I have an enormous amount of trust in your controller reviews, from the ergonomics and price standpoints, as well as longevity. You also do a great job of summarising who a device is best for (including spreadsheets). Someone on Reddit was asking about 8bitdo vs xbox controllers and I was really shocked to learn that no one on youtube has done a controller roundup of the "well regarded" game controllers. Today, the "market" has a number of established players, such as XBox, Playstation, and Nintendo, but a number of well regarded alternatives, such as gulikit, 8bitdo, gamesir, etc. If I had a low-budget genie I'd definitely ask him to ask you to do a massive controller roundup. Ideally the genie would ask "Hey Russ do you want to do a crazy controller roundup video?" and you'd say "Yeah man I wanna do it".
Tbh the ultimate controller disappointed me, for whatever reason the 2.4ghz only works on 2.0 usb ports, having faulty connection if its 3.0. The controller constantly disconnects and it’s frustrating because it’s a fine controller when it works. Also the hall sensor sticks losses accuracy as the battery goes down, so when I push all the way forward at around 80% it’ll only go 95% forward even if physically I’m pushing all the way
@@Mingodoughmust've a qc issue, my 2.4g dongle works fine on 3.0 USB A, does it work if you connect it with the dock and the charging cable with the 3.0 USB?
@@ltyarv8071 I have the same problem as Mingo. Landed on this video because I just returned the Ultimate BT and I'm checking other brands out. This was my 3rd 8BitDo controller I had problems with. Not worth it anymore, I have 2 Xbox 360 controllers from 20 years ago, which never needed mantainance, and those don't have hall effect sticks.
What I really like about the King Kong 2 controller was how I can use it on multiple different devices at the flip of a switch (Switch, Steam Deck, Odin). Thanks for this review!
I own a King Kong 2 Pro, and I had to buy a set of (expensive!) replacement buttons because two of the original buttons would get stuck regularly. Gulikit clearly needs better quality control to ensure their customers don't have to repair their faulty products and pay for the repair themselves. With that out of the way, that joypad is my absolute all time favourite, and I love it a lot! The ergonomics and the hall sensors are great, and the controller firmware is working well and functional.
I returned them as soon as I noticed that the b button was getting stuck. Their hall joystick is amazing, but all else is not great. Better go with the 8bitDo.
Ya seems like the buttons that are closer to the sides can stick. It doesn’t really stick as much once I pushed them a bunch but at this point I’d rather use the Nintendo switch pro controller for PC games.
The 8bitdo is nicer in that respect but I don’t like how the handles feel. If they were a bit less perpendicular to the body like other controllers it’d be in my rotation. The gulikit sticks are great though, albeit slightly grindy
Out of curiosity, what happened to the replacements they sent with the controller? I don't know when you bought yours, but I bought mine February 2023 and they shipped with replacement buttons.
@@MegaDrain The problem wasn't the button caps or the case, but the button mechanics (NS33). I got mine for 4 USD at a discount. Usually, they are 10 USD with shipping included, which is >10% of what the controller costs.
You may not find the the 10 minutes useful, but it actually is very useful for people like me who test games for benchmark, Now I can record some gameplay and then load the savegame and repeat the exact thing I Did previously, that reason alone made me buy just 5 seconds ago after watching that part of the video
I’d really like some new PS-style symmetrical designs from 8bitdo. The Pro 2 is my daily driver, but Hall sticks and a charging stand would make great upgrades. I also would like some new colorways
My favorite thing about this controller is that I can easily switch between systems. Being able to swap between a switch, pc, laptop, and steam deck is really great. The video makes it seem that you have to use the dongle to work with the steam deck, but you can just connect it to the bluetooth on the steam deck and it works fine.
Really wonderful to see smaller third party companies innovating this much in the peripheral space. The best controllers, best keyboards and best mice you can buy today are all made by small third parties, and it's not just a matter of button feel or stick resistance or even added paddles, but fundamental technological improvements like Hall sensor sticks and triggers, something the console companies don't have to this day.
