I discovered a $30 PC controller that beats Microsoft’s $70 Xbox gamepad

Finest Costs At the moment: 8BitDo Final 2C Wi-fi controller

Within the ’90s and 2000s, there have been loads of third-party controller choices accessible for players from corporations like Mad Catz and Nyko. And just about all of them have been horrible. Whereas the official controllers have been dear, the choice was getting a pad so dangerous that you simply have been at an precise drawback, to the chagrin of youthful siblings the world over.

In 2026, a brand new Xbox gamepad (the de facto normal for PC) prices $70. If you’d like a USB dongle for one thing sooner than Bluetooth, add on $30 or so. Sony needs $80 for the Twin Sense, Nintendo needs $90 for the Swap 2 Professional controller. And Valve asks a cool $99 for the revamped Steam Controller (although to be truthful, it does embrace a wi-fi adapter). It’s sufficient to make a frugal middle-aged gamer with payments to pay take a second take a look at the finances aisle, particularly if they need a number of pads for multiplayer enjoyable.

Michael Crider / Foundry

Enter 8BitDo. This firm has been round for years, beginning off with retro-inspired controllers for telephones, however increasing into nearly each technique to play, together with some fairly good mice and keyboards. And I purchased a sliding cell controller for journey that I’ve gotten quite a lot of use out of, together with a full playthrough of Skies of Arcadia on my cellphone. (Sega, remaster this recreation, I’m begging you. It’s been 25 years.)

So once I noticed that they supplied a totally featured gamepad, full with wi-fi and a USB adapter included within the field, for 30 bucks, I made a decision to provide it a shot. The Final 2C Wi-fi prices just a few {dollars} greater than a whitebox design from one of many alphabet soup Amazon resellers. So on condition that it comes from a model I’ve grown to belief, it appeared prefer it was value the additional dosh.

Michael Crider / Foundry

And in contrast to many of the dear official controllers talked about above, this one comes with Corridor impact joysticks (and triggers). That signifies that, not less than absent some other {hardware} failures, it ought to be resistant to the dreaded stick drift. That alone makes it extra fascinating than quite a lot of the official pads — Nintendo launched a $90 controller in 2025 with out this characteristic, and there was weeping and gnashing of enamel.

The design is bog-standard, with the one extra gameplay buttons on the pad being R4 and L4 (extra shoulder buttons) that may allegedly be programmed proper on the pad, no additional software program required. You additionally get a “Star” button and a “Mapping” button on the face, for activating options like turbo. There’s a wi-fi pairing button on high, and a swap for swapping between Bluetooth and the two.4GHz USB dongle, which once more, comes within the field.

I might write 1500 phrases on each little a part of the controller, however that hardly appears obligatory. It is a finances pad, all plastic elements, no swappable battery, no superfluous LED lighting across the sticks. However every little thing right here is greater than serviceable; I’d say simply nearly as good as the fundamental Xbox pad. Higher, in a few methods — along with the drift-proof sticks, you get an outsized, Nintendo-style D-pad. I just like the retro clear plastic and inexperienced, very snazzy, however it is available in a handful of pastel colours too.

I solely discovered two actual downsides. One, the pad is ever-so-slightly narrower than the Xbox and PlayStation designs, making me maintain my elbows nearer to my torso in a pure place. I think about I’ll alter to that with out an excessive amount of problem. And two, I couldn’t get the R4/L4 mapping characteristic to work. I adopted the directions within the guide, up to date the firmware. Nada. Not an enormous loss, since with none additional software program element, it solely helps you to transfer some buttons round on the pad itself. Or not less than it will, if it labored. However since I purchased this controller with the intention of replicating the Xbox pad, it’s no huge loss to me.

Michael Crider / Foundry

The 8BitDo Final 2C can function in normal USB-C wired mode with no complaints, and it’ll pair nice to each Android and iOS tablets (or not less than it did so for my Galaxy Fold 6 and iPad Air). Sadly, it’s missing in no matter particular sauce is required to get extra persnickety consoles to speak to it. Neither my Nintendo Swap nor PS5 wished something to do with it. Once more, not an enormous loss, since I wished it primarily for taking part in PC video games. There may be one other model of the identical design, “8BitDo Final 2C Bluetooth” as an alternative of “8BitDo Final 2C Wi-fi,” that omits the USB dongle however works with the Swap.

Different customers say it doesn’t work with the Xbox (satirically), and I’ll take their phrase for it, since I don’t have one helpful. I’m not the one one.

For a “little brother” controller, this 8BitDo design actually is unbelievable. It’s a straightforward suggestion over the Xbox pad, not less than for those who don’t really need it to work with an Xbox. And looking out round for this put up, I even discovered it in a couple of spots for simply $25 USD. You actually can’t beat it.