8BitDo is one of the leading brands in third-party hardware, known for its high-quality products at affordable prices. Leverless arcade controllers have become the new standard for competitive fighting game players over the past few years, and this year, 8BitDo has introduced its own brand, built for top performance and at a lower price. There are two versions available, one compatible with PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC, and the other with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC, which is what we have. We are fortunate to get our hands on the 8BitDo Arcade Controller for Xbox and see how it holds up.

In 2010, Hit Box introduced the first leverless controller, which is an arcade stick that replaces the joystick with four directional buttons positioned in a curve for your thumb and three main fingers. It was certainly an odd design, but it proved to be very effective to pull off certain moves in fighting games, especially charge moves like Guile’s Sonic Boom and Flash Kick. Other brands have introduced their own versions, and although the controller style has been around since 2010, it wasn’t until 2023 that it began to truly gain popularity, with many professional Street Fighter players and champions switching from their arcade sticks to leverless controllers.

Leverless controllers were literal game changers, creating new ways to play as certain characters. Capcom even banned these controllers from their tournaments at one point, believing they gave players an unfair advantage. This is ironic, as they introduced the Modern Control scheme in Street Fighter 6, which allowed special moves to be performed with single buttons and made them tournament-legal. Thankfully, they have since reversed this decision, allowing pro players to create some exciting matches.

So, how does 8BitDo’s brand of a leverless arcade controller hold up? As a die-hard fighting gamer since childhood, I was able to test this on various fighting games on my Xbox Series X, as well as a few non-fighting games. I’ve tried this out on Street Fighter 6, Killer Instinct, Virtua Fighter 2, Dead or Alive 2, King of Fighters XIII, and Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, and it works fantastically.

Whether it’s a 2D or 3D fighter, the 8BitDo Arcade Controller allows players to execute all their favourite moves and combos with little latency; you’ll barely notice it. The lowest latency it can achieve is 4ms via a wired connection, which is too fast for the human eye to perceive. Much like the other brands of leverless controllers, it also helps create new ways to play as certain characters. Of course, for those new to a leverless controller, it will take some practice to get used to the layout of the directional buttons, but it is well worth it for those serious about their fighting games and willing to put in the time.

The 8BitDo Arcade Controller can work with many non-fighting games, but not all. The directional buttons are mapped to a regular controller’s d-pad instead of the left analog stick, so games that only use the left analog stick to move around are not compatible, as those games can still run, but you won’t be able to move around.

The lack of a right analog stick means you can’t move the camera either. Games that utilise a regular controller’s D-pad will work with leverless controllers, such as retro and retro-themed games. Leverless controllers are made specifically for fighting games, and the 8BitDo version is a worthy contender.

The main button layout is the same as all the other brands, which helps keep things consistent, but there are a few extra buttons that can be customised to other buttons or a mix of them to help make certain moves easier to perform. The buttons also have RGB lights around them that can be customised to stay lit, light up in a certain pattern, light up only when a button is pressed, or keep them off, among other options. Customising the buttons and RGB lights can be done on a PC with the 8BitDo Ultimate Software V2, which is free to download from the official site.

On the top right are four buttons to change RGB lights, plus three centre buttons on an Xbox controller, being the View, Share, and Menu buttons. The top left has a few unique functions. A volume knob is available when a headset or earphones are plugged into the audio jack located on the bottom side.

The tournament lock switch can disable certain buttons to help prevent accidental activation and disruption of a match, which is especially handy when playing online matches and in tournaments where touching them can result in disqualification. The Xbox button functions similarly to a regular controller; the Star helps reassign buttons, and the Profile switch allows for switching between different profiles.

The top end of the controller features a USB-C port for plugging the controller into an Xbox console or charging it, and next to it is a USB dongle for connecting to an Xbox console or PC to play wirelessly. Having both a wired and wireless connection is a great option, as many fightsticks and leverless controllers only provide one or the other. As mentioned above, playing with a wired connection helps reduce latency.

The overall appearance has a shiny black, sleek, sturdy, and lightweight design. It’s claimed that the top surface is smudge-proof, but after using this for a while, there do appear to be some minor smudges, so that may not be entirely true, though they’re barely noticeable and shouldn’t have any effect on the controller’s performance. Underneath is a rubber grip that covers almost the entire underside, helping to prevent slipping on smooth surfaces. The texture design features arrows pointing in different directions, as well as the A, B, C, and D buttons on an Xbox controller, to represent input commands.

There are also two kickstands underneath that can be folded out to help position the controller at a slight angle. With its flat design, it can be placed on a desk, on your lap, on a chair, on the floor, or wherever the individual players prefer to play. The 8BitDo version of a leverless controller has a thinner design than some others, making it perfect for travel as it can easily fit into backpacks, taking up less space. The lack of a joystick means it won’t get caught on anything when removing it.

Leverless controllers are some of the most sought-after controllers for competitive fighting gamers right now, so now is a good time as any for those interested or curious to try them out and see how they feel with them. The Australian price ranges from $140 to $190, which is significantly lower than other brands. However, its quality and performance easily put the 8BitDo Arcade Controller on par with its competitors. The 8BitDo Arcade Controller for Xbox is an excellent alternative for competitive fighting gamers, recommended by pros and champions, and is becoming the standard for fighting game esports events.

Written by: Sammy Hanson