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

This is a great little controller, perfect for metroidvanias, platformers, and 2D fighters. They got the dpad perfect, feels just like it should. Im not entirely sure how the design works but its not like your usual dpad, its a Sega dpad so please keep that in mind when purchasing this.

This is a long review, and so I’ve listed a TL;DR summary up front here for anyone who doesn’t have the patience to read my whole review. This controller is well designed, feels great, and scratches a nostalgia itch very well. However, the button configuration translates so bizarrely to the control scheme of the Nintendo Switch, that it makes playing games extremely uncomfortable. The layout of this controllers is not analogous to the buttons on the Switch, and while it’s physically well built and comfortable to hold, it’s really very hard to recommend it for anything beyond a very niche set of games that works well despite the button layout. Full Review: Oh man, I have a lot to say about this controller. First and foremost, I want to express that this is more of a first impressions review, and I’ll update it in the future if continued use changes any of my opinions. However, this is a new product, and I’m sure there’s a lot of people out there like me who depend on reviews before they purchase most products, so I wanted to get something up right away to help those shoppers. It’s also primarily a review geared towards Nintendo Switch owners. I did sync it up to my Mac for review purposes, and it synced up and worked great, but I didn’t put much time into it. First, the good. The build on this controller is everything I wanted and more. It’s like the physical version of an HD remaster of an old video game: it’s all the nostalgia and memories you love but re-built from the ground up with the bells and whistles of the modern day. In other words, this feels like I remember Sega controllers feeling but it’s better in every way. If you grew up with a Sega Genesis and/or a Sega Saturn (which is why, I assume, you’re interested in purchasing the M30), everything feels right at home. The floaty d-pad feels flexible yet responsive, and the buttons have just the right amount of give and “clickyness”. The triggers also fall in the right spot, and the entire controllers fits perfectly in my moderately sized hands. Though a lack of ergonomic handles holds it back in comfort compared to a modern controller, I think it’s the most comfortable retro-style controller I’ve ever used. I’d rank this above the Genesis, Saturn, NES and SNES controllers (including 8bitdo’s SNES-inspired SN30 Pro). For certain games, it works like a dream. I booted up Sonic Mania first and felt a rush of nostalgia. I’m even considering buying 8bitdo’s Sega Genesis bluetooth receiver so I can play the classic Sonic games the same way. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also felt perfectly natural, and I assume any game with control schemes limited to 1 button or 1 button + shoulder buttons would work well. Puyo Puyo Tetris also felt good, though I imagine your mileage may vary based on how much you like the floating D-pad. Obviously any game that requires two analogue sticks won’t work here. That said, the D-pad registers as an analogue stick, so if you don’t need the right stick for camera control, this controller will still work. For reference, it worked for controlling characters in Smash Bros Ultimate (more on that below), though taunts were inaccessible. I even booted up Breath of the Wild to try it, and it does work for moving Link around! Obviously you couldn’t play the game with this controller though. Unfortunately, there’s one major issue that prevents it from being a perfect Switch controller the way, one that other retro-styled 8bitdo bluetooth controllers don’t have a problem with: the button layout. On a PC or Mac, where the buttons can be reconfigured, this wouldn’t be an issue, but the ABC XYZ layout of the Genesis/Saturn 6-button controller clearly doesn’t translate to the SNES layout the Switch uses. For reference, the M30/Switch layout is as follows: M30=Switch -A=B -B=A -Y=X -X=Y -Z=L (I might have mixed these two up) -C=R (I might have mixed these two up) -L=ZL -R=ZR Basically, this means that the buttons match the layout of the Switch joycons/pro controller, which means that button letters don’t match, and the layout is similar even though this controller is designed very differently. This leads to some muscle memory issues, as well as some game controls feeling very bizarre. If you sit and actually think this out in your head, you’ll see that it technically makes sense, at least on paper. While the ABXY buttons might be totally mixed up, they still follow the basic shape of the buttons, while the top-most triggers have transitioned to the top-most face buttons. But this isn’t nearly as elegant of a solution as it sounds on paper, and there is a lot of trouble overcoming muscle memory for any game that requires quick input of multiple buttons. Even if you can get over the fact that A=B and B=a, the fact that the X and Y buttons are different sizes and in different locations compared to the joycons/pro controller really makes hitting those buttons feel awkward. And that’s saying nothing about the fact that L and R are now face buttons, something I imagine would only be beneficial in specific fighting games. Just to name a few examples of the issues I ran into: 1) In Smash Bros Ultimate, using the Z and C buttons for grabs feels very weird, and takes travel time for the fingers. 2) In Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, using rolls no longer feels smooth, since my fingers now have to specifically travel upwards away from the jump buttons to the X and Y buttons. 3) In Celeste, a game which requires extremely precise movements, the swapping of A and B really threw off my groove. I could have re-mapped controls in that game, or used the X/Y buttons, but the former seems inconvenient and the later would have the same problem as listed above with Donkey Kong. The D-pad did work surprisingly comfortably for this game though, as did the triggers. So in summary, this controller is a mixed bag. I really want to love it because it designed very well, and feels great. When the layout works for a game, it feels great to use. Something with only one button like Sonic Mania works great, as do games like Mario Kart which only require one face button in addition to the triggers. However, the layout just doesn’t fit the layout of the Switch controllers and thus every other game feels awkward to control. It’s an extremely niche controller and I’d have a hard time recommending it to anyone without very specific games they wanted to use it for. In fact, I think I would have rather bought the 2.4G wireless version they made for the Sega Genesis, since this one will get very little use on my Nintendo Switch.

