Skip to main content PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES Search PC Gamer View Profile Movies & TV Gaming Industry PC Gaming Show Newsletter Signup Community Guidelines Affiliate Links Meet the team About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine Subscription Why subscribe? Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£35.99View Deal Amazon Prime Day Deals Essential Hardware PC Gaming Show Recommended reading 8BitDo announces new Ultimate 2 wireless controller with TMR joysticks and Hall Effect switchable triggers Controllers 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller Review Controllers Best PC controllers in 2025: the pads I recommend for PC gamers This new arcade controller from 8BitDo could be your next tournament travel buddy I feel like I can finally say we're at a point where buying new PC gaming gear doesn't mean settling for less Controllers Nacon Revolution X Unlimited review How to use every Xbox controller on PC I still believed 'cheap' controllers were a last resort until I picked up this amazing 8BitDo pad, now at its lowest price ever for Amazon Prime Day Morgan Park 8 July 2025 At $35, this thing is so good I'm never buying a PC controller from Microsoft or Sony ever again. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: 8BitDo) 8Bitdo Ultimate 2.4G | Hall Effect | Wireless | Charging dock | $49.99 $34.99 at Amazon (save $15) A premium controller that is somehow half the price of a PS5 DualSense right now. Assuming you like the ergonomics that most closely resemble a Switch Pro controller, you'll find a lot to love here: large face buttons, real analog triggers, extra grip buttons, hardware remapping, and Hall effect joysticks resistant to drift (a major feature that first-party controllers continue to leave out). Includes a charging dock that also serves as a dongle, though the 2.4G dongle is also detachable. I recently learned that I've been very wrong about controllers for some time now. When I played local multiplayer games growing up, I reached for the "good" controllers—the first-party ones made for the console—and passed the cheaper third-party ones off to anyone else. That habit persisted when I got into PC gaming. The only choice in my mind was a Microsoft or Sony pad that started at $60 (though now they're more like $70). Then last week, desperate for an affordable controller for my newly-docked Steam Deck, I took a shot on the 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless ($29.99). Holy smokes, when did third-party controllers get this good? 👉Shop ALL the Prime Day deals on Amazon👈 A while ago, it turned out. 8BitDo has been making quality pads for years, but recently they've upgraded their entry-level wireless controllers with features that even Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo can't match, like Hall effect sticks and triggers resistant to drift. Best PC controller 2025All our current recommendations 👉Check out our full guide👈 1. Best overall: Xbox Wireless Controller 2. Best budget: GameSir Nova Lite 3. Best premium: Xbox Elite Series 2 4. Best customizable: Scuf Instinct Pro 5. Best haptics: Sony DualSense 6. Best Hall effect: Razer Wolverine V3 Pro The deal above is actually the upgraded version of my controller: the Ultimate 2.4G. It's largely the same pad I'm using every day—comfy offset thumbsticks, big face buttons, analog triggers, clicky d-pad—but it comes with a wireless charging dock with a neat trick. The dock plugs in with USB, but you can also plug the controller's 2.4G dongle into a special compartment within the dock, letting it serve as both charger and wireless receiver. At $35, this is the lowest price the Ultimate 2.4G goes for on Amazon. With the hefty discount, it's only five bucks more than my dockless Ultimate 2C Wireless pad. (Image credit: 8BitDo) One caveat worth mentioning: The docked version highlighted above does not support Bluetooth, meaning this isn't the best option for travel. If you want Bluetooth and a dock, there's also the confusingly-named Ultimate 2 Wireless ($59.99), an upgrade of the 2.4G edition with Bluetooth and Switch support. Our own Nick Evanson reviewed the Ultimate 2 Wireless last month and loved it, though he noted its Switch Pro Controller shape and PlayStation-style sticks aren't his favorite. Bluetooth support has its advantages (my 2C Wireless controller will only wake my Steam Deck from sleep when in Bluetooth mode), but you're always gonna get the best polling rates and reliability from the 2.4G dongle, so it's not a significant sacrifice for the hefty discount. It's also worth considering that 8BitDo's biggest rival in the budget controller space, GameSir, also has some great deals going. Our own James Bentley wrote about his favorite controller going on sale for $20. I've yet to use a GameSir pad myself, but I think 8BitDo's cleaner aesthetic wins the day for me. 👉 All of 8BitDo's controller deals are right here 👈 The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. prime day deals Morgan Park Social Links Navigation Staff Writer Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn't pay him. He's very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news, reviews, features, the occasional guide, and bad jokes in Slack. Twist his arm, and he'll even write about a boring strategy game. Please don't, though. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. 8BitDo announces new Ultimate 2 wireless controller with TMR joysticks and Hall Effect switchable triggers 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller Review Best PC controllers in 2025: the pads I recommend for PC gamers This new arcade controller from 8BitDo could be your next tournament travel buddy I feel like I can finally say we're at a point where buying new PC gaming gear doesn't mean settling for less Nacon Revolution X Unlimited review Latest in Hardware I've decided black and red gaming rigs are mega boring so let me brighten up your setups with some of the best deals on monochromatic pinks and purple peripherals instead I wish I'd snagged this Seagate Ultra Compact SSD at its cheapest Prime Day price before splurging my cash on non-smol storage For just $16 you can get a little Warhammer 40k JoyToy action figure to guard your PC gaming desk this Prime Day UK looking to revamp defense laws as undersea cable sabotage and cyber attacks create 'gray zone threats' Racks packing Nvidia's newest and shiniest AI supercomputer Blackwell Ultra cards have just been deployed by CoreWeave This striking two-toned mini PC features a fully customised fanless cooling system for Framework and AMD's new Halo Strix motherboards Latest in News This competitive Blue Prince speedrun from SGDQ 2025 is the pinnacle of human athleticism Another live service shooter comes to a premature end: Steel Hunters, the mech game that launched into early access in April, is closing in October For the next 2 weeks Destiny 2 is completely free to play, even the stuff you normally have to pay for John Wick Hex and Tron Catalyst dev Mike Bithell thinks licensed games have evolved past 'lunchbox tie-ins' because 'the people who played licensed games are now bosses in the companies that are licensing IP' After 15 years of busted marksdwarves, Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams says archers will finally refill their ammo 'instead of leaping over walls and clubbing people with their crossbows' After 3 years of trying, Lord of the Rings Online's 'Great Hobbit Run' ends in confused success as a mob of low-level players gets lost inside Mount Doom and decides it's close enough: 'Sauron can kiss my butt!' HARDWARE BUYING GUIDES LATEST GAME REVIEWS Best graphics cards in 2025: I've tested pretty much every AMD and Nvidia GPU of the past 20 years and these are today's top cards Best gaming laptop in 2025: I've put the best of this new generation head-to-head and we have a winner Best gaming chair in 2025: I've tested a ton of gaming chairs and these are the seats I'd suggest for any PC gamer Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads Best graphics card for laptops in 2025: the mobile GPUs I'd want in my next gaming laptop NZXT N7 Z890 review NZXT N9 X870E review NZXT N9 Z890 review Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 review Razer Joro & Basilisk Mobile review PC Gamer is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Contact Future's experts Terms and conditions Privacy policy Cookies policy Advertise with us Accessibility Statement Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Please login or signup to comment Please wait...