The things I loved about King Kong 2 is its versatility across different devices, changing button layouts on a fly, and the ergonomics. The negatives were the joysticks were not as resistance and less travel range. The back triggers were way too light with no resistance causing a lot of accidental presses.
The point of giving people ten minutes of macro is so nobody can complain. It's like how nobody in their right mind would play the DS with the hinge fully open. The screen angles just don't work that way, but the option is there because otherwise someone would complain that it didn't quite go back far enough. The screen magnifier on Mac OS can go in _unreasonably_ far, like no level of poor vision would warrant it, but it goes further than it needs to because if they picked an arbitrary sensible level, it wouldn't be enough for someone. Most people might need thirty seconds of macro, so you might give them a minute? But then someone who wants to idle at a fishing minigame or something will complain they don't have two minutes. So you give them five? Nah, bugger it, give everyone _ten full minutes_ and nobody will ever have a situation that would cause them to complain.
The 8bitdo Ultimate non Bluetooth just came out with a newer version. Same thing just instead of ALPs joystick or triggers, they replaced it with Hall Sense joystick and triggers. I got it in the new purple option recently.
Seems great but has the same two problems that all controllers seem to have: - You can't have gyro and analog triggers at the same time - Back paddles can only be mapped to face buttons - you can't map them to other things or mode shifts like the Steam Deck
A big problem with all these modern controllers with rear paddles - and something that doesn't often get addressed in reviews? - is exactly what sort of functions they can be bound to. Specifically, what I need is a controller that lets me set these to arbitrary keyboard inputs or something similar when playing on PC. Third party voice comms, third party screenshot utilities, emulation fast forward/save states, etc. My experience with these controllers is you can only really set the paddles to be the same as a different controller button, or some button combination macro, which isn't sufficient. At best it can be an alternative to L3/R3 if you don't want to press the sticks but still I sometimes need those buttons for actual gameplay. Given that both keyboards and gamepads are simple human input devices, it's frustrating that manufacturers seem allergic to creating devices that have additional freely programmable buttons for just such a purpose. I'm told the Xbox Elite Series 2 can do keyboard bindings for paddles, but when I purchased that controller I was unable to get the Microsoft software to recognize it in Windows 10. It told me the firmware version of the controller (NEW out of the box, untouched) was not yet supported by the latest download from the Microsoft store - Insane! Returned it and got an 8bitdo, which is great for the price point, but still the same paddle problems.
Possibly the _Scuf Envision (Pro)_ controller might work in your use case. Model has a row of function keys along the bottom edge that can be bound to system or outside-the-game functions.
It definitely looks interesting, but I think I do have to stay with my 8BitDo Ultimate controller. It's just so convenient to have that dock on my desk and just pick it up. Not to mention I use the 2.4ghz adapter on my PC so it's literally a flip of the switch to Bluetooth mode if I do want to use it on my Switch.
It’s worth noting that if you just switch the a and b buttons around instead of switching the right sizes, this can lock them in place making that button in-removable and in worst case scenarios locked down so you can’t press it anymore.
Can you please do a video about the way that updating emulators on EmuDeck is breaking emulators? People might need to know this so they don't end up screwing themselves. On their wiki, EmuDeck says they don't know when a fix is coming, but I saw on Reddit someone suggested people replace the emulators with something called appimages. Is this easy? And will it allow people to maintain their saves, and also allow Steam Rom Manager to still parse and add the games to Steam? Basically, are you aware of how to replicate how EmuDeck handles the emulators it automatically provides with appimages?
I don't think any dongle connected to a PC will work with gyro. I was only able to do it with Bluetooth. It takes some patience to fine-tune, but then it works relatively well. I have a 8BitDo Ultimate Controller in Switch mode and connected via Bluetooth to my PC. In Steam I have configured the LT trigger to switch on the gyro and emulate mouse movements. That way I can have gyro and triggers at the same time. Here is full video how can you do it right: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tkjKoe-7MzM.html
It should. The gyro just emulates the right joystick. I don't see why it wouldn't because of that. I haven't gotten my kk3 max yet, it's still being shipped, so I can't test it myself.
