Those who loved the original Nintendo 64 controller will find the 8BitDo 64 Controller challenging at first, though those who found its shape difficult will find a lot to love here.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Hall effect stick should be more durable than old-school N64 sticks | Stick placement is totally different from a classic N64 controller |
| Doesn’t just work with the Analogue 3D | Have to buy a totally different model to work with an actual N64 |
| Range of colour choices | White model is the wrong choice |
Score: 4/5
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In this review
8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller Design
8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller Performance
8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller: Alex’s Verdict
Ethical disclaimer: The 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller used in this review was sent to me by 8BitDo’s Australian representatives in order to get it reviewed.
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Doesn’t make some brands (cough) like me much, but if you’re after ethically sound reviews (not horribly compromised ones), I know a guy… and that guy is me.
For more on ART’s Ethics position, see here.
Design
Like it or loathe it, the controller for the Nintendo 64 is certainly distinctive. There’s just nothing that looks like an N64 controller, so much so that even a silhouette of it is enough to remind gamers of (ahem) a certain age of happier times with iconic titles such as Mario 64, GoldenEye, Ocarina of Time, Wave Race 64 or WWF No Mercy.
So if you were building out a “new” N64 controller meant to appeal to those nostalgic gamers and new gamers alike, you’d ape that style as closely as patent and trademark law allowed, right?
That’s not the way that 8BitDo has gone with the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller, which eschews the classic three-prong style of an old-school N64 controller in favour of something distinctly more contemporary.
It’s still primarily designed for N64 games (more on that later), but the primary analogue stick has been moved to the left hand side, diagonally above the D-Pad, with primary A and B face buttons in just about the right position with the smaller C stick controls to the right.
You get standard L and R shoulder buttons, but both L2 and R2 are the “Z” button, because the classic controller had just the one rear trigger located behind the middle controller prong.
The change in layout is certainly a choice on 8BitDo’s part, and one that I could see being divisive from the moment it was announced alongside the heavily-delayed Analogue 3D quite some time back.
Some folks totally hate the N64 controller, and that’s a totally fine (and subjective) view. For those folks this might just be the ideal design, because it’s essentially bringing the needed controls up to modern standards, aping what’s largely done with more standard dual stick designs.
For those who remember the three pronged design fondly – I would say that I’m one of those, but honestly there’s been an N64 underneath my TV from the day I bought one, and it’s still there, so remembrance isn’t the right term – then this does represent a big change, and one that brings with it a fairly hefty learning curve.
The model of the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller that 8BitDo sent my way is actually the “newer” model, decked out in a grey colour scheme that’s very deliberately reminiscent of the standard N64 controller colour. The layout is different, for sure, but the colours are a very direct lift from the OG.
See?
There’s an additional benefit here from the first black or white models that 8BitDo offered at first, and I’m not so much thinking here about how the white model would inevitably show more grime and scuffs than any other.
Those OG models (like the black one I unboxed quite some time ago) had buttons that colour matched their controllers, but this new one uses the multi-coloured approach of the classic controllers, which makes describing buttons by colour to new N64 players a lot easier.
It’s also here that I should note that while the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller was very much brought to market as a companion device for the Analogue 3D, by itself it’s not directly compatible with an actual Nintendo 64 console.
If you do fancy the design but want to hook it up to an actual Nintendo console, you’ll need a slightly different model. Just as we were with the 8BitDo “Ultimate” controller there are different flavours of this particular gamepad.
What I’m reviewing here is the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller which, as the name suggests, connects over Bluetooth, meaning that it’ll work not only with the Analogue 3D, but also devices such as the Switch or Switch 2 and their “Virtual Console” take on playing Nintendo 64 games, as well as Windows and Android platforms, officially speaking.
However, there is another. You could opt for the 8BitDo 64 2.4G Wireless Controller instead, with the difference there being the inclusion of a 2.4GHz compatible dongle that will fit into the Analogue 3D or an original Nintendo 64 console.
No, I don’t get why 8BitDo didn’t just opt for a combo Bluetooth/2.4Ghz solution here to make it more flexible. Well, actually, I have at least a sneaking suspicion why they did this; it’s to save production money and perhaps make folks buy more than one controller… but they wouldn’t be that cynical, would they…?
Performance
The 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller can be used to play many classic games.
Also, yes, I did pay $114.95 for WWF No Mercy. And it was WORTH IT. Still is.
I’m an old school hand with N64 titles in their classic form, and as such I tested out the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller across a very wide range of actual N64 games, by way of the Analogue 3D which finally showed up a few months ago… but that’s another story.
The reality of using the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller was an interesting one. The primary analogue stick is built around a hall effect stick which means that it should avoid most of the issues of the classic stick in terms of wearing out faster over time, though I haven’t played a whole host of Mario Party to see whether I can shred my palms with it.
Yes, that was a real thing that happened way back in the day with N64 controllers… but I digress, sort of.
For those who hated the original design layout, this is an easy upgrade, because it matches more modern design styles in a nicely light and of course wireless body, but it is arguably a little more complicated than simple preference.
It does depend on the games you’re playing, because precisely none of them think in terms of controller layout that isn’t based on that “standard” 3-prong design.
For a game like Mario 64, it’s not a huge issue, but if I’m playing a little WWF No Mercy, a game that uses the D-Pad for character movement, it’s a bigger issue, because those controls are now in quite different places again.
Using some of the multi-controller layouts in GoldenEye is also an effective impossibility. For a title like Densha De Go 64, nothing’s going to match the onscreen layouts, and again buttons are in a weird place relative to the way you’re “meant” to play them.
The 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller can also be used to play Earthworm Jim 3D, if you don’t like fun.
None of these issues are insurmountable, but they do represent a learning curve whether you’re an old-time N64 player or even if you’re coming to these games fresh as a daisy.
You can somewhat bypass this with inbuilt button remapping on the controller itself, though this again introduces layers of complexity depending precisely on which N64 games you’re going to play with it.
There’s even a nod to some classic old-school third-party controllers with “turbo” options for button presses, though my own memory suggests those kinds of features were far more common on third-party SNES pads than they were third-party N64 controllers.
8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller: Alex’s Verdict
The The 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller does a good job with most N64 games, and the appeal of having a more modern design will no doubt have its fans.
I can equally see how some classicists might not like the redesign, and not incorrectly be a tad miffed that it’s not closer to the original to retain the classic “feel” of a “proper” N64 controller.
That would be nice to see, no doubt, but the other practical reality here is that unless you’ve kept your controllers in particularly fine fashion – I’ve got a few, but also a few that are more than a little floaty – then your other choices are either rather complex stick and bowl replacements, risky in themselves, or buying one of the cheaper third party clone controllers.
I’m yet to find one of those that doesn’t suck deeply.
The 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller is a much better prospect on that score alone.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 isn’t going to play itself.
(Well, actually it can, I could set a CPUvsCPU match, but you know what I mean, right?)
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8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller: Pricing and availability
The 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller retails in Australia for $79.
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Buy The 8BitDo 64 Controller! | Buy On Amazon |
If you buy a product using the link above, ART may earn a small commission.
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