8Bitdo M30 2.4G Wireless Gamepad for Sega Genesis Mini and Mega Drive Mini and Switch with 6-Button Layout (Black)

This is coming from someone that plays wired up to my Steam Deck on the dock, so any 2.4G talking points or battery life will not be discussed here. I mainly got this for playing retro SEGA games that used this controller layout, since playing with a modern controller feels wrong. As I got used to playing with this, I realized this may be my go-to controller for both retro and 2D games from now on. It works for nearly any genre, such as being one of the absolute best controllers to use for Shmups, or a fantastic alternative for fighting games. Platformers, RPGs, Racing, etc. They all play very well! I even tested it on Sonic Racing Crossworlds and beat a Time Trial record I had on Super Sonic Speed. This thing can handle nearly anything as long as you don't use a R stick for anything important and can move with the D-pad too. That's cool, but what about the controller itself? How's the feel of it all? Responsiveness? Quality? It's all fantastic. The buttons are nice and big while being easy to reach with my thumb. Travel distance is short for all 6 face buttons. The L/R buttons are also great. The star of the buttons is actually the D-pad. This thing is phenomenal! It moves in all 8 directions in anyway you want. The travel distance it short, so inputs come out easy. The texture is that of a rubbery hard plastic, where it feels like it grips your thumb without any accidental sliding happening, but it's still smooth enough to let you slide your thumb around if you actually wanted to. The controller itself feels nice on the hands. My fingers wrap around the sides while giving my thumbs enough space to reach every button. The texture of the plastic helps prevent slipping without it feeling rough on the hands. For what it's worth, I believe it to be a controller worth your money. For me, playing a lot of older games and some newer ones with this thing is pretty great. Only thing to keep in mind is that the dongle won't connect to your PC ootb, instead you'll likely use the cable that comes in the box. If you want wireless, get the Bluetooth version. This one will be detected as an Xbox 360 controller, which wasn't hard to properly set up. Inputs will need to be remaped, but once you find the proper inputs and set them up accordingly, it'll be smooth sailing.

Wanted to play some retro (and retro-style) games with my 3 year old, and newer Xbox-style controllers are too complicated and too big for his hands. I've had good luck with the 8Bitdo Ultimate in the past, so I decided to give this a shot. I'm blown away! I was a Genesis kid, and while this isn't a 100% exact match for the Genesis or Saturn controllers, it just feels like home. The size works great for both me and the kid, and the d-pad is absolutely incredible. The 2.4G connection feels extremely responsive on Steam. There are only a couple negatives, the first being that not many games (aside from Sega) were designed for this layout. Haven't tried it on Windows, but at least in Bazzite it asked me to map the buttons myself, which I did by copying Xbox fighting pad layout. Also, there doesn't seem to be a home/Xbox/Steam button, so getting back into Steam needs to be done with another controller. (It's possible both of these issues may have a resolution, but I haven't messed around with it.) All in all, would definitely recommend, and I'll be picking up more of these in the future!

It works well for what it's supposed to do, though I had issues getting it to work with the Switch and had to ultimately look online for someone's Pro Controller setup that a later update added, compared to being able to get it to work with Genesis games and similar titles out of the box, despite there being a setup to have it launch into Switch Genesis Mode. Once all the hard part is done, it feels amazing and the controller feels and plays just like an original Sega controller with the 6 button layout, even if not a lot of games used all the buttons. You will need to use another controller to activate this one first on the Switch from what I've experienced, but it works good after words. As far as using it on my Genesis Mini Mk II, it's great! Long battery and connects well from a distance. I bought it on a sale, so it was good for the cost compared to other options I've bought in the past that would die too quickly or constantly disconnect, meanwhile 8Bitdo is solid performance all around in comparison.

Love this controller. Clean white design with a nice retro feel. Very comfortable and lightweight - great for long sessions. Buttons and D-pad are precise and responsive. Super easy to set up - just plug and play. Highly recommend.

Bought it for my Sega Astro City Mini V and it works like a charm. It was easy to use. Plug and play. There is no button or switch to turn it off and it turns off by itself within 15 minutes of inactivity. I don't know if that wastes battery, but I would much prefer to physically turn it off when I can. Buttons feels great. D-Pad is pretty good too. Feel really good in the hand. I love the white color, but of course you can get a black one. Best thing about this is that it's wireless, unlike the official ones that you can buy for the cabinet. Now I can play the games on TV or on the cabinet without having to sit right next to it with my hands in the way because I have to use the built in small joystick and buttons on the cabinet itself. Totally recommend it and totally worth the moneyh.

