From the linked GameSpot article:
"8BitDo has revealed the successor to its popular Pro 2 Bluetooth Controller. Officially called the Pro 3 Bluetooth Gamepad, the upcoming controller retains the form factor of the Pro 2 while implementing some of the enhanced features found in the Ultimate 2 Bluetooth, such as TMR joysticks and trigger locks. It also has a few entirely new features not found on other 8BitDo controllers, including swappable magnetic face buttons and an extra pair of arcade-inspired ball-top stick caps.
The 8BitDo Pro 3 Bluetooth Gamepad is available to preorder now at Amazon for $70 ahead of its August 12 release. It comes in three retro-themed colors: G Classic, Gray, and a shade of purple that pays homage to the Nintendo GameCube. All three models come with matching charging docks and a set ball-top arcade stick toppers that can be swapped in for the traditional rubberized caps. Out of the box, the Pro 3 is compatible with Switch 2, Switch, PC, Android, Apple devices, and Steam Deck."
I already have four of the predecessors and only use one of them 99.9 % of the time. But …
I love my Pro 2, best pad I’ve ever had, but I love it enough that I have no real need to spend $70 on an upgrade. This sounds excellent for anyone who doesn’t already have one though.
Not sure I get the point of removing the face buttons though. You shouldn’t need to physically rearrange them in order to remap them. I just use the Pro 2’s profile switcher button to swap layouts, and I see that button is still present, so I don’t see why I would want to do it the hard way.
Not sure how I feel about this (aside from it being 8bitdo so even understanding what SKU is what is hell).
The swappable buttons remind me a lot of the framework usb c dongle “ports”. In theory it sounds awesome. In practice it sounds like a LOT of engineering work going into something people will touch once when they buy it and never again. Would much rather a bigger focus on repairability so that swapping the buttons isn’t a big deal WITHOUT a magnetic system and special keypuller and so forth.
I also don’t think ANYONE will ever use the “arcade thumbsticks”.
I’ll ask their support about what exactly they mean by steamos support (fully rebindable in steam, or just “the buttons work”) and edit my comment to show the answer.
Ultimate 2 is fully bindable in Steam (even gyro if you do directinput over bluetooth).
Valve gonna Valve but there isn’t a reason to assume a regression on that. But, like everything, don’t preorder things.
I have an Ultimate 2 and I haven’t been able to figure out how to do that so I can’t remap the back buttons with Steam input.
What’s the trick?
Right now has to be the 8bitdo Ultimate 2 wireless. Not the bluetooth switch one. Need to update the dongle and controller to the latest beta firmware and launch it in dinput mode by turning it on while holding the B button. Then all the extra buttons can be mapped along with using gyro with analog triggers, which couldn’t be done before.
There is a bug that needs to be fixed where rumble can cause the controller to stop working in game, so for now need to use it with rumble off until that is fixed. But, everything else works when it comes to binding through Steam Input.
Is Dinput mode limited to Bluetooth only or can it be used on the 2.4ghz as well?
Edit: nevermind, just saw the other comment below mine that mentions it working in both connection modes
- Update the firmware of the controller and dongle (technically the dongle isn’t necessary if you are using bluetooth). I did this in a VM because Linux
- Fully power down the controller. Switch to the connectivity mode you want
- Hold the Circle/B button and power on the controller to enable directinput mode
- Update Steam to the Beta branch
- Open Steam’s controller remapper
- Regardless of connectivity, you should have mappable L4/R4/BackPaddles. If you are using bluetooth you will also have the gyro
Very nice of them to add hall effect triggers for improved longevity so that you can trash it even sooner than the Pro 2 once the non-replaceable battery dies out.
Are you talking about the battery in the Pro 2? My understanding is they use TMR sticks that use less battery. And even if/when the battery dies I’ve been having no issues using it wired.
The Pro 2 was notable for having an easily replaceable battery pack which was also compatible with standard AA batteries, and now the Pro 3 will be removing this feature in favor of an internal battery. I was implying that although the Pro 3 includes a new hall effect sensor for the triggers which would marginally increase its lifespan, the Pro 3 will likely need to be thrown away sooner than a Pro 2 because of its new irreplaceable battery design.
I was thinking about my Ultimate 2 anyway, so my comment didn’t matter. Maybe I’ll get a Pro one, some day.
8bitdo has the best specs hands down. But their controller shape is just… Awful.
