The new 8BitDo SN30 Pro+ features a design reminiscent of Nintendo’s own Switch Pro Controller (not a bad thing) but with the analog sticks arranged side by side like Sony does with the. SN30 Pro+ is a bluetooth controller, so it works with Switch, Windows, macOS, Android, Raspberry Pi as well as all the devices our retro receivers/adapters support. It auto reconnects to all the systems mentioned above with the press of START once they have been successfully paired. Can I use it with 8BitDo retro receivers and adapters? SN30 Pro for Android Manual Firmware v2.00. Update log -. SN30 Pro+ Manual FAQ Firmware v5.01. The worlds first fully featured retro controller. The SN30 Pro is the worlds first, fully featured retro controller. It boasts a full button set with clickable joysticks, rumble vibration², motion controls, wireless bluetooth ®, rechargeable battery, home and screen shot buttons, and a USB-C connector.Not to mention a. 8BitDo SN30 Pro USB gamepad. We set out to design a fully featured wired retro controller to play 30 years of video games. With inspiration from the classics. Designed with the utmost attention to detail. We paid extra attention to the most critical characteristics like the d-pad, to make sure it feels exactly like you remember it.
SN30 Pro+ FAQ
There are three variants, what is the difference between them?
- The only difference is their physical appearance:
- A. Dpad
- Arrow pattern on SN and black editions
- Lines on G Classic edition
- B. A/B/X/Y buttons
- A/B are convex and X/Y are concave for SN edition
- A/B/X/Y are all convex shaped
- C. Body and button colours
- As for their compatibly, functionality and connectivity, they are the same.
Do they have Screenshot, Home, Turbo, NFC functions when connected to Switch? Can I also wake up my Switch wirelessly with these controllers?
- When connected to Switch, you can find on these controllers:
- A. Screenshot = STAR button
- B. Home button = Logo button
- Turbo function can be set on its Ultimate Software.
- and NFC functions are not applicable here.
- You can not wake up your Switch wirelessly with this controller.
What systems does it work with? Does it auto reconnect to those systems?
- SN30 Pro+ is a bluetooth controller, so it works with Switch, Windows, macOS, Android, Raspberry Pi as well as all the devices our retro receivers/adapters support.
- It auto reconnects to all the systems mentioned above with the press of START once they have been successfully paired.
Sn30 Pro Pairing
Can I use it with 8BitDo retro receivers and adapters?
- Yes, you can. Here is the procedure to follow:
- A. Press START to turn on the controller
- B. Press PAIR button on top of the controller to enter its pairing mode
- C. Press the button on the receiver/adapter, LED on the receiver/adapter blinks rapidly
- D. LED becomes solid when connection is successful
My controller does not turn on anymore. Nothing happens when I press on it. What should I do?
- Please follow the procedure below to fix the issue:
- A. Remove the battery pack from the controller first then put it back.
- B. Press and hold L1+R1+START for 3 seconds to enter its upgrade mode. Red Power LED will turn on.
- C. Go to https://support.8bitdo.com/ to get Upgrade Tools and upgrade its system following the instructions.
- D. Restart the controller and follow the instruction manual provided on our website afterwards.
My SN30 Pro+ does not connect to my Switch, no matter how many times I have tried. What should I do?
- One Switch can only connect to 10 controllers the most, the connectivity issue you are facing can be caused by your Switching connecting to too many controllers already. Please follow the procedure below to fix it:
- A. Click on ‘System Settings’ on Home page of your Switch. Choose ‘Controllers and Sensors’ on this page.
- B. Click on ‘Disconnect Controllers’ to disconnect the connection.
- C. Click on ‘OK’ when the process is done.
- D. Restart your Switch and go back to ‘System Settings’ and choose ‘Change Grip/Order’.
- E. Re-sync the controller to your Switch from scratch. Y+START is the key combination for putting the controller on the right mode.
What are the four small LEDs for on the bottom of the controller?
- They are controller mode indicators:
- A. LED 1 blinking: D-input mode
- B. LED 2 blinking: X-input mode (Xbox 360 mode)
- C. LED 3 blinking: macOS mode
- D. LED Rotating: Switch mode or pairing mode
- E. Solid LED: connection is successful
- *It also indicates the player mode when connected to Switch
How can I make sure the button mapping on this controller is as Switch Pro not Xbox when it is connected to Steam?