Good looking and good feeling

I'm using this with retropie. I've had some issues with my m30 Bluetooth version over the years. Latency issues, random disconnects, and also the shoulder buttons being registered as axis. This controller has none of the above. It connects instantly with no noticeable latency. I love it. Best retro gamepad that money can buy. They need to restock the black version.

Take this warning from me. If anything happens to your 8bitdo product, such as the controller no longer taking charge well within the 1-year warranty period, unless you're in China, it's nearly impossible to actually get your product repaired or replaced since you're required to send it back to China. The warranty is there in name only but in actuality, cannot be used. Here's an email trail to give you an idea: Date: Tue, Sep 22, 2020 00:09 AM To: "[email protected]"<[email protected]>; Subject: M30 controller malfunction Hi 8bitdo, I purchased the 2.4ghz M30 controller for Sega Genesis Mini and it will not take a charge. The controller was purchased on Oct 3, 2019 from Amazon US. Attached is the invoice. The controller works wirelessly when plugged into a power source such as a USB charger but when it is not plugged in, there is no response and as soon as I plug the wire, the red light comes on to indicate that it's charging... yet the battery doesn't seem to take charge at all. The firmware is on latest 3.10. Can we discuss getting a fix/replacement please? Thank you. ---------- On Tuesday, September 22, 2020, 07:02:09 AM EDT, 8BitDo Support <[email protected]> wrote: Hello. So sorry you had this problem. We're manufacturers, far away in China. We can repair or exchange it for free. You only need to pay the freight/cost to send it back. Technician must detect and verify the issue of the product. And then figure out what the problem is. Please let us know your decision. We will never ignore our customers. Have a nice day. ---------- Date: Thu, Sep 24, 2020 01:45 AM To: "8BitDo Support"<[email protected]>; Subject: Re: Re:M30 controller malfunction Hello, Thanks for your response and offer for a free replacement. While I think it's reasonable for me to send the game pad to a service center in the same country (USA), I do not feel it is reasonable to have to send the controller all the way to China, especially considering the cost of freight and the time it would take for shipping, especially with delayed shipping due to Covid. Is there a service center in the USA I can send the controller to? Thank you. ---------- On Thursday, September 24, 2020, 08:44:13 AM EDT, 8BitDo Support <[email protected]> wrote: Hola. You can only send it back to us. We are terribly sorry. Sincere regards. ---------- On Thursday, September 24, 2020, 12:20:30 PM EDT, Hello again. This is very disappointing. It's essentially a warranty support that cannot be used in reality. I was looking at the new upcoming arcade stick but I will steer clear of it since the support process requires you to send the product back all the way to China. I will let other customers know of this situation. ---------- On Friday, September 25, 2020, 11:17:33 AM EDT, 8BitDo Support <[email protected]> wrote: Hola. We have sincerely and patiently serve you. We also offer free repair or exchange/replacement services. Returning and replacing are common procedures. This is how the warranty works. Even your warranty has expired, we are still serving you. In any other company, that's not going to happen. Sincere regards. ---------- Date: Sat, Sep 26, 2020 03:57 AM To: "8BitDo Support"<[email protected]>; Subject: Re: Re:M30 controller malfunction Hi - I understand that sending a product back to the company for warranty support is a common practice. Unless I'm mistaken, there is a 1 year warranty on the M30 gamepad I bought. I bought the M30 from Amazon on October 3, 2019, thus the gamepad is still under warranty. I appreciate your communication with me. But really, how realistic do you think it is for me to send a $25 (USD) gamepad all the way to China? It will cost at least that much just on the shipping costs. You have inventory for new products that gets sold via Amazon and ships out of warehouses in the United States, yet you require your customers to send the products back to China. What if it's a much bigger product like the arcade fight stick? Is the customer expected to ship it all the way to China as well? This is not a reasonable business practice and speaking honestly, makes me not want to take a chance buying 8bitdo products again until your warranty support practice is changed. I really like your products but you have to stand behind it in a reasonable manner. The current situation is not reasonable. Thank you. ---------- On Saturday, September 26, 2020, 07:11:55 AM EDT, 8BitDo Support <[email protected]> wrote: Hola. TIPS: You can look for cheaper shipping option. It's very cheap if you ask for no TRACKING NUMBER. It's cheaper to just send the controller back without the battery. Sincere regards.

Muito bom controle fiel ao original do Mega drive recomendo.

Buona qualità costruttiva e feeling vintage. Funziona con Batocera e raspberry pi4

Funciona como debe ser. Me resultó sumamente grato para usarlo con mi "Mini Sega".

Nice controller. Light, solid. Works fine with my Nintendo Switch, I like it for games like Mario.

Works on the steam deck 👍