Interesting controller, I definitely agree with you about that odd thing with the accessories with them putting the cap puller in the hard case, making it awkward to keep paddles connected, not to mention that you'd only ever really use it when you had the extras case with you anyway.
I love my KK3 and had to go through two KK2's. Their quality control really needs fixing. I had to RMA two KK2's because the analog sticks were crunchy and felt like it was getting caught on something when you rotated them. I ended up fixing this myself with the third replacement. Had to use a dremel tool on the underside of the stick where the supports were. The supports were rubbing against the corners of the housing. This same issue is happening with my KK3 and I had to fix it myself again. The firmware upgrade process could really use fixing as well. Wish it was similar to 8bitdo's way of doing it.
I had to return a KK3 Max because it had way to many buildquality issues as well.. Cannot love a product like that.. Now using a 8Bitdo Ultimate 2.4Ghz with updated hall effect sticks.. So far so good.. No issues, much better user experience.. for 30 bucks less..
One thing I'd like to see/try out, is a dual input trigger system. Essentially, a trigger that registers a 'button/input press' at half pull, and a second 'button/input press' at full pull, so you could map aim and fire to the same trigger. I just think that would add a level of immersion to the game play, as well as free up an additional trigger.
My KK2 will do for me for now, nothing worth upgrading for here. I'll just mention if you get the black one with silver triggers, the silver tends to wear off. No big deal and a common issue. The dock looks great for the alternative though, might consider if mine ever goes bad.
This controller shouldn't be recommended to anyone as they've lied about the face buttons. Advertising them as a mechanical switch when they're actually membrane is just wrong. Even if they're nice switches, it's false advertising. Learned from VK's channel.
It seems there has since been an apology comment from Gulikit three weeks ago on VK's video that VK has pinned. Yeah, evidently their first batch of these controllers did actually have the mechanical switches, but when they changed to rubber membranes they didn't change the description in time, and it caused confusion. Idk the intentions, but it seems the descriptions have been updated now.
@@RafidW9 why do you need confirmation that you made a good purchase? You can enjoy it despite the manufacturer using shady business tactics to save a couple cents. Don't let that make you feel bad for getting duped. 🤭 Okay, joking aside, I hope you enjoy your purchase but don't go searching for justifications.
At 13:28 mentioning button sticking. Although I really like the (KK2) controller, that's easily my primary complaint. Now I'm a little wary, even if the company said they fixed it. I'd like to hear a long-term review for this controller.
I've been using mine for several weeks. I use the smaller paddles in the top position, and it fits fine in the case if you remove the dongle and button puller housing. I play mostly PC indies lately, and I find myself using the dpad for menu navigation and on games like deckbuilders.
I'm so torn, I have the 8bitdo Ultimate BT (the original), and I do enjoy the dock like you mention, but also the ability to just swap button profiles with a center button. However, being locked to the Nintendo ABXY layout, analog only triggers, and weird connection issues every once in a while is making me think of giving this a try, and returning it if it's not worth the $80USD pricepoint. Thanks for the review!
I doubt you would return the KK3, its significantly better quality feeling than the Ultimate. I left a more detailed comment above on best place for pricing, extras (thumbsticks are replaceable). I got the Ultimate on release, ordered 1x black, 1x white. Received the white, black was delayed but after feeling the controller I cancelled the black. Ultimate does have a good mushy D-pad i'll give it that, which is often preferable to the clicky modern style (KK3 isn't clicky, its just a bit firmer than Ultimate).
This would be perfect analog-centric controller, if it weren't for the battery. To this day, the 8bitdo Pro 2 is my favorite controller, not just because of how many input modes it supports, but because it has a rechargeable battery pack YOU CAN REPLACE, or just outright use AA batteries if you so chose. Batteries age and inflate, so having a game controller with no replaceable battery pack is inexcusable to me. With the Pro 2, I could theoretically use it for the rest of my life. (at least until a Sega Saturn variant turns up, or whenever gyro gets finally embedded into X-input)
I'll eventually get around to buying a new controller and this one is definitely top 2 in consideration. But the 8BitDo Ultimate bringing a charging dock (that also connects the dongle) is just another level of quality of life enhancement that I just don't think I could actually pick Gulikit over 8BitDo, even if I prefer the formers shape/design.
