8Bitdo Arcade Stick Controller

Product Description

Introducing the NES30 Arcade Stick for Nintendo Switch. An ultra-compatible arcade stick, featuring turbo and d-pad/joystick modes. The NES30 Arcade Stick is designed to be as versatile as possible with each of your modern devices. Easily pair it as an X-input or D-input device via Bluetooth. Compatibility Windows 7 and above Bluetooth 4.0 Android 4.0 and above macOS 10.7 and above Switch 1.0.0 and 4.1.0.

Features

• Ultra-compatible with Nintendo Switch, Steam, Windows 7 and above Bluetooth 4.0 , macOS 10.7 and above, & Android 4.0 and above
• Wireless Bluetooth and direct USB connectable with built in lithium ion battery. Bluetooth 2.0 and above 2B, 2B+, 3B, Zero
• D-Input and X-Input functionality
• Turbo and d-pad/joystick modes. Mod-able and customizable. 480mAh Li-on battery, rechargeable
• NOTE: The arcade stick is compatible with Nintendo Switch, Mac, PC and Android. Each system needs to be put in a special mode on the product to work with it. Refer to the PDF attached below in Technical Specification for User Manual.

Top Reviews

Decent multiplatform fightstick
by Amazon Customer (4 out of 5 stars)
August 22, 2018

Quite impressed with this. The top does flex a bit but not really noticeable. The case itself seems sturdy enough to take some slaps when I mash the buttons. I bought 2 of these for my SNES Mini. Found that I could pull off moves more frequently on one over the other. Swapped the joystick with Seimitsu LS-32. Sanwa JLFs can be used but you will have to find a workaround because it comes with a 5pin pcb type connector.

The wires are fine when soldered directly to the microswitches but when using quick release connectors, which you will need to connect the seimitsu, you will find the wires going to the microswitch farthest from the control board are too short. Just cut some of the extra wire that connects to the microswitch closest to the control board and use butt crimp connectors to lengthen the wires.

Buttons were easy to swap out. 30mm for the eight main buttons and 24mm for the start button. I rewired the buttons to match the Nintendo button layout. It comes with the playstation/xbox button layout.

On a side note, it appears this company copied the sanwa jlf design. You can use the sanwa octagonal gate, 2lb spring, kowal oversized actuator and TheLink quick release shaft on this joystick. Can't really recommend modding the joystick over replacing it with a seimitsu ls-32. The microswitches seem to be the issue with these joysticks.
I have gotten it to work wirelessly with my NES mini and SNES mini. It seems to connect to my ps3 with bluetooth but haven't had enough time to test it. Works great wired to the ps3 and my Nvidia Shield TV.

I'd say if you are going to be playing on an NES/SNES mini then this joystick is great. If you are looking to play on multiple platforms excluding PS4 and XBox One then it should be fine. For PS4 and XBox one the mayflash f300/f500 would be a better option with no wireless at this price range.

And as others have stated, I really recommend replacing the joystick with a seimitsu.
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Solid switch joystick
by Jim (5 out of 5 stars)
August 21, 2017

Very solid arcade stick. Connects to PC/Switch very easily (have not tried yet for android and I do not own a mac so cannot test there), and plays very nicely. Connection over bluetooth is very stable, I did not notice any outstanding lag by using it compared to the wired connection. Comes with a pretty long usb cable to either play wired or for charging.

The actual parts, if you are used to high quality sanwa or seimitsu parts are a bit lacking. The stick seems to have a much wider response gate, and the overall feel of it is a bit looser compared to a stock sanwa stick. The buttons also have a bit of a "sticky" feel to them, not tactile sticky but again if you are used to sanwa buttons they will feel like they take a bit longer to go back to a neutral position after pressing. The inside is very very clean though so if you want to mod to a sanwa stick and buttons, it will be a very simple mod. I'm not saying the parts are bad, they just aren't as high caliber as some other sticks on the market. You will be able to get by on the stock parts ok if you are a beginner, but I do recommend an upgrade to the good stuff if you plan to play anything competitively on it.

The actual weight of the stick is very nice and hefty. All the weight is concentrated in the metal plate on the bottom, the plastic casing and parts do not weigh much when you take it apart. But it still feels very nice in your lap, and is extremely stable on a table with the rubber grips on the bottom. If you have larger hands, the left hand portion of the stick base may be a bit small to rest your hand on, but it is not uncomfortable.

Overall I really like this product at the $80 price point, it is a good beginner stick and is awesome that it has both wired and wireless capabilities. Would definitely recommend spending the extra on a good part mod, which will run about another $40 for a stick and buttons. Even then, you are at $120 for a stick that will work on switch, windows, android and mac with good parts and will last you for some time to come.

