8BitDo Lite Gaming Controller - Review

Without fail, a new console is released and there are always third-party controllers available for it, this has been going on for decades and let’s face it, some of the products released have been questionable at best. This is where 8BitDo come into the picture, they saw a need for a cheaper controller, that wasn’t about being cheaply made, but still offering most of the features you would get on the first party offerings and they succeeded in creating their own niche.

This is where one of their more recent offerings comes into play, the Lite Bluetooth Gamepad, a slimline controller, designed for Switch and Windows PC, that is minimal in everything, including its form factor, but still manages to maintain total functionality. When I say that things are minimal, I mean it, as the entire thickness of the controller doesn’t even reach 2cm and that includes the buttons, it is remarkably thin. It is so small that the company officially lists the dimensions in millimeters and at 120mm long by 66.2mm tall, it is tiny and yet somehow, not the smallest controller they have.

This small size does come with one major difference from almost all other controllers out there, including from 8Bitdo themselves, there are no control sticks, just d-pads. Having only d-pads means that this controller is perfect for games that shine in 2d, so your platformers or puzzle games and yes, while you can use it in all other games, you will be limited by the lack of range that a d-pad provides, compared to a stick. Some games, like racing games are not as bad as 3d platformers for example, but still not perfect and games like Monster Hunter Rise, well that is almost out of the question, given how complex those controls are.

You might think with the small size and lack of control sticks, it is awkward to hold, and you would be wrong, even with its diminutive nature, I never had any issues holding it in my hands, which is something I can’t state when holding Joy-Cons. That is not to say that this is one of the most comfortable controllers, there are plenty of controllers that are designed around comfort, that beat this one, but because of its flat design, if you will, it never feels like it will cramp your hands. That is not to say that it is perfect, because there are a few design issues I have with it, but the overall useability, is quite high.

The downsides are sadly quite pronounced and while you can overlook them, once they become apparent to you, it is harder to do so. The first is that in order to turn on the controller you have to press the equivalent of the home button, which is defined by an 8-bit heart on it. My issue with that button is that it has a hard circle of plastic around the outside, which can make it hard to feel, that you have actually pressed it. That is a minor annoyance, much like the L2 and R2 buttons, they are what you would consider the trigger buttons on any other controller, but here they are tiny and relegated to the top of the controller, making them a little hard to reach at times.

The big issue I have and this one is very much a problem, is that when I connected to my PC, by flicking the toggle switch on the front, I found that most of the buttons didn't map correctly. I booted into Ori and the Will of the Wisps because it is a 2-d platformer and I wanted to see how it would go, the problem is that when the game states to press X to talk, none of the face buttons, (A, B, Y, or X) let me do that. The controller for some reason, decided that the heart button, which is home for Switch, was X and there was no way, I could work out how to tell it, that it wasn't. As there is no customisation software for your PC, I was left to either deal with it, or remap the controller buttons in the settings of the game, but when I then booted into another game, I had similar issues and remapping every game, doesn’t seem like a worthy investment of gaming time.

Those issues aside, the Lite Bluetooth gamepad is a very solid and useable controller, it is clearly designed for select genres and while it does function for all, there are other options I would suggest, if you are looking for an allrounder controller. If you are looking for a secondary Switch controller, or perhaps one that fits into smaller hands, this is most assuredly an option I would recommend.

The Score

8.5

Review unit provided by Bluemouth Interactive

The Pros

+Solid build, with buttons that don't feel cheap

+Comfortable to hold, even with my larger hands

The Cons

-Placement of the 'trigger' buttons is odd to say the least

-Using it on a PC provides mixed results on each game tested