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.

Lo compré principalmente para jugar juegos de pelea, ya que en cuanto al precio y diseño es perfecto, la cruceta flotante (creo que así se llama) es bastante mas precisa que una cruceta clásica, aparte tiene toda la calidad 8bitdo, de los cuales tengo otro control, un sn30+ y también es perfecto, pero para juegos de pelea es mejor un diseño de 6 botones. A si que eso, si busca un control con estas características y a un precio accesible no lo dude y vaya por él :)

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!

Feels like my Sega Saturn gamepad - great for fighting games.

Amazing! The buttons are even more perfecter-er than I dared dream theyd be. Ive tried several controllers from several brands and none match up to the sheer quality that 8BitDo offers. This device works as advertised, immediately out of the box. Just sync it up to your device and BAM! Ready to rock and roll! Works in every which way youd expect it. Wireless and wired, if the game works with a 360 controller itll work with this, no problem (provided you dont need the analogue sticks, which it hasnt got). I play retro and retro-style games with this, and it is an utter delight. The response is immediate, and its a delight to hold, and touch. Button feel is perhaps even better than that on the official controllers of the big three games console giants. If youre into retro gaming on PC, you owe it to yourself to pick up an 8BitDo. I have several of their products which i use across several devices and each of them works flawlessly and are delights to hold, with decent to wonderful battery life. Never any complaints, only a really good time!

This controller is, far and away, the absolute best retro controller on the market. Based on the Sega Genesis 6-button controller with inspirations from the Sega Saturn Model 2 controller, this works extremely well with retro games, and has a number of handy features to make the entire experience enjoyable. The ergonomics are great, and dare I say, better than the 6-button Genesis pad by a long shot. It just fits well in the hands. 6 face buttons, 2 shoulder buttons, and 2 extra buttons that function as a select and home button, all come together to make for a controller that works well with just about any retro game out there. It also has a turbo button. The d-pad is every bit as good as the original d-pad (so far...time will tell how durable it is). It is very accurate, and doesnt feel at all uncomfortable to use. I had no issues pulling off various combos and specials in fighting games with this. The buttons are all responsive, as well. The top row of face buttons do have a slight wiggle, but it is so slight, it is never noticeable while playing. The shoulder buttons also are very comfortable to use, and give the controller extra buttons to work with, making it a versatile controller that can work well with SNES, Saturn, and PlayStation games. As described, the controller has Bluetooth connectivity, though you can plug in a USB Type-C cable to play with a wired connection (Id suggest getting a longer cable, as the included one isnt very long). Wired or wireless, latency is not an issue at all, and I had no problem connecting it to any Bluetooth device. The connection is also very stable. While I havent tested battery life, 8BitDo advertises 18 hours of continuous play. Having used their SF30 Pro controller, I dont doubt thats accurate, as that gave me roughly 14 hours. The controller works on a nice assortment of consoles, with modes you can toggle by holding a button while turning the controller on. It will connect in XInput, DInput, Mac, and Switch modes. Yep, this works on Switch. With a bit of a caveat. For those wanting to use this with the Genesis Collection, unfortunately, the controls are layed out in a way that is inaccurate to the original Genesis controls, and there isnt an option to remap. Thats not a fault of the controller, but the collection itself, though. And the controller is designed in conjunction with the Retro Receiver, and even properly maps the buttons to the Sega Genesis controls, with the L and R buttons mapping themselves to act as extra Z and C buttons, respectively. But all in all, this controller is easily worth the purchase. For those looking for a good controller to use with RetroPie, Lakka, RetroArch, etc, this is perfect. If you were on the fence, I can assure you to climb over. Its a great controller.

I have a few 8bitdo controllers and the M30 is by far my favorite. As a huge Sega fan from back in the day, I love that the dpad mimics the one found on the Genesis 6-button pad and the button layoutmatches both that pad and the Saturn controller. This one adds extra buttons for modern gamers that also accomodate its use on the Nintendo Switch. Personally I dont use it on that platform, I use it often on a Windows 10 computer and sometimes on a couple of Raspberry Pis. This isnt a controller Id recommend for modern games since it lacks analog sticks and has a different button layout. However, if youre into playing classic games via emulation, I think this is about the best controller you can get right now. Its responsive, easy to connect, works over either a wired or bluetooth connection, and when using it wirelessly you get more than respectable battery life. If youre looking for a controller for retrogaming that is suitable for multiple older platforms, then look no further, this is the one to get.