8BitDo Ultimate 3E. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
The controller that comes with the Xbox Series X is a perfectly suitable piece of kit – but once you’ve used a premium third-party controller, it’s hard to look back. I’ve used a fair few officially licensed pads in the last few weeks, including SteelSeries’ uber-premium Aeon Pro, right down to the budget GameSir Nova 2 Lite for the Nintendo Switch 2.
For those that don’t want to drop north of £200 on a controller but still want to go for something premium, 8BitDo is set to release a device next month that’s right up your street.
The 8BitDo Ultimate 3E is a wireless controller that takes direct aim at the Xbox Elite pad, likely inspiring the ‘E’ in its name. Filled to the brim with tech, it punches well above its weight for the features it carries, and all for a £139.99 price point that’s relatively meagre compared to the competition.
Although constructed entirely from plastic, the Ultimate 3E feels sturdy in the hand with a contoured shape that’s more reminiscent of the Switch 2 Pro controller compared to the Xbox pad. A textured rubber grip coats all of the 3E’s main contact points, resulting in a pad that feels incredibly comfortable to hold for long periods of time.
Looking around the pad, you’ve got a typical Xbox layout with a few additions. Around back, you’ll find two paddle buttons as well as an L4 and R4 button nestled next to the triggers and bumpers.
Before using this controller, I wasn’t used to using an extra button next to the triggers, and was skeptical about accidentally pressing them. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded, and it turns out that these additional buttons are in the prime spot for tapping without moving your fingers all that much out of the way.
These can be bound to any other button on the controller, and once you’ve found the right setup for each of your main-stay games, you’ll find it incredibly hard to go back to a stock pad. Being able to perform actions without ever taking your thumbs off the sticks is a game changer, and it made the more action packed games feel even more epic.
Speaking of controls, 8BitDo has used Hall Effect sensors in both the triggers and the joysticks, so drift isn’t likely to be an issue with this controller long term. Those triggers have a hair mode too, with a switch switching between the two modes.
8BitDo Ultimate 3E. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
For some added customisation, the joysticks have LED light rings around each of them, which have full RGB support as well as a few cool presets to pick from.
Across the pad, all of the buttons feel incredibly satisfying to press with very little wobble that gives confidence in each input. Even the stock membrane ABXY buttons feel decidedly sharp to press – much more so than the mushy-feeling ones on the stock Xbox pad.
If those ABXY buttons don’t cut the mustard, that’s where the extensive customisation of the Ultimate 3E comes in. Pop off the magnetic face place and you’ll uncover the ability to swap out the button module for an included set of mechanical buttons.
These require a little more force to actuate, but you’re rewarded with a super satisfying click that almost replicates the feeling of typing on a mechanical keyboard. I love that 8BitDo gives players the choice between the two here, and that swapping them out is a quick and simple affair.
8BitDo Ultimate 3E. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
It’s not just the ABXY buttons that can be customised – the d-pad and sticks can be swapped out too. Both a circular and plus-shaped d-pad are included in the box, with them popping off and slotting back on in a matter of seconds.
I was also pleased to see just how many joystick options are included in the 3E’s package. You’ve got two default height sticks as stock, plus two tall and wide sticks that resemble tyres – these were fantastic for added control in first person shooters.
There’s also a domed, ribbed joystick that I found ideal for added control on the movement stick. Meanwhile, an even shorter stick is included in the box if you prefer the feel of a Nintendo Switch Joy-Con.
Overall, there’s plenty of customisation here to make your controller work for you, and it’s great to see it all included in the box for the asking price. 8BitDo even throws in a carry case for all your spare parts, the controller, plus the dock.
8BitDo Ultimate 3E. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
Speaking of the dock, I’m a huge fan of what 8BitDo has done here. It’s a sleek stand that sits on your desk, with one cable to your PC or Xbox delivering both wireless charging power and a data connection. The wireless dongle is hidden inside the dock, but can be removed if you want to plug the controller into another device without moving the entire dock.
I wasn’t convinced that the dock was a wireless charge at first as there are no visible contact pins. However, low and behold the controller does indeed use inductive charging to keep itself topped up while not in use.
There’s even a neat feature that sees the controller both wake and go to sleep when it’s taken on and off the dock, making connecting to your PC or console an absolute breeze.
Tuning the customisable buttons on the Ultimate 3E can be done without ever touching its companion software thanks to a couple of buttons on the pad itself. Holding the square while pressing the two buttons you want to map to each other performs the map, confirmed by a flashing light on the front.
I found this method to be a little finicky at first, but you do get the hang of it eventually. However, I did run into an issue where my binds were being forgotten between play sessions, which was a little frustrating before I booted up the controller’s software.
Utilising the software makes customisation much easier with easy-to-follow menus that let you tune everything from the stick calibration to the RGB lighting. There are even three presets which you can save to the controller itself, swapping through them with the press of a button at the bottom of the pad.
8BitDo Ultimate 3E. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
While the software is mostly there, I did find it to be a little buggy in its current state ahead of release. Profiles regularly wouldn’t save, and it would take me a couple tries of turning the controller off and on again for it to register in Windows.
In its current state, I’d wholeheartedly recommend the 8BitDo Ultimate 3E for use on Xbox. However, there are a few quirks that make it a slightly tougher sell on PC.
The main issue comes down to it being registered as an Xbox One pad. As such, this locks Steam out of using the haptic motors in the triggers since these were introduced with the Xbox Series X controller.
What’s more, there’s actually no mention of the 6-axis motion controls anywhere within the controller’s software. It’s advertised as a feature on the controller’s spec sheet, but right now there doesn’t seem to be a way for the controller to actually utilise such a feature.
That’s a shame, because we’ve seen the likes of the Steam Controller completely revolutionise motion controls in PC gaming – especially with the excellent translation layer built into SteamOS. I’m sure this will be something that can be fixed with a firmware patch, along with the lack of haptic triggers on PC, but it’s currently something I’m unable to test.
Early-adopter stumbles aside, the 8BitDo Ultimate 3E remains an exceptional controller for the money. I love how customisable it is, and given how quick and easy it is to customise on the fly, I can see it becoming the main controller I use to play the rest of this year’s big-budget titles – especially that one at the end of November.
4.5/5
Unit provided by PR for review purposes only.