I would take the plunge if interested. It is a great stick out of the box with possibilities to make it even better with modding.
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Thats also not really a bad thing. I saw one reviewer say they were ...
by J W (5 out of 5 stars)
September 8, 2017

So first things first, YES, the stick is basically an upmarket Mayflash F300. Thats also not really a bad thing. I saw one reviewer say they were charging $20 more for the same stick and thats nuts. They had to add a Bluetooth radio, controller chip, and battery which I'd argue is easily worth an up charge of $20. Sure you lose Ps4 compatibility and Xbox one compatibility but you can think MS and Sony for not letting 3rd party peripherals connect via Bluetooth, it works great fo the switch and it comes down to Nintendo's support of an open standard (which is basically the exact opposite of what you expect to say about Nintendo!). So yes, the box is basically the exact same it's just color coded and themed to give that Retro Nes Feel (not a bad thing) and has the same button and stick arrangement.

No the stick isn't perfect, especially if you want something with directional gates, no the buttons aren't springy sanwa. But for $80 you get a wireless stick that works great out of the box but is incredibly modifiable. A screw driver and $30 in parts can turn this into a high level pro grade stick if you want that because all the fittings are standard size so you can change it up to your hearts content. Out of the box hte thing is solid. My two year old loves to grab controllers and just wail on them even though she has no idea what shes doing and shes dragged this thing across the floor, thrown it down, jumped on it, hammered on the stick and buttons and it shows no worse for the abuse.

It paired in seconds to my windows 10 laptop, tablet, and atom based TV box. Mame detected it no issue and it just takes a few second to map the buttons how you want. If you don't care about the wireless then save yourself $20 bucks and get the F300, its built to the same quality and modifiable standards and has wider compatibility. If like me you want to be able to sit on the couch and not have wires running across the floor then this is the perfect sick for Mame, Steam, or Switch games. If you are big on maze or fighting games you want ultimately want to switch out the gate.
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Pairs well with the Switch but needs to be upgraded with better buttons and joystick
by MDE (4 out of 5 stars)
September 7, 2017

As soon as I found out about this I pre-ordered it and had to wait some time before I got a hold of one. What I knew ahead of time is that the joystick and buttons were sub-par but it looked like I could replace both the joystick and buttons with Sanwa parts so I ordered and received those at the same time as the 8bitdo.

Immediately I paired the arcade stick with the Nintendo Switch and had little trouble getting the two devices to talk. It took me a little longer to figure out how to return to the home screen of the switch (joystick down + select). Played a little Street Fighter II and the buttons were okay but the stock joystick was terrible. The next morning I preceded to replace the joystick with the Sanwa JY-(whatever) joystick and had assumed all along that this was going to be plug and play. Unfortunately the Sanwa joysticks all come with a 5-pin connector and the arcade stick uses separate wires for each input. If you are thinking about doing the same thing as me, I hope you have a soldering iron because you'll need it. I desoldered the wires from the stock and soldered them to the Sanwa. Hint to those who are going to do this: Keep the ground wires consistent on the Sanwa joystick. I soldered some backwards and had to reverse them when some directions didn't work. But it works if you are willing to put in the time. It is definitely not plug and play like you would think from the 8bitdo literature.

I replaced all of the buttons as well, and they comparatively easy to replace. I did rearrange the button pattern from the goofy stock setup to one that mimics the Nintendo ScoreMaster (PAL region super advantage), and all buttons are working well. The Sanwa joystick is the biggest improvement though, much better than the stock joystick.

Here is the biggest letdown though. I also own a Retron5 and connect a SFC30 controller via a SNES bluetooth receiver, and that works really well. I foolishly assumed that this 8bitdo arcade stick would connect as well since it is the same brand as the SNES bluetooth receiver. It doesn't and I am super disappointed as I was going to primarily use this arcade stick with the Retron5.

In summary know what you are getting into before you buy. This arcade stick does not currently work on the Retron5... It does pair well with the Switch but if you are willing to put in the extra effort and expense of Sanwa buttons, you've got a much better device.

October 24, 2017 UPDATE TO MY EARLIER POST: 8bitdo has released a firmware update for the SNES receiver and the 8bitdo arcade stick now pairs and works with the SNES receiver. This means that is now working with my Return 5 as well as my Nintendo switch. Thanks 8bitdo for updating the firmware.
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A good stick, but read this if you plan on modding
by Andy (4 out of 5 stars)
May 24, 2018

I was interested in this stick for its compatibility with Android, Switch, and the 8bitdo Retro Receivers. As many have pointed out, this stick is essentially a rebranded Mayflash with Bluetooth, so the buttons and stick are predictably cheap-feeling. Luckily some good-quality Sanwa parts didn't add too much more to the bill, and 8bitdo specifically advertised the stick as mod-friendly, so I went ahead and pulled the trigger.

The buttons were easy enough to replace--just remove the quick-release connectors, pop them out, and plug in the new ones. The joystick, however, was a bit more annoying. I had been expecting the joystick to utilize a pcb with a five-pin removable wire harness, as is common in both Sanwa joysticks and cheaper knock-offs. Instead, the joystick had four separate switches, each with their own contact points for data and ground.

This style is also fairly common, so this shouldn't have been much of an issue--except for the fact that the wires were directly soldered to the contacts!