So Gulikit finally surpassed 8bitdo. I know that 8bitdo recently announced that they will start using Hal sticks in many of their products, but it's gonna take quite a while. And having suffered from drift on a couple of my 8bitdo controllers, I'm more than ready to swear off potentiometer sticks for good. Besides, the 8bitdo Ultimate is actually a downgrade from the Pro 2 in multiple aspects. My favorite controllers right now are the 8bitdo Pro 2 and the Xbox Elite 2. The KK3 seems to be the perfect fusion of both. I'm sold! ❤
When i got my KK2pro it came with the extra buttons to swap, My favourite controller tbh This one does look like an improvement, certainly interested in the black version of this.
I simply don't understand why other brands still refuse to make controllers that come with docks. That's the whole reason the 8bitdo ultimate is so successful! I personally don't like the ergonomics of the ultimate, but it's literally the only option if you're always forgetting to charge your devices.
Looks like a great controller. On Aliexpress they are selling different sticks for it too. Unfortunately it's very expensive so I might wait for it to drop in price
I bought the analogue stick caps that they sell separately, it really made for an even more xbox feel which I liked; I wanted an elite controller with hall effect sticks and triggers.
Do these controller's back paddles support programs outside of the buttons on the controller? I'd like to dedicate the back paddles for shortcuts and the like if it's possible.
This + XIM matrix and I can finally have an enjoyable gyro experience on the Xbox (not for competitive play so don’t hate on me). Thanks for the review, checks all my boxes.
The gyro is completely broken in switch pro mode. It randomly activates. Test Mario Odyssey. He'll randomly throw his hat. I've tested 6 of these controllers at this point. PLEASE test the gyro in Mario Odyssey!
7 месяцев назад
Does the King Kong 3 have nfc suppoort or did they drop it? I can't find any mentioning of it on the european page.
The shit thing here is that the kk3 max uses membrane buttons - they falsely advertise it and after some research i founded that - the first batch of kk3 max controllers were equipped with the same mechanical switches the kk2 pro uses and after that they started using membrane ones . when i ordered my kk3 max controller i opened it up and confirmed that it was membrane buttons
16:45 I find this a really pointless complaint, honestly. No one buying a third party controller like this will be surprised the DPad is not comfortable for 2D or retro games. It's immediately clear at a glance that it's meant for titles that benefit from analog control and primarily targets those games. That's not really "mixed results". It should be expected.
I have the 2 Pro and my A button definitely sticks. After using rubbing alcohol, it works fine till dust builds up. The soft material of the she’ll definitely gets dust stuck to it a bit. In spite of this, I’ll have the 3 Pro in my hands hopefully on Wednesday as it checks every box I have and at a decent enough price.
A note for the gyro. Is there any chance the emulator was only able to take one of the Gyro inputs at a time and so was only getting the on board Odin gyro?
If you use a Magic NS dongle you can plug the 8bitdo 2.4ghz dongle into it, and it works just fine on Switch. Presumably you can do this with the KK3 as well.
I really love how this looks, but I really want a phone clip for a handheld-type experience. I do that with an Elite 2 controller, but I'd like a more versatile experience so I could connect to a friend's Switch and only have to use this one controller. I don't see any product like that, that would fit though. There aren't any other products out there with a similar shape that would work, are there?
I don't really have any confidence in these things. I had bought the KingKong 2 and out of the box the right analog stick was completely defective. The stick was centered but it was reading down left maxed out. I had a hell of time getting it returned and replaced and got another controller with the exact same defect but in a different direction. It is nice that they let you swap the buttons because I don't like the Xbox layout and then the controller will actually report correctly. I don't really like the plug for the triggers it is a compromise that feels kind of bad no matter how you use it.
