8Bitdo M30 Bluetooth Gamepad, YIKESHU 8Bitdo N30 Pro 2 Wireless Game Controller for Nintendo Switch, PC, macOS and Android (Sega Genesis & Mega Drive Style)

So from what I've been reading, a vintage Japanese Sega Saturn controller is considered the ultimate gamepad for shoot-em-ups. Some people prefer the arcade stick, but I think the Saturn controller is more popular in the SHMUP community. It's also considered the best gamepad for retro fighting games, though an arcade stick is favored over the traditional gamepad for fighting games. However, there aren't any adapters that will let you use a real Saturn controller on the Nintendo Switch, so I decided to give this a try. Well, my SHMUP skills shot through the roof as soon as I tried out this pad. I never got seriously into the genre, but I'm now starting to since I have the proper equipment for it. I found modern analog sticks terrible for SHMUPS. There are many instances where you'll need to slowly move in one direction with the bullet patterns(or in some games like Radiant Silvergun or Ikaruga, to get through tight corridors), and this can only be accomplished on an analog stick by tapping the stick to one side over and over again, which works horribly because it's an analog stick, not a button. The Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo d-pads work for moving slowl, but they're still bad for SHMUPS since it's hard to move diagonally or in a circle. However, the 8-direction Sega-style d-pad is perfect. You can move slowly to one side by clicking the d-pad repeatedly and easily move in 8 directions. I wish I could compare this to a vintage Saturn controller or the officially licensed Retro-bit Saturn controller for Switch, but I haven't used either. I can't say if those are better or worse than those. All I know is that this blows away trying to play SHMUPS on a a DS4, Xbox One controller, or Switch Joy-cons(some people do actually like the DS2 for SHMUPS though, try if if you want :Þ). Games I've tested on it include Radiant Silvergun in Retroarch, DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou in Retroarch, Ikaruga on PC, Touhou 16 on PC, Danmaku Unlimited 3 on Switch, Gunbird 2 on Switch, and Aero Fighters 2 on Switch. All controlled beautifully. A few things to note. For Retroarch I had to put it into Android mode(start+B). Windows mode(start+X) had a glitch where the R-button was just a duplicate of the Z-button and L wasn't recognized at all. For Touhou I had to put it into Windows mode and to use Joy2Key, since Joy2Key would not recognize Android mode. Both Android and Windows mode work with Steam, however, in Windows mode LB is mapped to L on the gamepad, LT to R, RB to Z, and RT to C. With Android mode it's mapped like it is on the Switch where L is LB and R is RB, which makes way more sense. But the bottom line is, if Windows mode is not working right on PC then use Android mode, Windows will recognize either(note that I do not know if Android mode works in wired mode, I tested with bluetooth mode). Apparently one is Xinput and one is Dinput, hence the different compatibility. And of course, Joy2Key is always an option for games that refuse to recognize the gamepad like Touhou. I had no issues with it on Switch since the Switch let's you remap controls now. However, the manual doesn't tell you how to change the D-pad from emulating the left analog stick to emulating the D-pad, even though it does have that feature. It's so typical of retro stuff to put features in and not tell you they exist. The pad also worked great in the Sega Genesis classic collection on Switch with Sonic 2 and Streets of Rage 3, and it worked well with Sonic Mania. I'll have to try it with Streets of Rage 4 soon. So bottom line, I can't compare it to the officially licensed Retro-bit controllers for the Nintendo Switch, I just know this a really good gamepad on it's own. And of course a vintage Saturn controller and an adapter is probably superior if you're serious about PC SHMUPS, but they won't work on Switch and will cost you more than this gamepad and lack bluetooth and the extra buttons. Also, while Retroarch, Steam, Joy2Key, and Switch all worked perfectly with this gamepad in the end, it did take some trial and error(that is the norm for anything other than Xbox controller/Windows and pro controller/Switch). I'll just say if you want a gamepad for PC and Switch that's great for SHMUPS and fighting games and classic Sega games, this works great.

El control es de buena calidad. Los botones tienen buen tacto. A pesar de ser bluetooth no tiene lag.

For a hybrid between the Saturn and Mega Drive Joypads, the 8BitDo M30 looks and feels like the best of both retro worlds. If you like the way a Mega Drive controller feels in your hands, you'll love this one, and even if not, it still feels plenty comfortable. The D-Pad has the right amount of travel, 6 action and 2 shoulder buttons means that it has no fewer buttons than a PS-style controller, and even the mushiness/clickiness of the buttons feels just right. For 30 bucks, this is a reasonably priced joystick with matching quality. It's excellent for emulators and older games, and great for modern games that don't require dual sticks, like Stardew Valley, Sonic Mania, or Puyo Tetris. Just make sure you have a decent bluetooth connection - my notebook's a bit spotty (also with bluetooth audio) and sometimes input is stuck; getting closer to the computer solves the problem, but I know mine is an extreme case, and it will still work flawlessly up to a meter and a half away.

Mando de muy buena calidad para emulación y juegos retro. El mando está inspirado en el mando de 6 botones de Mega Drive (inspirado, que no igual). Es bastante cómodo y trae dos botones superiores L y R aparte de los seis frontales (ABC XYZ), un botón Start y tres botones de función (de izquierda a derecha: turbo, back y home). La conexión bluetooth funciona muy bien y también se puede usar con cable USB-C. Muy importante si se usa por bluetooth: se apaga automáticamente si no está conectado por bluetooth tras 1 minuto de inactividad, o si está conectado, 15 minutos sin usarse. Bien pensado para ahorrar batería. La ergonomía es muy buena y la cruceta es cómoda para cualquier tipo de juego.

After watching a few YouTube reviews for this controller I decided to give it a shot and purchase. It was worth it. The controller, itself, is comfortable in the hand. The buttons register every press without fail and the d-pad is comfortable to use. Registering it as a separate x-input and d-input device on a Win10 PC was very easy; and Win10 reconnection with the device, no matter which input style, was quick. I have used this to play emulation games, primarily, but also the more recent release of Streets of Rage 4 and BroForce. Works perfetcly across all once you do the regular configuration