This is the second leverless controller released by the company.
Last year, 8BitDo shipped its first leverless arcade controller for all the joystick-wielding fighting game enthusiasts out there, and also for more casual players interested in trying out the all-button approach. Be under no illusions about who the new Arcade Controller Pro is for: serious fighters, in 8BitDo’s own words.
Like its predecessor, the Arcade Controller Pro is a rectangular pad that, to the uninitiated, looks like something you might use to make electronic music rather than play fighting games. But those buttons are used to control everything from your inputs to your movements, and 8BitDo has made them smaller, with tighter spacing between them, making the entire controller easier to access.
The original arcade controller had four programmable buttons, and the Pro adds a fifth button on the left side of the pad. 8BitDo says this gives you even more control options while leaving more room for your left hand to move naturally. Also new is a built-in display that shows you the status of your inputs and battery, while also letting you make quick settings adjustments.
Like the arcade controller before it, the Pro also has a control panel located above the action buttons, which you can use to switch between connection modes and increase the volume. It can also be used to activate Tournament Lock which prevents accidental inputs during competitive play.
The Arcade Controller Pro features hot-swappable switches and redesigned round button caps that you can install at any angle. You can swap out the programmable P1-P5 button caps with flat lock caps (five are included), to give you even more protection when pressing buttons during battle. Various customization options are designed to give you the perfect setup for the way you play, and you can go even deeper with 8BitDo’s Ultimate Software V2, which lets you customize button mappings and create macros.
If you’re playing wired (supported on both Windows and Switch), there’s a metal locking mechanism built into the controller that ensures the USB-C cable doesn’t fall out if you shake it suddenly. The cable can be attached from the top or side. Like the previous controller, wireless play is also an option (via a 2.4G connection on a PC or Bluetooth for the Switch), and you should get about 15 hours of use with the RGB features turned off. The Arcade Controller Pro also comes with a magnetic wrist rest.
There is no information on the release date at the time of writing, the price has also not been confirmed yet.
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