Regarding the android portion of your review - I've had no issues using the KK3 max dongle adapter with android emulators on my phone. I had to map the controller buttons to the virtual controller port for each emulator, but once I did that the controller has continued to work fine. I used a regular usbc adapter when mapping so I could flip between touch and button controls, but now the dongle lives in a usbc hub that I connect my phone and other devices to. Convenience is important to me, and I agree that the 8bitdo ultimate charging station is great design. But the KK3 wins for me by being able to adjust your controls on the fly without opening up any software.
This controller the kk3 max does random inputs when plugged into a windows pc beware this is very common and alot of people think its linux but i use windows and its not even just steam its all games it will pause videos in tabs randomly pause your game make you jump or cancel things randomly not because of the auto input feature ive tried everything to fix it and for some reason the bluetooth causes insane input lag on my no compromise pc to the paint where some games like fortnite are unplayable unless i turn the controller off every 5 minutes
I had a 2 Pro and ended up returning it due to two face buttons that had sticking issues, and well as a faulty right analog stick. Never did like the hand feel of it either. Think I'll stick to first party and do my own repairs when the sticks eventually start drifting
I'm just loving that they're getting better. I'm mostly using the Switch Pro controller or the GameCube controller for my Switch, but should the Pro controller fail at some point, this one looks like it'd make the replacement.
@@StardustLegacyFighter I wish Sony would at least put hall effect joysticks in their pro controllers.. considering they're $200 a pop..but of course they won't, so they can make more money..ugh
Not that you need yet another kind of similar controller to review, but I'd love your take on the FlyDigi line (the Vader 3 Pro and the newer, cheaper DireWolf 2, specifically), since some other channels have been really bullish on them, especially their unique but apparently super precise d-pads.
I want to like this controller but I bought one and within one session of elden ring the B button and both shoulder buttons started to make a squeaking sound. after about 2 weeks of use I happened to drop it from my lap onto hard floor and both the shoulder buttons stopped working.
My favorite controller has always been the Wii U Pro controller, for one dealbreaker reason: it has sticks on top. My preferred playstyle is a claw grip where I use my right-hand pointer finger to adjust the camera while I use the face buttons with my thumb, and using any controller layout other than sticks on top prevents me from playing to my fullest in games like Monster Hunter and FromSoft games. And while I love the Wii U Pro controller (that 80-hour battery life is hard to beat), I really would like to have some other third-party options with modern bells and whistles, but there just don't seem to be *any* on the market today. If 8bitdo released a version of their controllers with sticks on top, I'd buy them in a heartbeat, but that's not looking very likely atm unfortunately. So, if Russ or anyone else has any recommendations for good modern controllers with sticks on top so I can finally retire my aging Wii U Pro controller and quit buying new ones to future-proof as they continue to increase in price, I'd really appreciate it!
I like the symmetrical Playstation style more. Have been using the DS4 but the thumbstick is turning sticky and gooey. Now using an 8bitdo Pro 2, also thumbstick starting to degrade. Anybody have anything to say on those metal thumbstick cover replacements I see in online stores?
I'd love to see Gulikit or 8bitdo release a symmetrical hall effect stick controller. I don't know why they haven't done it yet. Maybe they're delaying so that people buy both.
I have the 8bitdo ultimate controller and my main issue is when I use it on Steam Deck, I have a hardtime dealing with the ABXY button being reversed than SD's native layout. I find that if I "flip" the button orientation, how it is perceived in game can be very erratic. It annoys me to no end. I think this new KK3 Max maybe a good fit for me. Will keep an eye out for it in the future (it's not available in JP Amazon yet).
I only have a singe gripe with this controller : it is detected as a regular xbox controler when connected using the dongle, and the gyro implementation is not right for me : since I play with my Y axis inverted, it also invert the gyro... That can be worked around, connecting the controller as a switch pro controller, but we lose the ability to use the analog triggers. I find it very comfortable nontheless.
I got the 8 Bit Do Ultimate Bluetooth only to return due to the ABXY layout. As the 2.4Ghz version isn’t available where I live the KK3 looks like it might be the solution. I prefer the way it looks aesthetically too!
