8bitdo SN30 Pro

We recently published our first review of an {8bitdo} product here on Gamereactor, and it was a real pleasure. The manufacturer has long been a favourite among both our readers and consumers thanks to its throwback designs, which offer modern functionality and a heavy dose of nostalgia.

That nostalgia goes into warp drive with the {SN30 Pro}, as it strongly wants you to hold up an image of classic SNES controllers in your mind's eye and feel the rush of nostalgia while using it. Nostalgia is a pretty central driving force, as there aren't many other reasons to use the {SN30 Pro}, but surprisingly, that's not actually a criticism.

There is, of course, an argument that a number of platforms generally lack smaller controllers for those who find them more comfortable, or for children who find a DualSense so massive that they can barely use it, but the {SN30 Pro} doesn't actually work with PlayStation or Xbox, like many of {8bitdo}'s products, which is a shame. This means that it works with PC, {Android}, {SteamOS}, {MacOS}, and {Switch} (and {Switch 2}), of which the first and last are probably the most relevant use cases.

It's quite well constructed, although the quality of the plastic used for the surface does not seem quite as sophisticated as on the {Ultimate 2}, but for around £35 you get a wireless, functional, and well-designed controller that even has {Hall Effect} on its analogue sticks, so you don't have to worry about stick drift over time.

It weighs 114 grams, so it's light and fits perfectly in the hands of my five-year-old. However, it should be said that he can also easily use the {Switch 2}'s {Joy-Cons}, so the {SN30 Pro} may support precisely those platforms where there is no shortage of solid alternatives. That said, there are Motion Controls for {Switch}, a battery that lasts approximately 15-18 hours on a single charge, and an attention to detail that is worth appreciating.

If you buy it for {Switch} or {Switch 2}, there seem to be mixed opinions about whether the {SN30 Pro} can reliably "wake up" the console if it is in Sleep Mode. It should, and I have experienced it, but for me, even with a firmware update, the feature was somewhat unreliable. I'm sure it's a limitation that Nintendo has deliberately placed, but it's a bit of a hassle to have to physically turn on your {Switch} or {Switch 2} for it to detect that there is an active Bluetooth connection.

That said, there's a lot of nostalgia to be found for the approximately £35 you'll have to pay, and if you need a cheap secondary {Switch} controller, or just want a well-functioning nostalgic throwback on, for example, PC, then you can't go wrong.