery life holds up well too. If you were playing NES thru Sega Saturn back in the day, and you have a Switch, you gotta own this.

I dont really get any nostalgia for the old sega controllers, but I got this one for us with Sega games that are available for the switch, and my modded SNES classic. The controller feels great, the buttons are crisp and feel durable. Not a huge fan of the circle D-pad, but it worked perfectly. The only complaint I have (which isnt the controllers fault) is that Ive found some programs assume Im using a nintendo controller, and remap the buttons as if that were the case. I was hoping this controller would somehow translate the genesis/Snes controller issue for me, but alas, its something that still needs to be fixed in the games controller settings. Not a deal-breaker at all, and this wouldnt be an issue for folks playing on emulators or original hardware. Still recommended, as it seems to be the quickest, easiest way to use a sega controller on nintendo machines.

The controller is excellent for my purposes. I am mainly using it as a controller for emulation, phone games, and Nintendo switch. Build quality, feel, and responsiveness are all great. It is good to note before purchasing that the button layout is angled differently than most modern controllers. This can take some getting used to, especially for sbes games, like donkey kong country, where you might hold Y constantly and press B with the heel of your thumb. The design of the controller allows you to shift your grip to account for this relatively easily, though.