I was still able to make the mod work, but what should have been a simple five-minute mod job suddenly became a more tedious act of snipping and splicing. I didn't bother with any soldering--I simply twisted the appropriate wires together and applied heat shrink tubing, and so far I haven't had any issues. The stick has otherwise been pretty great, but soldering the wires directly to the joystick contacts was a bad design choice. I still recommend this item, but just be aware that replacing the joystick is a mildly destructive process.
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Good product - needs more precise instructions to work on Switch
by The Trickster (5 out of 5 stars)
September 14, 2017

Just so everyone knows, there's a firmware update that allows to play wired on a Switch (but didn't test that specifically)

It's somewhat confusing how to connect wireless to a Switch. Here's what I did:
1) Make sure the controller is off.
2) Restart the Switch
3) Turn on the controller (hold Start+Y)
4) Hold Pair for 2-3 seconds until it blinks rapidly
5) On the Switch go to Controllers - Change/Grip order
6) It should connect automatically.

The most important here was to follow the orders exactly and in my case especially parts 1 and 2.

Good product so far - makes me want to purchase more SNK classics!
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Get ready to play "Blinking Light Simulator"
by John Sumisu (1 out of 5 stars)
January 4, 2019

Bought this to use with my Switch. After 4 hours of carefully following the provided instructions, updating firmware, and combing through forums for info, the stick is still not connected to my Switch. You'll find yourself staring at a blinking LED trying to decipher exactly what's going on inside the stick. At some point it becomes impossible to tell if it's even on or off. You'll hold the Start button down for 8 seconds to power it down (as the instruction manual tells you), and then the light will inexplicably spring to life again as you try to boot the thing up in Switch mode.

Eventually, the light blinking didn't even follow any of the patterns described in the manual. A long blink and then a short blink? A brief flash of green and followed by a long blue light, two medium-length blinks, and a short blink? Apparently the stick was now trying to communicate to me in morse code.

It's possible some of this is Nintendo's fault. From doing some Google research, it looks like they might break 8Bitdo controllers with a lot of their Switch firmware updates. Regardless, even if that's the case, this is being sold as Switch compatible. It also doesn't excuse the arcane magic you need to cast in order to pair this thing to a device and interpret that damn LED.

The price point was okay for an introductory fight stick, but only if the thing works. I might try and spring for something a little more expensive (and licensed) at this point, just to avoid further frustration.
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seeing four blinking lights and then press the pair works good after that
by OOP (3 out of 5 stars)
March 28, 2018

Solid arcade stick. I had so much trouble connecting it to my switch. It took me more than two hours. I then tried to do a faster, hold start + Y button and then immediately pressing the pair button. It somehow connected. I sometimes have issues connecting it again. Pressing the hold start + Y button, seeing four blinking lights and then press the pair works good after that. If you want to connect back the arcade stick, just move around the joystick and it connects when connecting to controllers. I looked up every Youtube video and none helped. So i hope this helps any of you who are struggling. Also, update to the latest firmware on their website before trying to connect to switch. It's pretty easy to do.
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Update firmware first thing
by James (5 out of 5 stars)
December 4, 2018

Out of the box I had serious issues via wired on a MAC. Input lag, buttons not registering, etc. I could not do any Ryu/Ken moves at all. I just couldn't believe that the components would be that bad. Went to check the firmware and noticed I had version 4.0 (bought Dec 2018). 5.0 was available so I went for that. Immediately solved all my issues - easily performed Ryu/Ken moves just like back in the day. Strange that openEMU went from reading this as a "8BitDo arcade stick" on 4.0 to a "Sony Dualshock Wireless" on 5.0. Interesting...

As a casual player, once I got the firmware in line and could test several games I like, I do not intent to do any modding at this time. I'm sure the stick and (moreso) the buttons are lower-quality like other reviewers say, but they seem to work fine and I am ignorant to what modding them will really do for me in the long run. I will stick for now - it's just nice to know I can change things out later if I want.
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UNUSABLE Until UPDATED via Bluetooth on a PC.
by Sorcha Miles (2 out of 5 stars)
June 15, 2019

My BIGGEST gripe with this product is that THE INSTRUCTIONS DON'T TELL YOU YOU HAVE TO UPDATE IT for you to be able to use it at all. If you're like me & you're buying this for your switch, you might get angry quickly when this doesn't connect when you follow the directions correctly. And it won't even connect via USB to ANY DEVICE until updated.

Imagine my ire when, as I'm super excited to get my first arcade stick, it doesn't work and then I find out there's a incredibly important step to take that isn't on the instructions. And then realizing I have to wait until tomorrow to use it at all because guess what? None of my PCs have bluetooth.

Not a single pc in my house has bluetooth. For what reason did they design this device to not be able to be updated via USB???

I wouldn't be as mad if they either A. Updated their product before sending it out, the packaging is not plastic wrapped or anything, it's just a box you can open and close and no one would ever know, or

B. Be very transparent about having to update it in order to actually use it, Put in in their instructions, put it on their product description, heck, I think it should be on the front of the damn box.

Never mind the fact that they don't even try to make the buttons feel good. You WILL have to get sanwa buttons. The joystick could be installed with quick release circuitry, but they decided to weld it on. So that will be fun to deal with I guess.

We all know why we're buying this. It looks like nostalgia heaven, it's a good size, and it's the only bluetooth arcade board on the market basically.

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