- Just follow the procedure as below:
- A. Press and hold Y+START to turn on the controller
- B. Press and hold pairing button for 3 seconds to pair them
- C. Find ‘Switch Pro support’ & ‘Nintendo button mapping’ on Steam Control Setting and click on them
How do I charge the controller? How long does it last when fully charged? How long can two AA batteries last?
- We suggest you charge it via a phone power adapter with the USB cable which comes with the controller.
- The controller uses 1000mAh rechargeable battery pack with 4 hour charging time. The battery pack can last up to 20 hours when fully charged.
- As for how long can two AA batteries last, it depends the battery itself.
- Yes, you can. You can connect it to Switch, Windows, Android, Raspberry Pi and macOS using a USB cable.
Does this controller use HD rumble or a normal rumble?
- It uses a normal rumble, not HD rumble. You can turn on/off the vibration and alter the sensitivity via our Ultimate Software.
Sn30 Pro Manual
How many SN30 Pro+ controllers can I use at a time?
- It depends on the number of controllers each device can take. Multiple SN30 Pro+ controllers can be used at a time.
- 10 meters. This controller functions the best within the range of 5 meters.
In this review, I take a close look at one of the highest-rated 3rd-party controllers of this generation: the 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+.
One Controller to Rule Them All?
8Bitdo have been at this for a while now, yet I don’t think they started to gain mainstream notice until the SN30 Pro+ was compatible with the Nintendo Switch. Before that, they were mostly favored by enthusiasts in the retro gaming world, as they produced wireless bluetooth clones of the NES, SNES, and Genesis controllers. But this controller has a lot to recommend it when compared to one of their popular SNES clones: hand grips, full-size trigger buttons, dual analog sticks, and dedicated customization software.
It’s available in multiple colours, including nostalgia-inspired versions like the one I bought (in addition to a sleek all-black option). The SN30 Pro+ controller has quickly become my go-to option when gaming on the go with my Switch or my Android phone. Yet it is not entirely without issues, so lets dive into this review!
The SN Edition of the controller does a great job of hitting the nostalgia feels.
1: Compatibility
Being in a house full of gamers can often mean facing a randomly annoying phenomenon: controller clutter. We have a Switch, a Raspberry Pi retro machine, an older Xbox 360, and a Steam Link for a PC. Every one of those usually uses different controllers, and although it’s not always an issue, it would be ideal if these would all play nice with each other. We all have our favourites, and for me I’ve always preferred the various PlayStation DualShock designs. On picking up the SN30 Pro+, it immediately felt both comfortable and familiar to my hands; the Pro+ model is essentially shaped like a middleground between a SNES controller and a Dualshock 2 or 3.
On picking up the SN30 Pro+, it immediately felt both comfortable and familiar to my hands
The comfort of the device extends to its compatibility, as (with a few steps) you can get this controller working on Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS, Android, and Raspberry Pi. My Android phone was the one I had to work on the most here, yet across the board when compared to other options, it was surprisingly quick to get up and running. That being said, when you use an Xbox controller, moving over to PC tends to be a plug-and-play experience for both wired and wireless, whereas the SN30 Pro+ can require some up-front set-up on PC (detailed below).
Now, as I mentioned above, the occasion where this controller is getting the most use for me is when I’m travelling and gaming on my phone. I took advantage of the optional extra Smartphone Clip to get my retro gaming nostalgia on the go. A nice bonus to have!
The compatibility across multiple platforms is not without issues. Take a quick look at the lower user reviews out there and they all point at problems shortly after software updates on consoles, Windows, or MacOS. Although 8Bitdo does a great job of updating the firmware of the controller when things like this occur, a user has to know to even look for that in the first place.
2: Design
One of the more concerning aspects of some budget controllers is the buttons. It is one of the easiest places to cut costs, yet when you’re designing a controller to work over multiple platforms, like 8Bitdo has here, you need more nuance. And they have mostly delivered! The most obvious place you notice this with the SN30 Pro+ is the face buttons and triggers. If you have a PC and Mac, you can get more customisation (more on that in a moment), but even out-of-the-box the buttons, sticks, and triggers all feel quite decently made. It’s clear that there is a bit of softness initially to the triggers, yet there is enough resistance there to allow for good overall control.