I bought the original King Kong 2 and the buttons got stuck so often that I couldn't play with it. I had to return it. But, because I liked the controller, I bought another one in the hope that the faulty buttons would be just the exeption. They weren't. The next one had the same issue. Because of that, I think I will wait before I buy this one. It looks great, but I don't trust Gulikit with their quality control.
Any chance you could review the Logitech f710 and f340? They get a ton of hate because of the Titanic sub nonsense but I've always felt it to be solid.
Never used these but the 8bitdo are so much their own thing when compared to Sony or MS controllers that I hesitate to call them third party. I prefer my 8bitdo to my series controller for retro games for instance.
i used mine yesterday on my steamdeck - but via bluetooth because i forgot my dongle at home. the lag i had (in x-input mode) was unbearable. am i doing anything wrong? i did not have that problem with my 8bitdo via bluetooth on the deck....
Did you A/B test the KK3 and 8bit back to back with Bluetooth or are you just basing this on memory. 1000hz is so good that going to Bluetooth on any controller feels unbearable. It’s probably just a situation of once you try it, you can’t go back kind of thing.
I've got both 8bitdo Ultimate and the same grey Kingkong 3 Max - Also got x2 of Kingkong 2 Pros - they had a non pro variant, think the only difference was replaceable thumb-sticks and chrome triggers. The 8bitdo Ultimate aside from missing some nice quality of life technology/features of the Kingkong, the Ultimate feels incredibly cheap feeling compared to the KK3 (even the Kingkong 2 is lightyears ahead) and I found awkward to hold - just overall unpleasant in the hand from materials to shape. The R1 and R2 buttons are the cheapest feeling, looking and poorest quality i've ever seen on a controller. I got the Ultimate on release, the white was shipped to me and black was delayed, however once I saw and felt the quality I cancelled my black pre-order (I typically buy 2 variants of each controller model, so it says something if I skipped it on this model). I would normally say Black Controllers Matter, but not on this occasion and I would have been wasting £55 - I already felt ripped off with immediate buyers remorse on the white Ultimate received. I am not an 8bitdo hater by the way, I favour the brand and have just about every single model, variation and overall a big supporter (I have around 50 controllers, fulfilling my aim to cover every console generation wirelessly with around 85% being the 8bitdo brand even including their N64 modkits - which are excellent). 8bitdo were just way off the mark here with what they considered their "Ultimate" controller. I think at the time I was just drawn to the hall effect analogues, as that was new and probably the first big brand controller to use the technology - Whereas its common now (albeit not on first party). p.s. I'm 15 mins in, not sure if you'll mention but the KK3 has swappable thumb-sticks (they are very tight to get off but definitely removeable). On Aliexpress you can get the controller, 2.4ghz dongle, paddles, extra thumb-sticks, spare buttons and more interestingly an Xbox dongle for £80 delivered. The thumb-stick kit (of 3 pairs) itself sells for £2.87 on Aliexpress, you pay £2.99 delivery, so it makes sense to order 3 or 4 sets of different colour variations as the delivery price will only increase to around £3.50 for buying multiple - so buy like 3 sets for £12.50 delivered, bargain - Plus they'll fit the Kingkong 2's. I am still toying with the idea of getting a white KK3 Max as it looks very smart (you can tell the controller and thumb-sticks are in my basket as I know the prices lol) - The black just looks bland. Despite this, I say again, Black Controllers Matter.
Hey guys can someone help me figure out on which controller to buy, whether flydigi apex 4 or kk3 max , i wanna buy apex 4 but it's circularity has 7-9% error but all mechanical buttons unlike kk3 max but kk3 max has very good circularity , can someone help me
The reason why, on Android, it works in ES-DE and not in emulator is probably just because it's the second controller (so Player 2) which might not be configured.
I like the feel of my King Kong 2, but man do the joysticks have some serious latency/issues on PC. Ended up returning my first one because of the classic button fitting issue. I'm interested in this but I'm not sure I'll pick it up.
I still prefer playstation layout. And not because I grew up with Playstation. Just because so much of what I play these days is still just SNES and DS, and I like the symmetry between D-pad and buttons while rarely using joysticks. It's why I do use my Odroid Go Super the most of all things.
