8 BitDo Pro 2 Controller Review

 

8-BitDo Controller Review

Erik Abbey

 

Hi there, do you use your hands to play video games? Do you have a Switch, Windows PC, Android, or Mac? Then PUT THIS CONTROLLER IN YO HANDS!

What’s up guys, it’s the FilthyCasual back on the blog with my first, but hopefully not last device review. Today I’ll be reviewing the 8-BitDo Pro 2 which is an upgrade from the SN-Pro from a while back. While I never had a chance to use the original, I am absolutely impressed with the Pro 2. I happened to choose black, but it also comes in a Super Nintendo inspired color scheme, and a Super Famicon inspired color scheme. My experience with the controller has only been a couple days because I paid for this myself. Now, this does run in the $50 dollar range, but there are definitely times where it will likely be on sale much like the original SN-Pro and SF-Pro. I mainly use it for the Switch, but I also gave it a go on my Galaxy device using the Xbox cloud gaming app, and a PC. I don’t have an Apple, so your mileage may vary on those devices.

 

First and foremost, the look of this controller is just absolutely gorgeous. It's sleek. The black color scheme is clean, although if you’re someone who needs to be able to clearly see the button labels, especially switching between multiple devices, you might be more suited to the other variants as the black lettering on black housing is difficult to see. The texture of the controller is nice. The rear shell has a similar feeling to the PS5 controller, and the Xbox Series X controller. The front is matte black with glossy ABXY buttons. Speaking of the buttons, they are definitely most compatible with the Switch as it is set up like other Nintendo controllers.

The controller fits nicely in my hand, and I don’t feel too cramped. There are two back buttons that are customizable, like all the buttons in fact, however the 8BitDo Ultimate Software for Pro 2 is needed to do so, or the app on Android or Apple. Links at the end. I really like the location of the “Home” and “Share” buttons for ease of access, some may find their location weird because they are below the action buttons and D-pad respectively. They are quick and responsive and the D-pad is nice and not squishy if that makes sense. The Plus + and Minus – buttons are replaced with the classic Select/Start buttons. There is a button on the front in between the two thumbsticks that is used for selecting between three profiles, which again are customizable using the Ultimate Software.

So far, I’ve been able to connect to 3 devices, my Switch, android, and laptop seamlessly. I don’t know if you can use two devices on the same setting, as there is a switch on the back that allows you to choose the connection you want to use.

It comes with a 1000 mAh rechargeable battery preinstalled, and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable. One of the best things, in my opinion about technology, is the ability to have rechargeable batteries. If, however, the battery pack becomes worn and unusable, it can be removed and two standard AA batteries can be used. It doesn’t come fully charged, so don’t do what I did and wonder why it won’t work properly when it’s 99% dead.

I have very few dislikes about this controller. It’s one of the best third-party controllers out there but it has the same issue with other third-party controllers as it has no wake function for the Switch, and of course, there are no NFC capabilities to utilize for Amiibo compatible games. The rumble function is fine. It’s not HD Rumble, but I think that would jack up the price due to the “high tech” involved in it.  Sadly, I don’t believe that this controller is compatible with PS4 or PS5.

For a $50 dollar controller, I think this is a great option. Some might gravitate towards some other controllers like the Power A pro controllers, and that’s okay, but this is a great buy for someone who needs a spare controller or a second controller and you know you won’t need the few features that it lacks.

I will leave links to the software, manual, and Amazon store at the end down below so you can check it out for yourselves and make the best decision for you. Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one.

 

 

Manual Link: https://download.8bitdo.com/Manual/Controller/Pro2/Pro2_Manual.pdf

 

Software link: https://support.8bitdo.com/ultimate/pro2.html

 

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XY86472?ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details&th=1

Modern Warfare is good?

What's up, ladies and gentlemen of the internet, I am Eros Helios, and I am here to talk about games today. More specifically, one game; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare(2019 edition). Now make no mistake, Call of Duty was not the only game that happened to launch this past week, but it is the one that I actually got to play a fair bit of, and I really enjoyed it.

First things first, it's not perfect. Some things could have been done better, but I think, for the most part, it is a really good Call of Duty game. The in-game engine is phenomenal. The graphics on the PS4 Pro are some of the best, and the story, while not the most detailed was adequate, especially after the loss of a campaign mode in Black Ops 4. The story is a standard multi-locale narrative, pitting Marines, Freedom fighters, and of course, British SAS against a terrorist organization that is a not so subtle stand-in for Al-Queda. When a warehouse for chemical weapons is attacked, whilst being attacked by our Marine, Alex, the mystery of who is attacking and stealing the chemical weapons is what we are left to begin to unravel. I played through in a couple of days, needing to take a little time to recoup after getting hit with a migraine(those things suck), but I finished the story mode today, and I was content with the ending. There were many reports that the game included some controversial aspects such as child soldiers and suicide bombers. While there were indeed a  few instances of suicide bombers, there were no "Child soldier" missions, but missions in which a child defends themselves from some evil men, with evil intentions. The scene is jarring, but given the setting, and remembering that things like this DO take place in the real world, I didn't see them as controversial. To me, it was much less controversial than something like the "No Russian" mission from Modern Warfare 2.

With the ending and MCU like post-credits cutscene, Infinity Ward isn't just making this a one-game reboot, but with at least a years worth of content on the way, we shall see what is announced and what happens after support ends.

Speaking of, according to Infinity Ward, there will be no post-launch cost for maps in Modern Warfare. We believe that there will be some sort of monetization since this is Activision publishing the game after all. There are daily missions to unlock skins and other alterations for weapons. There are also ways to unlock weapon charms, and weapon camos, but that's nothing new.

The multi-player mode is where the "end-game" exists. Unlike a game like Destiny, or Borderlands, the campaign or side story is really a small part of the whole. PVP is the end all, be all of Call of Duty games and as such, it has to be a rich environment of choice. There are so many options this year that I was quite shocked really. You have basic core PVP, where you can filter out what game modes you'd rather play. In that filter, there is Team Deathmatch, Cyber Attack, Domination, Search and Destroy, Headquarters, 20 person Team Deathmatch and 20 person Domination. After that, there's Ground War, Gunfight, Free-for-All, Realism(Which I believe is the new Hardcore mode) and a private match. I haven't even gotten to touch the Spec-Ops mode, which is a co-op mode that is apparently only on Playstation until October 2020. I don't know how true that is since it is downloadable on the Xbox one.

The bottom line is this, in my opinion, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 is the Call of Duty that fans have wanted for the last few years. It's a helluva return to form, and it's great to see an old character like Price return. This is so far, my favorite Call of Duty since Black ops 2, and I give it 4.5 Helios flares out of 5

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is available now on Playstation 4, XBOX One, PC, and of course from Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop if you prefer physical editions.