The 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller is on sale for the primary time at Amazon. Launched on the finish of July, the reimagined N64 wi-fi controller is discounted to $30.57 (was $40). Solely the white edition is offered for this value; the black edition has been tougher to seek out in inventory, however Amazon restocked it right now for full value.
Although designed in partnership with retro {hardware} producer Analogue, the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller additionally works wirelessly on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PC, and Android. To sync the controller to Switch 2, you may probably must obtain a firmware replace. In the event you’re a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber, the brand new controller gives a cool method to play basic N64 video games.
The 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller was revealed alongside the Analogue 3D final October. Analogue’s 4K Nintendo 64 has been delayed thrice and is anticipated to launch This fall 2025.
$30.57 (was $40)
The 8BitDo 64 Controller is a wireless Bluetooth gamepad that sports all the buttons you’d expect from a device designed to play N64 games but reorganized into a contemporary form factor that resembles the 8BitDo Ultimate Controller series.
The reworked form strikes the joystick to the left aspect of controller. It is a Corridor Impact joystick with a metallic ring, so it ought to really feel as clean and exact as 8BitDo’s different controllers with the identical tech. Corridor Impact sensors eradicate the danger of stick drift, and metallic rings maintain up higher over time.
8BitDo recreated the N64 management stick’s floor by including three round ridges. Fortunately, it has a rubberized stick cap as a substitute of the unique’s onerous plastic floor. 8BitDo additionally included the octagonal stick gate, which Nintendo applied on the N64 controller to imitate an eight-way D-pad. The precise D-pad on the brand new controller is in a brand new location, too, nevertheless it nonetheless sits in a recessed pocket.
The massive A/B buttons and 4 C buttons match the N64 format and are the identical measurement/form. The ought to buttons and triggers have been redesigned to match trendy expectations. The shoulder buttons are labeled R and L, similar to the N64 controller, whereas each of the highest triggers are Z buttons. The N64’s Z button was on the again of the center prong. The twin triggers shall be useful if you wish to use the controller for video games exterior of the N64 library.
The massive begin button returns and is joined by three buttons discovered on many 8BitDo Switch controllers: minus (choose), 8BitDo (dwelling), and Turbo. When you assign the turbo operate to a button, urgent and holding it’s registered as repeated faucets.
You possibly can totally remap the controls and make different changes utilizing the 8BitDo Final Software program desktop or cellular app. It has two totally different enter modes: S-Enter (Switch) and D-Enter. Although it has built-in rumble motors, vibration is restricted to Analogue 3D and Switch.
Amazon additionally has offers on the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller and the just lately launched 8BitDo Pro 3 Bluetooth Gamepad. Each controllers work on Nintendo Switch 1/2, PC, Apple gadgets, Android, and SteamOS. In the event you do not want Nintendo console help, you will get an 8BitDo Ultimate 2 for $53.
What’s the Analogue 3D?
The Analogue 3D is the premium retro {hardware} producer’s subsequent FPGA console. Sadly, preorders for the $250 console bought out final October, so retro players will need to control potential restocks after the console launches in This fall 2025.
The console allows you to play your unique N64 sport cartridges with hardware-accurate emulation and 100% compatibility in as much as 4K decision. The console has 4 controller ports for actual Nintendo 64 three-prong controllers or third-party wired controllers. It does not include a controller, although, so you may need to seize an 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller or one other controller or two.
Preowned N64 controllers can be found to buy at GameStop. Alternatively, you should purchase one of many many clones of the original controller on Amazon for cheap.
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