The optional extra Smartphone Clip helps when gaming on the go.
One thing that did not really do much for me is the vibration strength. When you compare it to the PS4 controller or the Joy-Con HD Rumble options, the SN30 Pro+ does feel a lot weaker, even if you crank it up on the PC software. I spent most of my review time bouncing between my Switch and Android, and when I was travelling I didn’t mind the weaker vibration—yet once I connected it to the Switch when I was back at home and wanted a more noticeable response, it was more obvious.
One thing that does not really do much for me is the vibration strength
Keep in mind that this is a main feature of both Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons and Switch Pro controller, not to mention it having been a part of the other console controller designs for a while now. This weakness is where I feel most of the saving in cost was made and a lot of this comes down to whether you like the feedback of the rumble sensation generally. At least when I was playing retro games, of course, I didn’t need it and didn’t feel its absence. But going from a modern controller with the normal strength to that of the SN30 Pro+ is a little disappointing.
Now, speaking in comparison to other models from 8bitdo (having used some with my Raspberry Pi for some good old retro gaming), the Pro+ is a very worthwhile upgrade thanks to the addition of the grips, the larger triggers, and the new software unique to the SN30 Pro+.
The best part of the new design here is probably the newly developed “Ultimate Software”. As 8Bitdo explains, the software, “gives you elite control over every piece of your controller: customize button mapping, adjust stick & trigger sensitivity, vibration control and create macros with any button combination.” It is that level of customisation that is the standout of the controller and it’s thanks to 8Bitdo wanting the controller to be compatible across so many platforms while having a ‘Pro’ feel.
Finally, one further nice design feature to mention is the removable, rechargeable battery. Not only does this charge through USB-C (cable comes included in the box), yet if you want to have some backup power while traveling, you can pop the battery out and replace it with normal AA batteries.
The removable rechargeable battery is a nice touch to the design.
3: Button Feel
As mentioned above, there are some things I do quite like about the design of the 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ controller. Yet, when it comes to classic/pro-style controllers, this is still in the more budget range of modern options, and some compromises have been made. I’m going to break this down a little brutally here, so if you’re going to be using the controller for a particular type of gaming, you can be aware of everything ahead of time.
A, B, X, Y Buttons
With being the only real constant across basically every generation of games, these are the buttons I have battered the most so far. Compared to the d-pad detailed below, these are housed really well, have an excellent response, and still have a nice spring to them even after my considerable use. I’m glad they didn’t use 4 identical buttons (another fault of cheaper controllers) so that the top of my thumb can more easily push on the concave X and Y, with the convex A and B being the better choice for lower down my thumb.
D-Pad
For lack of a better word: floaty. If you’re using the d-pad for slower paced games, you won’t really notice this, but if you’re having to switch between up and left/right (or down and left/right) quickly, you can get a bad push on the pad resulting in an incorrect input. At least on my instance of the controller, there’s a lot of wiggle room on the d-pad in the cut-out. If this is down to imprecise design in general, or just a badly sized component to fit the cut-out, I couldn’t tell you. All I do know is if you’re playing a fast game, it really makes you think once you notice the d-pad moving around a lot.
When I’m playing something chill like Pokémon on my phone (don’t @ me!) you don’t notice it, as there are really no fast-paced changes in direction. However, if I play one of my childhood gaming nightmares like “The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Juggernauts”, there are moments that require super-fast changes of direction (the downhill skateboard levels…) and you can really feel the d-pad moving around under your thumb.
This problem magnifies if you’re doing diagonal directions. Again, for slower movement it’s not too bad, yet for those quick changes in direction, it can get frustrating feeling the d-pad moving around and it will result in it not registering diagonal movement especially at times.
Thumbsticks
These are solid. Really nice! I connected the controller up to my PC to give it a run in GTA V with driving around and you can be very precise with them… if you set them up right. Out of the box the sensitivity was set to 50% which gave me no fine control, it was either go straight or make a sharp 90 degree turn. However, turning the sensitivity up to 100% suddenly gave me more precise control, which does make me wonder why they’re not just set to that out of the box.
Admittedly, 8Bitdo make this easy to change and, indeed, they proudly advertise the adjustable sensitivity of the sticks. Yet the default setting does not lend itself to having the controller exactly how you might want it out-of-the-box. You wouldn’t expect the Switch Pro Controller, for example, to need adjustment out-of-the-box to work perfectly.
Triggers
As mentioned above, one of the main advertised features are the analog adjustable triggers. And they are quite excellent. Just like the thumbsticks, however, I had to go into the software and change the sensitivity here to tighten up the response. Once you do, they feel as good as any standard console controller, yet they fall short of the trigger feel you get on Pro controllers.
Like the back grip, more premium controllers have a little more texture and shape to them to assist you in quickly flicking the trigger precisely, which doesn’t make the trigger of the SN30 Pro+ ideal if you’re going to be playing shooters with this at a high level. For more general gameplay however, they’re totally acceptable, assuming you go in and adjust the sensitivity.
4: Comparing the SN30 Pro+ to Other Controllers
For me, when summing all of its features and attributes together, this doesn’t quite compare to a Dualshock 4 or an Xbox One controller. Then again, should it?
At an ~$20 lower price point, I see the SN30 Pro+ as a true budget alternative to the “premium” standard console controllers out there. It’s a solid budget option which does almost everything right, from compatibility to customisation to design. However, with its lack of rumble strength and imperfect d-pad, certain players that are used to recent console controllers might be left wondering if it was worth spending the extra $20 to get the most out of some games.
I see the SN30 Pro+ as a true budget alternative to the “premium” standard console controllers out there
One negative with the flat plastic grips comes if your hands sweat while playing. Although normally I’m not prone to this, in the hot weather like we’ve been having recently, not having a grip material on the back of the controller or a texture to the plastic of the grips makes it quite noticeable. Still, the lack of a different material or a textured design on the grips is probably another acceptable tradeoff for its cost, as it’s something I only picked up on after 30 minutes or so in the summer heat.
The controller is available in an all-black look for those devoid of nostalgia
That all being said, one thing I cannot really do is re-map a controller like the standard Xbox One Controller to suit my needs across different platforms. Having the ability to add macros and custom controls is a huge benefit, as well as being able to save multiple sets. The closest I’ve seen to this is with the likes of the Xbox Elite controller. To me, that is still the benchmark for an “ultimate” customizable gaming controller, but in fairness it does come with a $100+ premium over the SN30 Pro+!
8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ Final Verdict
Overall, I was very happy with the 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ controller for the price of it. It has a decent enough build for the price, with the analog triggers, customisable controls, and removable rechargeable battery being the highlights. If you’re after a cheap alternative to the standard mainstream console controllers to work across multiple platforms, the 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ is the best of the bunch and does a great job of merging style and feel on a budget.
Its only major weakness is a poor vibration function, something which might improve on later models and which might not matter to everyone—but is possibly a deal breaker if you’re looking for a controller primarily for the Switch and enjoy the HD Rumble of the standard Joy-Con controllers.
One thing I would like to see 8Bitdo improve upon is how the controller behaves out-of-the-box. I personally had to adjust both the triggers and thumbsticks sensitivity, as well as bump the vibration up to 100%, to get things how I liked them. I doubt I’m alone with that, and although they do advertise the customisation, not everyone will want to go messing around in software to get the performance. I would personally advise these being at or near their maximum to allow users to see the full potential of the controller immediately (whatever happened to just plug in and play?). Then, if someone feels something is too much, they can tinker and pull back on the sensitivity.
8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ | |
PROS A Microsoft timeline template can help. These free timeline templates are visually appealing and feature a variety of styles, colors, formats, illustrations and infographics. There’s a template for timelines for month-long, year-long, and longer projects, as well as timeline. Timeliness. | CONS |
– Excellent button and sensitivity adjustment/customization – Solid compatibility across multiple platforms – Great trigger feel, analog sticks, and overall button design – Removable rechargeable battery, compatible with standard AA | – Weak rumble feature in comparison to modern options – Seemingly cheap design of d-Pad and grips – Too much reliance on fixing out-of-the-box issues in software |
TL;DR:
With only a few native issues that can be fixed in software and a couple less-than-stellar design details really working against it, the 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ controller is a great option. It’s popular due to its compatibility, customisabilty, and price point.
I would say this controller is well worth a buy. But do be aware of its several small issues going in, and be prepared to make adjustments to suit your gameplay.